How Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) React to Music

In a setting with someone with autism spectrum disorder, music therapists make use of music as an educational tool to encourage learning. One of the purposes of music therapy for someone with autism is to provide the student with an initial assistance using melodious and rhythmic strategies, followed by fading of musical cues to assist in simplification and transfer to other learning environments. Music therapy has been proven to decrease symptoms of children with autism, and could even facilitate motivation and social interaction. Even autistic children, who rarely or never speak, can respond to music; sometimes they may even sing along. Music therapy provides a tool that can link the gap between a non-communicative child and one who can

“In 2009 a study found that children with autism showed more emotional expression and social engagement during their music therapy sessions as opposed to play sessions without music” (Vivo). “In the study, children also responded more frequently to their therapist’s request than in sessions without music” (Vivo). Music can act as a security blanket for some people. For the children in this study, the music they listened to during their play sessions made them feel secure and allowed them to open up and engage with the other children in their therapy session. Not only can listening to music assist in a child’s therapy engagement, but “a skilled therapist can use music to increase a child’s social interaction and skills” (Vivo). “Therapy can increase the interactions of children by passing and sharing instruments, games that involve movement and music, and gathering around a central instrument” (Vivo). Children learn to socialize whether it is through their verbal communication skills or their non-verbal communication skills. The children are put in a situation where they are forced to socialize however; the music provides an element of protection and security resulting in an autistic child who is no longer wandering around the room in fear but engaging in activities with a smile on their

Being that many children with autism (30%) are nonverbal, communication is a major goal of many therapies. In one case, a child who was almost completely nonverbal was able to sing during a therapy session. This is not uncommon, because, as music therapist Megan Taylor words it, “sometimes, it’s easier to sing than speak” A large part of the success of music therapy is the music itself. Listening to the lyrics of songs can increase vocabulary, while the repetitive “question-answer” and structured format of music engages the child while reinforcing the learning of speech patterns (Gilbert).

Researchers are sometimes using Quantitative and Qualitative research methodologies interchangeably, or all three of the methodologies including the mixed approach, Creswell (2009). However, the most distinctive differences between the two is the application used, or the design, using words for qualitative analysis, and

Through the use of music children with autism are able to express themselves better in these social situations. Children with autism are found to not be as engaged with others in social situations as other children. Children with autism are found to have impairment in their communication skills when they want to express themselves in a social situation (Gattino, dos Santos Riesgo, Longo, Leite, & Faccini, 2011). A study done by Kim, Wigram, and Gold found that music therapy promotes social skills, motivational and emotional development in children with

Quantitative research deals with numbers and is measurable. Some examples of quantitative data are cost, number of participants and time. This type of research is systematic and uses the more traditional scientific method of data collection and presentation. Qualitative research has data that is nonnumeric in nature and it is difficult to measure. As the root of the same suggests, it gives a quality description of the data being viewed. It can include descriptions or verbal responses. Qualitative data is subjective in the sense that the answer can be different amongst various people.

There is an art in this world that we live in, which could possibly help a person who is autistic to cope with everyday functions in life. This special kind of creativity can help some children on the autism spectrum with regulating behaviors, help them cope with anxieties and frustration, and improve focus and attention. This art may also help a child to socially interact with their peers. May also help a non-verbal child to open up and begin to communicate, whether it would be verbally or non verbally ("New Hope for Autism: Music Therapy for Children with Autism and Asperger 's Syndrome"). Now imagine that you were a parent who has a child with deficits such as these and has tried numerous treatments with no beneficial results. You would be ecstatic to hear this information and would want to know what this art is and how to receive it. Music therapy is the art that will be discussed in this paper and the beneficial effects it has on children on the autism spectrum.

According to Berge form the book Music therapy, sensory integration and the autistic child. Publisher from Jessica Kingsley at London, England in 2002 mentioned that music also is a treatment that utilized brain function, social interaction, and

Individuals with ASD express much interest in participating musical activities. There is substantial evidence that music related activities engagaes the network of the brain areas and improves their focus in developing the communication and social skills. The aim of this review paper is to understand the potential of Music Therapy (MT) in individuals with ASD. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2014 provides evidence, that MT may have positive effects on social interaction and communication skills of children with ASD and related interventions have the potential to facilitate social skills and expressive language in otherwise nonverbal children with

Musicians in the community , amateur and professional, came to “Veterans hospitals around the country to play for the thousands of veterans suffering both physical and emotional trauma from the wars. The patients' notable physical and emotional responses to music led the doctors and nurses to request the hiring of musicians by the hospitals” (American Music Therapy Association). Soon after the practice began to taught in colleges throughout the country. The number of individuals diagnosed with autism is increasing at such an alarming rate worldwide that today it affects one in every 152 children in the U.S (rathus, p.224). As autism is disorder that affects everyone who has it differently, no one method or approach works for every single autistic person. Music, however, is an engaging stimulus for children with autism. Every single piece of works on autism states that children who do not respond to speech will often respond to music. In fact, they respond more often and appropriately to music than any other auditory stimulus. In addition to responding positively to music, children with autism are often musically

There will be four groups in the study, each composed of twenty-five American school-age children, specifically between the ages of five and ten. None of the children will have had any prior musical training. Of the four groups, two will be composed entirely of children with autism. The other two will be composed of children without autism or any cognitively debilitating disease. For the purposes of this study, the two groups composed of autistic children will be called Group A and Group B, while the groups containing non-autistic children will be referred to as Group C and Group D.

Several genres categorize contemporary music. A plethora of sub-genres applies to the basic categories of rock, rap, electronic, reggae, and country. With each genre and corresponding sub-genre, lyrics influence the listener’s emotions, opinions, and ambition. Often forgotten, however, is the influence lyrics have on how listeners speak and how listeners react. While some songs are created to educate children, others are created to educate the general public.

Studies have been under way, examining the efficacy of music therapy intervention. Scientists have taken several approaches in determining if music allows an autistic child to become more socially engaged. The current debate is that children who have autism have social engagement problems that cannot be trained or controlled. Science is now debunking that argument as more research and evidence is emerging, showing improvements in autistic children’s social interactions. Working thesis: Studies on the efficacy of music therapy are providing empirical results on its efficiency with ASD children.

Developing the cognitive, communication and social skills of young disabled students is fundamental in the special education field. Different methods and tools have been used to achieve these things, such as painting, physical exercise and music. The latter is considered one of the most effective ways to improve the skills of young students with special needs (Brown & Jellison, 2012; Darrow, Standley, & Swedberg, 2007). Since 1988, various researchers have investigated the effectiveness of using music with disabled students. For example, in1996, a study by the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) examined the positive effects of using music therapy with young students who have special needs. However, the number of music studies with young disabled students is still low compared to the number of music studies involving other students (Brown & Jellison, 2012). Therefore, investigating the effects of using music with young disabled students is worthwhile and will help interested educators, therapists and teachers better understand the effects of music on these students’ learning and motivation (Brown & Jellison, 2012; Perry, 2003).

Speech is one of the most difficult factors an autistic child must learn. Before speech is introduced , it is important to make sure the child is comfortable with social interactions toward other people (Gold C, Wigram T, Elefant C 2010). A child will most likely not communicate if they are not comfortable with interacting with people without communicating. Speech can be accompanied by singing. Stephen W. Porges states that singing is a technique used to assist the length of sentences, rate, fluency, as well as pitch and volume of what is being sung. In most cases, autistic children have trouble communicating complete sentences or the tone and volume of their voice. Singing is a great exercise to let the words flow steady and