The Development of Social Behavior During Music Therapy:A Child Case Report

Music therapy is often used to improve the social skills of children with autism. In this study, the development of social skills of an 8-year-old boy, diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), was monitored before and during music therapy. At the start, he experienced many difficulties in his contact with other children, which made him lose more and more of his own self-confidence. He was offered 20 weeks of music therapy. The development was monitored by means of a weekly questionnaire completed by the boy's mother.The weekly scores show significant progress compared to baseline in the areas of 'Making eye contact', 'Concentration', 'Coping with changes', 'Verbal communication', 'Joint Attention', 'Taking the other person into account', and 'Taking Initiative'. This progress is confirmed by the VISK scores of different informants, all showing significant progress. This case description offers an indication that music therapy may support development, although further research is require

The developmental progress in social behavior of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder getting music therapy. A multiple case study

Background Music therapy is claimed to have a positive effect on the social behavior of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, in most studies the target behaviors and the interventions are insufficiently defined and described. Also, it is often doubtful whether accurate research designs were performed to study the intervention to full satisfaction. Objective To answer the question whether the development of social behavior of children with ASD has improved during and after finishing the intervention of the ‘Papageno Music Therapy Program’ (PMTP). Method A multiple case study design was used, with a baseline and intervention phase. Ten children were observed over a period of 23 weeks. The social behavior was rated prior, after 10 weeks and at the end of the therapy by the Questionnaire for the Inventory of Social Behavior of Children (VISK), as well as on a weekly basis by the Social Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ). Results This study shows that during 20 weeks of music therapy sessions the development of the social behavior of children with ASD has accelerated. At least five children had a moderate improvement in the areas of ‘makes eye contact’, ‘is able to focus for five minutes on a game’, ‘is able to cope with changes’, ‘behavior has adapted to the situation’, ‘communicates verbally’, ‘is able to focus on something together’, ‘is able to take another person into account’ and ‘takes initiative’ from the SBQ. The largest progress, with three children showing a strong improvement, was found in the areas of ‘is able to focus on something together’ and 'takes initiative'. The findings on the social behavior were partly confirmed by the VISK scores. Additional statistical analyses of these aspects show a significant trend in the data that indicates growth that may be associated with the intervention phase. Conclusion This study confirms previous studies indicating that during music therapy the social behavior of children with ASD improves, compared to the developmental pace prior to therapy. Although this study was performed with a standardized intervention manual, a thorough description of the target behavior, and a rigor multiple case study design with a baseline and control condition, a larger study, preferably with an alternative intervention offered to a control group, is required to attribute the results more specifically to the PMTP and its elements

Working Elements of Music Therapy for Children and Young People with Autism

Music therapy is used in the treatment of children and young people with autism. Several studies show that it has positive effects, especially in the areas of social behavior and communication. However, there has been no research into which elements are responsible for these effects. This study explores which elements facilitate a change in social behavior. To research this, a combination of the Grounded Theory and the Stimulated Recall Method was used. Therapies with 14 clients were analyzed and the music therapists were interviewed using the Stimulated Recall Method. After the data analysis, five element categories were presented that stimulated a change in social behavior in children and adolescents with autism: Format, Communication, Musical Elements, Connecting and Challenging. Those categories were then incorporated into a first working model, which demonstrates how changes in the social behavior of children and young people with autism occur during the music therapy process. The therapist’s continuous adaptation to the client proves to be an important element of this process