The Effects Of Music Therapy On Children With Autism

Autism is a form of neurodevelopment disorder in the autism spectrum disorders. It is characterized by impaired development in social interactions and communication, both verbal and non-verbal. There is an observed lack of spontaneous acts of communication; both receptive and expressed, as well as speech impairments. A person diagnosed with Autism will also show a limited range of activities and interests, as well as forming and maintain peer relationships. The individuals will display limited interests, which are often very focused and repetitive. He or she is likely to be very routine oriented and may show behavioral symptoms such as hyperactivity, impulsivity, aggressiveness, and self-injurious behaviors.

      Autism is a disability that can create a barrier between the individual and his or her friends, family, and community. This disability often interferes with an individual’s ability to communicate, interact with others, engage in play or leisure skills, and to relate to the world around them. People with autism may exhibit repetitive movements, have unusual responses to people, be resistant to change and demonstrate aggressive and/or self-injurious behavior.

From 1997 to about 2007 the number of children with autism spectrum disorder has increase from 42,517 to about 258,305 and has risen since (Reschke-Hernández, 2011). With this rise of children who have autism, the rise of music therapy has since appeared greatly. When music therapy was first documented, the music was used in both group and individual settings. It was used with those who lacked social skills, those who needed rehabilitation, for self-expression, for psychological improvement and also recreational purposes (Rescheke- Hernández, 2011). Music therapist use techniques such as improvisation music therapy, dancing and singing, speech dynamics, and rhythm to help clients with social skills, body awareness and communication skills (Rescheke- Hernández, 2011). Children who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder can be treated through music therapy to enhance their social skills, learning skills, and coordination.

Autism is a disorder characterized by significant problems in communication and social functioning. Autism is actually called Autism Spectrum Disorder and encompasses a broad range disabilities such as Asperger syndrome, Rett’s Syndrome, and Pervavasive Development Disorder (Dunlap & Fox, n.d.). There are also varying degrees of the disorder from low-functioning (no communication and no social interaction) to

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 68 children are diagnosed with autism. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a serious neurodevelopmental disorder that impairs a child’s ability to communicate and interact with others (Mayo Clinic, 2014). Individuals who suffer from this disorder are often hindered by behaviors that keep them from properly functioning in their everyday lives. It is hard for a child with autism to form and maintain relationships with family and friends since they are lacking the proper behavioral skills to do so. When a child is diagnosed with ASD, three crucial areas of development are affected: verbal and nonverbal communication, behavior, and social interaction. Since there is no known cause or cure for this disorder, early treatment methods, such as music therapy, can be used to make a huge difference in the lives of the children with ASD. Using music therapy for children with ASD involves a board-certified music therapist working with autistic children to explore the benefits that music can have on their behavior, communication, and development of social skills.

Autism is a brain development disorder characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior.

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

Autism is a mental condition that typically shows during early childhood, it affects a person’s ability to interact with others and impairs communication. Autism affects 200,000 to 3 million US cases per year, it cant be cured but treatment can help, This disorder can be either life long or can lasts for years. There are a many symptoms to autism; a few of them are behavioral such as aggression, compulsive, and crying. Cognitive, speech, and muscular are other symptoms of this disorder. There are a few specialists who diagnose and treat this disorder such as speech pathologists, occupational therapists, clinical psychologist and neurologist.

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.

(Hussey 1). Studies have shown that Autism patients have recovered quicker using this method than any other. The process is also ideal for the recovery of substance abuse patients. Music Therapy serves as an alternative rehabilitation method. This gives the patient a different environment and different atmosphere allowing them to recover quicker and more effectively.

Music therapy is using music or musical sound to promote communication, relationships, learning, mobilization, expression, organization and other therapeutic objectives. Music therapy is employed to meet the physical, emotional, mental, social and cognitive needs of students. Students can receive music therapy services in a school setting, individually or within a group. The idea is to use music to restore functions and strengthen a child’s non-musical skills by tracking emotional and personal growth rather than a specific cognitive skill set. The relationship between the client and therapist is fundamental in promoting an increase in trust and growth.

The documentary of Autism: The Musical showcases children who have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families throughout a twenty two week program ending with a live performance. The documentary not only highlights the growth the children experience socially and emotionally throughout the program, but the challenges faced by the families and the strategies they employ to overcome them. There are five children focused on over the course of the documentary, Neil, Lexi, Henry, Adam, and Wyatt. Each child is at a different place on the spectrum therefore each family is effected differently by it. In fact each family can be seen at a different stage of acceptance ranging from sock, denial, anger, loneliness, sadness, to acceptance (Autism & Your Family, 2015). Lexi’s father Joe nicely describes some of the stages he experienced starting with denial which he said ended up taking over his whole life for a period of time, a period he describes as fix it mode, then depression because the parent realized that no amount of money or wishing can change the fact that the child has ASD and will always be living with it and finally comes acceptance.

The American Music Therapy Association defines Music Therapy as a “clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship.” Music therapy is commonly used to study how music affects the brain. Whether it is curing a sickness, helping social anxiety, aiding growth in a prematurely born baby, it is always very successful. The more common uses of music therapy is to help prematurely born babies grow, preventing hearing loss, and to temporarily gain brain power. Even though some illnesses are difficult to treat, Music can help "cure" some illnesses and it is overall very useful.

There is a wide range of benefits when using music therapy on autistic children, including encouraging social interactions, improving behavior, improving communication, and reducing anxiety. Music therapy has become one of the primary tools used in helping the autistic primarily because it stimulates both sides of the brain allowing the therapist to train the patient in both physical and emotional responses at the same time. “For children with autism, this could mean learning a new word from a song, or better understanding how to act in a social situation based on the messages that a song is expressing (Nurse

Gooding (2011) conducted a study that used specific interventions such as movement to music, instrument playing, singing and improvisation activities for a group of adolescents with different learning disabilities, including Asperger’s Syndrome. All participants showed an increase in social skills over the course of the study. This could suggest that music-based interventions were effective in combating social skills deficits.