Individuals of all ages and all abilities can benefit from
music therapy. Previously, music therapy has been used to support
emotional, cognitive and social development in many populations. Music
therapy may help to promote wellness by managing stress, enhancing
memory, and improving communication.
A 2004 study from the Journal of Music Therapy
found that music in interventions used with children and teens with ASD
can improve social behaviors, increase focus and attention, increase
communication attempts (vocalizations, verbalizations, gestures, and
vocabulary), reduce anxiety, and improve body awareness and
coordination.
Many additional studies have found that children and adults
with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) respond well to music. Often,
individuals with autism respond positively to music when little else is
able to get their attention, which makes music a potential therapeutic
tool.
The following are the reasons why music therapy helps in managing children with autism.
Music encourages social interactions
A 2009 study by Kim, Wigram, & Gold found that children with autism showed more emotional expression and social engagement during music therapy sessions than in play sessions without music. These children also responded to the therapist’s requests more frequently during music therapy than in play sessions without music.
Additionally, a skilled therapist can use music with
children to increase their social interaction and improve social skills.
Passing and sharing instruments, music and movement games, gathering
around a central instrument, learning to listen and singing of greetings
are just a few of the ways music therapy sessions can increase
interaction.
Music can improve behavior
In a 2012 study of 41 children with autism over a ten-month
period, See found that weekly music therapy sessions seemed to improve
overall behavior, with the most improvement seen in inattentive behaviors.
Children in this study experienced hour-long sessions of music therapy
once a week, and their conduct was monitored against a checklist of
target behavior like restlessness, aggression and noisiness. More than
half the group improved by one or two points on the scale after the
music therapy sessions.
Music can improve communication
Up to thirty-percent of children with autism are nonverbal,
and many low-functioning children have difficulty following verbal
commands, and have difficult time with social awareness like
understanding body language.
Wan et. al. (2004) found music to improve the mapping of sounds to actions,
by connecting the auditory and motor sections of the brain, which may
help improve understanding of verbal commands. By pairing music with
actions, and with repetitive training, the brain pathways needed to
speak can be reinforced and improved.
Music can reduce anxiety
Children with autism are more sensitive to anxiety than the
average child, as they are unable to filter out provoking stimuli. A
small four-week study, conducted at the University of Wisconsin La
Crosse in 2006, found preliminary success in reducing anxiety in
patients with autism through music therapy. After 16 short, 20-minute
sessions, during which the treatment patients listened to rhythmic
music, the participants who received the therapy appeared to have
decreased anxiety-related behaviors.
Classical music or music with a steady rhythm is thought to
be the best for alleviating anxiety in children with autism due to the
predictability of the beat.
Music is fun
Perhaps most importantly of all, music therapy is engaging
and enjoyable for children with autism. Music therapy is able to bring
about changes in social behavior and cognitive ability only through
repeated and prolonged sessions—and the best way to keep children
working at something is to ensure that they enjoy it. Almost like
another form of play, music therapy is something ASD children can engage
in without having it feel like work.
Music is an effective
way to communicate with and reach children with autism. Music therapy
seems to be able to improve social skills, behavior, anxiety and
more—and might be the one thing that can reach a child with autism when
nothing else will.
