A professional who specializes in autism can suggest a different treatment for autistics that can have a significant positive effect on their behavior. One such treatment is music therapy.
Music therapy is a controlled musical experience used to facilitate positive change in human behavior. Each music therapy session is carefully planned, conducted and evaluated to suit the specific needs of each patient. Music therapy can include any of the following musical activities:
o Listening to music and/or musical creation
o Play musical instruments (any instrument can be used)
o Move with the music
Sing
When it comes to autism, studies have shown that music therapy has a significant and positive influence when used to treat autistic people. Participating in music therapy allows autistic people the opportunity to experience non-threatening external stimulation, since they are not engaging in direct human contact.
As mentioned above, music therapy is made specific to each individual. This is extremely important, because what can be positively received by one autistic person may be negative for another. With that said, let’s take a look at the positive influence music therapy has had on autistic people.
music therapy-
Enhanced socio-emotional development: In the early stages of a relationship, autistic people tend to ignore or physically reject attempts at social contact made by others. Music therapy helps to stop this social withdrawal through an initial object relationship with a musical instrument. Rather than seeing the instrument as a threat, autistic children are often fascinated by its shape, touch, and sound. Therefore, the musical instrument provides an initial point of contact between the autistic person and the other individual by acting as an intermediary.
Assisted in verbal and non-verbal communication: when music therapy is used to assist in communication, its objective is to improve the production of vocalization and speech, as well as to stimulate the mental process of understanding, conceptualization and symbolization. A music therapist will try to establish a communicative relationship between the behavior of a child with autism and a specific sound. An autistic person may have an easier time recognizing or be more open to these sounds than a verbal approach. This musical awareness, and the relationship between the actions of autistic people and music, has the potential to foster communication.
Another form of music therapy that can help with communication is playing a wind instrument (IE flute). It is believed that by playing this instrument, you realize how your teeth, jaws, lips and tongue work. Therefore, playing a wind instrument almost mirrors the performance required to produce speech vocalizations.
Fostered Emotional Fulfillment: Most autistic people lack the ability to respond affectively to stimuli that would otherwise allow them to enjoy adequate emotional charge. Thus, since most autistic people respond well to musical stimuli, music therapy has been able to provide autistic people with an environment free from fear, stimuli considered threatening, etc.
During a music therapy session, an autistic individual has the freedom to behave in specific ways that allow them to discover and express themselves whenever and wherever they choose. They can make noise, hit instruments, shout, and express and experience the pleasure of emotional satisfaction.
Music therapy has also helped autistic people by:
o Teaching social skills
o Improve language comprehension
o Encourage the desire to communicate
o Enable creative self-expression
o Reduce non-communicative speech
o Decreased echolalia (uncontrolled and instantaneous repetition of the words spoken by another)
Please note that although music therapy can have positive effects on autistic individuals, it is vital that an autistic person receive such treatment from a trained and experienced music therapist.