Introduction
Music is an easily accessible and universally enjoyed experience. As a therapy tool, it incorporates free and structured improvisation, song-singing and vocalisation, and listening to pre-recorded and live music.
While children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may struggle in other aspects, they usually perform well in musical tasks such as pitch processing, labelling emotions in music, and musical preference (Behavioral Innovations, 2023). In fact, they often demonstrate a heightened interest and response to music (AMTA, 2012). Hence, music is a good connecting element for children with ASD, especially for those who are nonverbal or have limited expressive skills.
There are two main domains in characterizing ASD:
Social communication or interactions - children with ASD often lack perception and understanding of other's thoughts and feelings, resulting in an inability to respond appropriately.
Restricted / repetitive behaviours and interests.
(Geretsegger., et. al, 2014).
With little to no side effects, music brings a plethora of benefits to the development of children with ASD. For instance, it helps activate the brain regions associated with hearing, movement, and memory (Behavioral Innovations, 2023). Furthermore, it can also assist in family matters such as learning daily routines and improving parent-child relationships.
Why music helps children with ASD
Listed are some of the ways music can help children with autism:
Music naturally captures and retains attention.
It is a natural reinforcer which increases attention and enjoyment in individuals (AMTA, 2012). As opposed to verbal stimuli, music makes learning easier for children with special needs who struggle with their attending skills. Furthermore, music has been found to stimulate the development of cognitive skills which includes attention. Hence, it can be a helpful tool to improve connection and engagement with them.
Music improves communication skills.
Music serves as a bridge between language and melody and rhythm - processed in the left and right side of the brain, respectively (AMTA, 2012; Larrazabal, n.d). Spoken language, which many children with ASD face difficulty processing, comprises all three components. These children are usually able to process the melody and rhythm (right-brain components) in speech. Music teaches them how to link these right-brain components with language (Larrazabal, n.d.). Hence, it can help improve their receptive language skills.
Music can also be beneficial for their expressive language skills. It promotes vocalization and imitation; singing song lyrics can help with language comprehension and speech articulation. Nursery rhymes or songs from cartoon shows are generally a good resource for their language development and to help children with ASD learn new words. For non-verbal children, music can be an alternative communication method to express themselves and their emotions through melody and tone.
Music improves social adaptation.
In a shared musical experience, important social skills – such as joint attention, eye contact, turn-taking, listening and responding to another, and sharing – happens naturally. Children with ASD can find it hard to interact with others, even getting distressed or aggressive sometimes (Ruffin, n.d.). Group music activities can be a good tool in helping them connect with those around them by creating a shared experience that is enjoyable. Parents can use children’s songs about social rules, such as taking turns and waiting patiently (Larrazabal, n.d.) to make learning fun.
Music can also stimulate children with ASD to reduce negative and self-stimulatory behaviours (AMTA, 2012). For example, these include hand-flapping and rocking. Conversely, they can be encouraged to participate in more appropriate and socially acceptable ways. Research has found musical intervention to alter reward processing (Jones, 2018). Usually, impaired reward processing underlies the abnormal social development in children with ASD because it leads them to care less about social rewards.
Music decreases rigidity.
Many children with ASD have trouble coping with changes; they often display obsessive behaviours over specific items or topics and expect standardisation of their own behaviour, routines, and others’ behaviours. Rigidity can also manifest as restricted imagination and social repertoire, affecting their play skills, etcetera. Children who are very rigid will get distressed and breakdown should their rigidity gets challenged. Music can help to manage and predict transitions, reducing anxiety about them (Larrazabal, n.d.).
Music therapists also use music to provide children with ASD opportunities to experience a foundation-giving structure with measured flexibility. Such exposes them to and helps them find ways of coping in less predicable situations that typically proves challenging. Improvisational music-making is especially applicable and can be readily carried out as a family activity!
Music helps with emotional regulation.
Music stimulates the release of certain hormones in the brain that creates calmness and happiness (Ruffin, n.d.). This effect makes it an effective tool for dealing with anxiety or sensory overload, which children with ASD often experience. As mentioned in our introduction, most of them are adept in recognizing and processing the emotional aspects of music. Therefore, music can build a comfortable environment for the child and can help them deal with stressful situations such as transitions (Larrazabal, n.d.).
Besides stress management, music can also be a method to induce preferred moods. A music therapist can help clients to identify and appropriately express their emotions through music. Across all settings, specific songs or genres can be incorporated into daily life as a source of comfort and security. Every child will have their own preferences, so it would be a good idea to explore types of music together with them.
Music stimulates motor function development.
Motor functions in children with ASD are often weaker, and may present as difficulties with posture, coordination and motor planning. The rhythmic and repetitive elements in music are helpful for children with ASD in organizing sensory input in the brain. (AMTA, 2012; Ruffin, n.d.). This results in improved sensorimotor coordination and body awareness.
Music therapists use rhythmic music therapy to work on sensorimotor (auditory processing, etcetera), gross and fine motor skills. Parents can engage their child with musical instruments at home to promote motor development. For instance, the drum helps with gross motor skills, while the xylophone improves fine motor skills (Larrazabal, n.d.).
Conclusion
The effectiveness of music interventions will vary across individuals; hence, it is important to observe the child’s preferences and needs. Even without engaging a music therapist, using music at home can be a rewarding way to support the development and wellbeing of children with ASD. It is also a great way to build a relationship with the child.
Music can be incorporated into the household by…
Setting dedicated timings for music activities every day.
Exploring musical instruments together – even the toy versions are fine.
Singing or dancing together!
Incorporating music into daily routines – e.g., playing a specific song when it’s time for bed.
Introducing songs about daily living tasks, or social rules.
Using visual aids for newer activities, such as lyrics to newly introduced songs.
Creating or improvising music parts.
Written by Leong Jia Hui
References:
American music therapy association (AMTA). (2012, June). Music therapy as a treatment modality for autism spectrum disorders. http://www.musictherapy.org/assets/1/7/MT_Autism_2012.pdf
Behavioural Innovations. (2023, June 15). How music can be beneficial for people with autism. https://behavioral-innovations.com/blog/how-music-can-be-beneficial-for-people-with-autism/
Geretsegger, M., Elefant, C., Mössler, K. A., & Gold, C. (2014). Music therapy for people with autism spectrum disorder. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2014(6), CD004381. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD004381.pub3
Jones, R.M. (2018, November 7). Music tunes the brain in autism. Science Translational Medicine, 10(466). https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.aav6056
Larrazabal, M. (n.d.). The power of music in kids with autism. Better Speech. https://www.betterspeech.com/post/music-for-autism
Ruffin, D. (n.d.). Benefits of music therapy for autism. Living Autism. https://livingautism.com/music-therapy-autism/#:~:text=Many%20studies%20found%20that%20music,reduce%20distressed%20behaviors%20as%20well
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