The impact of fostering relationships through music within a special school classroom for students with autism spectrum disorder: an action research study (original) (raw)
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British Journal of Music Therapy, 2013
In educational settings in Scotland Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) are currently being guided towards working in partnership with other professionals, particularly to develop roles as consultants , advisors or trainers within schools (Scottish Government 2010). AHPs are being encouraged to meet therapeutic objectives indirectly and decrease the hours of direct work with pupils. This study aimed to evaluate ways in which a music therapist might support a teacher to offer interactive group music-making to children with additional support needs. Themes were generated from the analysis of a semi-structured interview with a nursery teacher who, together with the author, was involved in planning and delivering an eleven-week intervention for three children on the autistic spectrum. Responses from two questionnaires completed by classroom assistants who also supported children in the group as well as the experience of the therapist in collaborative work added to the discussion and reflection. Findings suggest that the flexibility of the music therapist in direct work is highly specialised and cannot be easily replicated in other classroom music activities , but that experiential music therapy groups offer some level of transferable learning for teaching and support staff and potential for developing more indirect approaches.
Enabling young children with autism through musical engagement - a music educator's toolkit
Sound Connections is a leader in research and advocacy for the music education sector in London. London Early Years Music Network (LEYMN) aims to promote and develop best practice in music education for the Early Years. It also supports and facilitates research in the early years music sector, in order to build evidence of the power of music in reaching young children. This action research is part of this work.
The Use of Music as an Instructional Tool by Teachers Working with Students with Autism
The present study is examining the use of music by teachers of students in the Autism Spectrum as an instructional tool in the classroom. In order to explore teachers’ routines concerning the use of music, two days of classroom observation were held, followed by five teacher interviews. The participants were working in special schools in the area of Bristol in the UK. The findings suggest that music is mainly used when transitioning from one activity to the other, as well as during group sessions. Music was used in order to teach different subjects to students with autism, as teachers believed that they are more understandable when taught through music. It was also found that music relaxes students with autism and calms them down. Moreover, it was found that it is of high importance for music to be implemented as a part of the daily routines when working with students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Additionally, teachers were asked about their beliefs concerning the generalization of the positive outcomes that music might have in other contexts and times of the day. It was found that this is a rather complex issue, as they felt that under certain circumstances it would be possible, while is some other it might be quite challenging. Nevertheless, it was supported that such transfer would be helpful. In addition to the above, the present study also identified some challenges in the use of music with individuals with autism. Those refer to common ideas between the teachers that suggest that music might sometimes be a barrier, as, when it stops or when the students do not like the song, they might get upset. The present study also acknowledges some limitations of the research undertaken. Ideas for future research are discussed, in order for the above issues to be explored further.
2014
The purpose of this study was to describe the responses and reflections of two middle school students with autism as they created, performed, and responded to music during a series of six lessons. A multiple case study methodology was employed. The data collected included audio and video recordings of interviews and lessons, field notes, and work samples. Within-case analyses revealed that one participant communicated primarily through the use of musical and non-verbal modes, with varied levels of communication through words, while the second participant communicated largely through written and spoken language. Four cross-case themes emerged: voluntary cooperative learning style, awareness of popular music culture, sanguine affects, and unique, but functioning responsive and reflective capacities. The findings indicated that both students' were descriptive, reflective, associative, creative, emotive and empathetic in their own way, and this provided insight into their learning style. Implications for music education and suggestions for future research are provided.
Music and children with autism spectrum disorder: A case study
Journal of Educational Sciences, 2024
Autism spectrum disorder is a complex neurological disorder characterized by impairments in communication and social interaction, limited patterns of behavior, interests and activities. Given the different forms of autism spectrum disorder and the fact that no two people are the same, an individual approach to each individual is required. Musical ability is one of the special talents that a child with an autism spectrum disorder can have. Such a child should be allowed to practice music. As a therapy, music therapy has proven to be effective in working with children with autism spectrum disorder, i.e. it has a positive effect on communication, vocalization, joint attention, eye contact, concentration, cooperation, cognitive functions, social skills, etc. This paper presents the observations obtained through the study case. The aim of the research was to show the behavior of students with autism spectrum disorder in the Music culture class and the impact of music therapy on their behavior. For the purposes of the research, two interviews were conducted, i.e. with a teaching assistant who worked with a student with an autism spectrum disorder and with the student's parents. The case study showed that the student has a developed musical ability, that he participates actively, with reserved attention, only in the Music culture classes, and that music therapy helped him in his expression and speech. It is essential to give these kids the tools they need to further develop their musical abilities. It will contribute to children with autism spectrum disorder feeling safe, happy, and accepted in their environment.
This study aimed to discover how the key competencies featured in student music therapy with three children who have autism spectrum disorder. Individual music therapy was carried out in the natural environment of a primary school and clinical notes were developed to record events and reflections on the sessions. This data was then retrospectively analysed in a process known as secondary analysis which used inductive and deductive techniques. A process of thematically analysing data revealed that the three children with autism spectrum disorder demonstrated the key competencies in diverse ways in music therapy, such as through letting their personalities shine (managing self) and relating from shared histories and relationships (relating to others), and that I assisted the development of the key competencies for children in equally diverse ways, such as, by being well-being focused, giving openly and making music therapy child-led. A clinical vignette is used to illustrate the findi...
Thank You for the Music: Musical Activities as Therapy for Autistic Children
Elements, 2016
Music therapy, developed over the years by numerous musicians and educators, such as Carl Orff, Jacques-Dalcroze, and Kodaly, have proven to stimulate social interaction, improve selective attention and aid in numerous other developmental milestones. These findings are not only important for parents and school curricula, but also have profound meaning for children with autism. Numerous studies, including work done by Koelsch, as well as Winsler, Ducenne, and Koury, found that children who participated in a music and movement program developed greater self-regulation skills, such as private speech, showed greater improvement in coordination, and fostered positive social interaction between researcher and subject. Autistic children who were exposed to music therapy held eye contact longer, engaged in dialogue, and reduced negative behaviors such as head-banging, avoidance, or self-stimulatory behaviors. Diverse methods of music therapy, including playing instruments, listening to soun...
Exploring the functions of music in the lives of young people on the autism spectrum
Psychology of Music
Current research investigating the functions of music in everyday life has identified cognitive, emotional, and social functions of music. However, previous research focuses almost exclusively on neurotypical people and rarely considers the musical experiences of autistic people. In addition, there is limited research which focuses explicitly on the musical experiences of young people on the autism spectrum. Current research exploring the functions of music may therefore not accurately represent the experiences of the autistic community. This article aims to explore the function of music in the lives of young people on the autism spectrum through a series of interviews. Eleven young people on the autism spectrum age 12 to 25 ( M = 19.4) were interviewed about the function of music in their lives. An adaptive interview technique, utilizing multiple methods of communication, was employed to account for the participants’ broad communicative and personal needs. Interpretative phenomenol...
Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Software Development and Technologies for Enhancing Accessibility and Fighting Info-exclusion - DSAI 2018, 2018
Despite the existence of extensive literature on the benefits of either technology or music in children with autism and intellectual disabilities (ID), research studies exploring the impact of interventions combining the two are scant. This paper presents a collaborative multidisciplinary approach between school staff, university researchers and a business in their development of a technology-mediated music-making system (i.e. the Cosmo units) that aims to improve the quality of life of the former population. Data were collected via observations of individual pupils and focus group interviews with the school staff. The results, discussed in the light of relevant literature, incorporate both the changes applied to the Cosmo system and the benefits for school staff, university researchers and the business through being part of this participatory project.
Everyone needs to belong. People with disabilities often experience belonging to restricted communities of people who usually have similar needs. The purpose of this study is to investigate how music therapy could enhance the sense of community at a day program for adults with learning disabilities. The project focuses on exploring and improving my own collaborative music therapy practice in order to reach the goal of this research. This action research follows three cycles of planning, acting and reflecting. The different cycles observe my own collaborative skills, moments of togetherness as an expression of a sense of community and relationship building with different communities of people. The data analysis involves a thematic analysis of my clinical and reflective notes taken during each cycle. I have used song composition for each cycle as a tool for integrating meaning and summarising my learning. The process of this action research helped me understand that: 1) Effective c...