Clinical Musicianship for Children on the Autism Spectrum - A research report based on 1 year field trials. (original) (raw)
2023, WCCL Clinical Musicianship Research Committee
The study was designed to study the effects of Music Therapy on children diagnosed with ASD. It was purely experimental in nature and the clinical musician and project-director along with the other members of the team had the freedom to make changes that were deemed appropriate in that given circumstance. Some of the highlights of the project were: - Experiencing the positive connections between music, healing & autism. - Opening channels of communication through an alternative medium of drumming & singing. - Mapping every child’s response before, during & after the sessions has shown the impact of music therapy on social communication, social interaction & creativity. - Studies of individual cases (Sahil) have shown the effect of DCT in calming the mind and controlling hyperactive behaviour - Study indicates that CM techniques are an excellent medium for mood regulation, language skills and motor movements. - Written documentation & Video Recording of all significant milestones of the children. - The children have shown willingness to connect to new forms of expression. Limitations of the project: The project was time bound to twelve months with one session per week. Some children could not attend all 22 sessions which had an impact on their results and their progress. As in any school situation, there were absenteeism and dropouts amongst children, thereby disrupting the flow of sessions. The impact of changes in medication or addition of other therapy interventions in home environment on the results of the music therapy sessions and outcome could not be studied in detail.
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