Effects of Improvisational Music Therapy vs Enhanced Standard Care on Symptom Severity Among Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: The TIME-A Randomized Clinical Trial (original) (raw)
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The application of improvisational music therapy in autism
Life Research, 2018
This article presents the model of improvisational music therapy and its use with people with autism. Firstly, the author provides a brief definition of some theoretical ideas and the clinical characteristics of improvisational music therapy, a relatively new treatment which is becoming more wide-spread on a global level. Particular reference is made to the possibilities which music offers in the creation of relational experiences, and the role of time, rhythm and repetition as regulatory elements both in music and in intersubjective relationships. Following this, the efficacy of improvisational music therapy with people with autism is discussed, with regard to research in the field of neuroscience (specifically, the Mirror Neuron System) and the impact of a multimodal stimulus such as music making. The final section outlines the results of the international research project RCT TIME-A, in which improvisational music therapy was used with children with autism. The literature analysis shows that music therapy has significant effects and contributes to improvements in several aspects of the autistic disorder, such as autistic mannerisms, social awareness and social affect. We can consider these results as the beginning of a pathway towards validating improvisation music therapy as a treatment for children with autism.
WCCL Clinical Musicianship Research Committee, 2023
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.
Music as a therapeutic approach in children with autism spectrum disorder
International journal of health sciences
Music therapy is an alternative form of therapy that has positive impact in many areas of physical and mental health. The purpose of this study was to review researches systematically on the impact of music therapy in children with autism spectrum disorder. PRISMA model was followed including 17 researches out of 27 researches published in various journals related to music therapy from sources like PubMed and Scopus over 6 years and were analyzed in detail. Findings suggested that music therapy has positive outcomes as a treatment approach in children with autism with one study showing no significant relationship. Most of the studies were done on social skills and communication, stereotype behavior and motor coordination and less on other domains like social affect and responsiveness, understanding others gestures and perspective, resistance to change and echolalia. Future studies need to focus on the domains less studied on.
Music Therapy for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Acta Psychopathologica, 2023
Music Therapy (MT) is a way of helping people with a range of disorders. It involves listening to music, talking about it, and singing, dancing, or making music. MT is a general psychotherapeutic help to people with different disorders (Herndon, 2021). This article researches people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and music as a way of treating them. ASD children find it challenging to interact with others, and music, as an ancient form of communication, does not require people to have verbal abilities. Music is the language of art, which goes beyond words and speaks with commonly understood images and emotions, so it can be adapted to meet the needs and tastes of each person. MT is based on music's therapeutic effect on a person's psychological state. ASD is characterized by marked and pervasive deficits in social interaction and communication, limited interests, and repetitive activities. According to the research, it is correct to call autism not a disease or mental retardation but a developmental disorder. Among people with autism, the level of intelligence varies in the same way as among neurotypical people individually. ASD ones need more time and effort to reach their potential because their nervous system is constantly overwhelmed, and music is one of the ways to help them relax.
Music therapy as a therapeutic tool in improving the social skills of autistic children
The Egyptian Journal of Neurology, Psychiatry and Neurosurgery
Background: The Cochrane Collection reviews of randomized clinical trials (RCT) showed a favorable result of music therapy (MT) on individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared with a placebo treatment. Objective: This study focuses on accessing whether MT can improve the development of social skills of autistic children and to check if the effects of MT are long lasting. Materials and methods: This study was designed as a pre-test/post-test and follow-up among the autistic children. Fifty-four children with mild to severe autism were selected and assigned into two groups: active and passive. The children received MT for 3 months and the groups were followed-up for 3 months. The data were analyzed with IBM-SPSS-21 software using t test and the groups were compared by analysis of covariance. Results: The results of the MT intervention were mostly apparent in the following subscales-understanding/ perspective-taking, initiating interactions, responding initiation, and maintaining interactions with others. The post-test covariance analysis results showed a significant increase in social skills' scores (p < 0.05). Also, the t test results of the paired-sample revealed that the effectiveness of MT has been continual during the followup phase. Conclusions: The study illustrated that MT is an effective intervention in improving social skills of autistic children with steady effects. MT helped in developing a form of communication for these children which led to an improvement in their ability to understand, respond, and maintain their interaction with their peers.
Music Therapy for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Systematic Review
Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2014
We identified, summarized, and appraised the certainty of evidence for 12 studies investigating the use of music therapy for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The studies were summarized in terms of (a) participant characteristics, (b) dependent variables, (c) procedures, (d) results, and (e) certainty of evidence. A total of 147 participants aged 3 to 38 years were included in the 12 studies. Dependent variables included: (a) decreasing undesirable behavior, (b) promoting social interaction, (c) improving independent functioning, (d) enhancing understanding of emotions, and (e) increasing communication. Music therapy included the use of specific songs with lyrics related to target skills as well as musical improvisation. Outcomes were positive for 58 % of the studies and mixed for 42 % of the studies. Certainty of evidence was rated as conclusive for 58 % of the studies. The existing literature suggests that music therapy is a promising practice for individuals with ASD, but additional research is warranted to further establish its generality and the mechanisms responsible for behavior change.
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2007
Background: Data on the potential behavioral effects of music therapy in autism are scarce. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether a musical training program based on interactive music therapy sessions could enhance the behavioral profile and the musical skills of young adults affected by severe autism. Methodology: Young adults (N ϭ 8) with severe (Childhood Autism Rating Scale Ͼ 30) autism took part in a total of 52 weekly active music therapy sessions lasting 60 minutes. Each session consisted of a wide range of different musical activities including singing, piano playing, and drumming. Clinical rating scales included the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Musical skills-including singing a short or long melody, playing the C scale on a keyboard, music absorption, rhythm reproduction, and execution of complex rhythmic patterns-were rated on a 5-point Likert-type scale ranging from "completely/entirely absent" to "completely/entirely present." Results: At the end of the 52-week training period, significant improvements were found on both the CGI and BPRS scales. Similarly, the patients' musical skills significantly ameliorated as compared to baseline ratings. Conclusions: Our pilot data seem to suggest that active music therapy sessions could be of aid in improving autistic symptoms, as well as personal musical skills in young adults with severe autism.
Music therapy: An effective approach in improving social skills of children with autism
Advanced Biomedical Research, 2015
Background: The existing methodological weakness in conducted researches concerning music therapy (MT) for children with autism led to ambiguity and confusion in this scope of studies. The aim of the present research is to identify the effectiveness of MT method in improving social skills of children with autism and its stability, as well. Materials and Methods: In the form of a clinical trial study with design of pretest/posttest/follow-up with control group, among the children with autism in community of Tehran city, on the basis of childhood autism rating scale, 27 children with mild to moderate autism were chosen and were divided into two groups of experiment (n = 13), and control (n = 14). Social skills' level of both groups was measured and recorded with the help of social skills rating system scale. The children of the experiment group participated in MT programs of Orff-Schulwerk for 45 days in 12 sessions (two sessions of 1-h/week), whereas the control group received no intervention. The data were analyzed with Statistic Package For Social Science (SPSS) software t-test and analysis of covariance was used to compare groups. Results: In posttest, the results of covariance analysis showed a significant increase in social skills' scores of the experiment group (P < 0.001). Also, results of the paired-sample t-test showed that the effectiveness of MT has been persistent up to the follow-up phase. Conclusions: The study showed that MT is an effective method with deep and consistent effects on improving social skills of children with autism.