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Individuals rely on music for a variety of reasons. Music can evoke nearly every emotion,
accompanying humanity through its highest moments of euphoria and lowest points of sorrow.
Throughout years of research, observation, and development, musicians and scientists discovered
that by manipulating music and the tools that lie within it, music can assist individuals with a
variety of conditions. Thus, the field of music therapy was born. Generally practiced in a clinical
setting, music therapy utilizes music interventions to address and improve upon social,
Some of the first writings regarding music in a therapeutic sense occurred in the early
1800s. Two medical dissertations were written by Samuel Mathews and Edwin Atlee, both
students of Dr. Benjamin Rush, a psychiatrist and physician who was a strong proponent of
using music to treat medical diseases, (American Music Therapy Association, 2017). Several
years following, music therapy evolved into an organized clinical profession, academic programs
sprouted in universities, and national allegiances were established in support of the field.
Music therapy has proven to be particularly effective with individuals who have Autism
Spectrum Disorder, a common developmental disability that inhibits a persons ability to interact
and communicate with others. One of the most debilitating symptoms is the inability or difficulty
in recognizing and understanding social cues, many of which are non-verbal. The condition
affects individuals to varying degrees and in different ways; therefore, individuals fall on
different places on the spectrum. Some people are more severely affected than others.
Currently, there is not a definite cure for Autism, but measures can be taken to alleviate the
Throughout this paper, we will come across several references to Early Childhood
Music Therapy and Autism Spectrum Disorders: Developing Potential in Young Children and
Their Families by Marcia Earl Humpal and Petra Kern. This text proves useful for framing
Communication and social interaction issues largely define Autism. Children on the
spectrum may struggle utilizing and comprehending verbal and non-verbal elements of
communication involved in social exchanges, such as facial expressions, eye contact, and speech
prosody (the manner in which someone stresses and emphasizes their speech). Despite these
challenges, children often possess innate musicality that serves as grounds for development of
their communication skills and relationships (Humpal & Kern, 2012). Dr. Lori Gooding,
Associate Professor of Music Therapy at the Florida State University College of Music, explains
that music inherently contains these social properties, such as communicating, listening,
interacting, and being part of a group, so exercises can be designed to engage them in those
skills. To address these skills, for example, a music therapist could group together three or more
children and have them interact by taking turns playing a drum. Alternatively, call and response
songs in which the therapist sings and the client listens (and vice versa) helps the duo explore
these types of exercises, music therapists can often find success when other approaches may not
be effective.
Watching a portion of a music therapy session at the Cadenza Center for Psychotherapy
and the Arts (an agency based in Hollywood, Florida), gave me more insight on the exercises
previously described. In the excerpt, the therapist, Miss Lauren, held the objective of teaching
her client, an adorable, energetic, young boy named Nicolas, how to count to five. First, without
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any music, she counted to five using her fingers and voice simultaneously. Nicolas was
instructed to repeat each number after her. Once Nicolas mastered each of the numbers without
music, Miss Lauren proceeded to play a lighthearted song about five frogs jumping into a pond
one-by-one to further assist Nicolas in learning to count to five. This song incorporated aspects
of call-and-response in that Miss Lauren would halt her singing and guitar playing briefly to
allow Nicolas to say the number she was prompting him to say (1 through 5). If Nicolas
struggled to say the proper number the first time, Miss Lauren held up her hand with the proper
number of fingers in order to aid him. Once Nicolas successfully completed the task of counting
to five with the incorporation of the song, Miss Lauren positively reinforced him with a high
five. The call-and-response tactic proves especially useful for teaching young children simple
Music therapy treatment can vary among children and adults, from the setting of the
treatment to the treatment approaches themselves. For instance, children typically receive music
therapy treatment through school and community settings, although some music therapists also
work in hospitals or run their own private practices. Facilities for folks with developmental
disabilities typically serve adults on the spectrum (Davis, Gfeller, & Thaut, 2008). However,
while there is seemingly a clear difference in children and adults, treatment methods themselves
go beyond those two categories and must be personalized to cater to the individuals specific
needs and cognitive abilities. Dr. Gooding explains, if theyre forty, but they function more
along the lines developmentally of a ten-year-old, were going to try to use music thats
appropriate for a forty-year-old, but present it in a way that a ten-year-old could manage it.
Through this approach, therapists work to ensure that not only is the treatment developmentally
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and culturally appropriate, but the patients or clients preference is also honored (Gooding,
2017).
Several therapeutic methods are linked together beneath the umbrella of a concept called
applied behavioral analysis. Applied behavioral analysis (ABA). ABA is the applied science of
modifying and studying behavior to promote a desired change. ABA studies learning and
behavior and examines how environmental and biological factors affect fluctuations in behavior
(Humpal & Kern, 2012). Four main components set the groundwork for ABA: reinforcement,
prompting, task analysis, and generalization. Different exercises performed in music therapy
Reinforcement uses the addition of an activity or item that is enjoyable or the removal
reinforcer for a particular client, therapists should assess their clients preference in musical
instruments, dance or movement songs, and recorded music. From there, therapists can
determine the most efficient music strategy to adopt as a reinforcer. It is important, when
immediately after each time the desired behavior occurs (Humpal & Kern, 2012).
Another component of ABA is a tactic called prompting, the intentional supply of help
or cues to aid the acquisition of the desired skill or task. Prompting itself contains several
different types of strategies to assist in reaching the end goal. One of these sub-strategies that
is particularly effective when applied to music therapy is the graduated guidance strategy. This
strategy begins with manipulating a prompt that guarantees a correct action or response. Once
the client has mastered this, the therapist must decrease the level of the prompt gradually until
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the client can successfully perform the task without any assistance. On a musical scale, the
therapist can, for example, teach the client information, such as an address, within the melodic
and rhythmic framework of a song. Once the client has memorized that information within that
context of the song, certain elements of the song are gradually stripped away: the therapist may
first strip the lyrics, then the melodic structure, then the rhythmic cues, and so on, until the client
can successfully deliver their address independent of any cues from the music (Humpal & Kern,
2012).
For larger activities and goals, task analysis proves rather effective in a musically
therapeutic setting. Task analysis is, simply, breaking down an activity or task into a series of
steps, or individual components that compromise the whole. Utilizing the structure of a pop
song, with the verses and the chorus, is one way to incorporate task analysis into music therapy
sessions. For example, each song verse teaches one element of the task, whereas the
(reoccurring) chorus of the song reiterates the task as a whole. This particular method supplies
generalization is to take the skills the clients learn in their structured therapy sessions and apply
them to a variety of different people, settings, times, materials, or behaviors. One could think of
their physiological processing difficulties (Humpal & Kern, 2012). Because social skills do not
come naturally for individuals on the spectrum, they often must learn social skills in a specific
manner in a particular environment and memorize how to perform this skill. For example, they
could be learning how to visit a teacher after class and ask them a question. They could become a
master at learning how to ask a teacher a question one-on-one, but the moment they try to
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introduce themselves to a new classmate, they could be at a loss for what to do. As this skill
poses as a particularly large mountain for autistic individuals to climb, these individuals
generalization can be adapted for a music therapy standpoint to make this skill more accessible
to those on the spectrum. A therapist could create a song designed to demonstrate to a young
autistic child how to appropriately as for a snack during the childs scheduled snack time. This
song can also be taught in a separate environment from snack time, then incorporated into snack
time once it is mastered. The song can also be adapted to teach different skills. Generally, the
more environments in which a certain skill is practiced, the more successful the client will be in
The use of Applied Behavioral Analysis translates over to clinical psychology as well.
According to Dr. Ann Pilar Jacobson, licensed psychologist in the Kansas City area, some
psychologists are specifically trained in ABA so they can effectively treat children with severe
autism, as ABA generally works best with young children. However, high functioning
individuals typically benefit from normal psychotherapy. Like others on the spectrum, high
functioning individuals struggle with social interactions and need coaching, but they generally
reap benefits from role playing with the psychologists to map out the steps in social interactions.
Training social interactions is like teaching someone how to do math, speculates Dr. Jacobson.
Teaching people the steps of social interactions and then applying them in a role play scenario is
a non-musical method of incorporating task analysis into therapy sessions. The goal is for them
to learn [the concept of] reciprocity, the give and take of social interactions, she stated.
Another aspect of individuals on the spectrum is the high amount of sensitivity and the
necessity for emotional regulation, so therapists need to navigate how to help these individuals
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manage their emotional reactions. However, males and females often differ in the types of
emotions they experience. Autistic females typically are more prone to sensitivity and anxiety
than autistic males. In order to ease this discomfort, Dr. Jacobson teaches them relaxation,
meditation, and other ways they can sooth themselves because the social environment can cause
them tremendous anxiety. Autistic males, on the other hand, may be subject to more emotional
outbursts, yet similar techniques prove beneficial for them. Some of the males Ive worked with
in the past have anger outbursts and dysregulated emotion, so they can also benefit from
in the workforce, Dr. Jacobson believes that they could benefit from an on-the-job coach to help
While clinical psychologists can lead individuals on the spectrum to success in many
cases, some argue that music therapy has the upper hand. Often times, individuals with ASD,
particularly those who function at a lower level on the spectrum, struggle with language usage
difficulties, or a reluctance to use language all together. This issue interferes with their ability to
form relationships, as language and communication is the basis for doing so. However, music
(music). Through this accessible mode of expression, therapists and clients rehearse and explore
a wide range of reciprocal interactions without solely using words; they also can use musical
instruments and technology to encourage verbal and non-verbal communication (Gadberry &
Harrison, 2016). Communicating through words may be easier than speech and less intimidating
for some individuals. Music, therefore, provides an effective gateway for improving
communication skills.
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We are continuously learning more and more about how to intervene and treat autism to
accommodate the vast population with this disorder. Due to the social, interactive nature of
music, music therapy proves itself as promising method of treatment. With more and more
college training programs sprouting, the growth of the national organizations, and the continued
usage of music therapy in schools, hospitals, and community sites, music therapy continues to
gain recognition as an effective form of therapy, and it is not going away. If anything, it is
becoming mainstream.
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References
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFw_haI-tuc
Davis, W. B., Gfeller, K. E., & Thaut, M. (2008). An Introduction to Music Therapy - Theory
and Practice (3rd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: American Music Therapy Association.
Gadberry, A. L., & Harrison, A. (2016). Music therapy promotes self-determination in young
people with autism spectrum disorder. International Journal of School & Educational
Humpal, M. E., & Kern, P. (2012). Early Childhood Music Therapy and Autism Spectrum
Disorders: Developing Potential in Young Children and Their Families. London: Jessica
Kingsley Publishers.
Music Therapy as a Treatment Modality for Autism Spectrum Disorders [Created by the
Who Can Benefit from Music Therapy? (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2017, from
https://musictherapyconnections.org/who-can-benefit-from-music-therapy/