Why Is Music Positive For Autistic Individuals?

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the most compelling evidence supporting the clinical benefits of music therapy lies in … [+] social-emotional responsiveness and communication, including reduced anxiety, improved speech output, receptive labeling, and increased interaction with peers. Preliminary findings also support the potential for music to assist in learning daily routines.

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While everyone has a unique way of connecting to their loved one with a disability, Danielle Filippone, a 36-year-old nurse at Staten Island Hospital and mom to an 8-year-old son with autism, found the best way to communicate with her non-verbal son was by singing to him. This is supported by research that has found music intervention improves social interactions in children with autism.

Research from the journal “Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience” proposes a rationale for how rhythmic input can improve sensorimotor functioning and overall growth in cognition, behavior, social skills, and communication. Because movement is critical to many areas of functioning, researchers LaGasse and Hardy hypothesize that the well-documented benefits of rhythm in motor rehabilitation could also be effective for individuals with autism.

The Music and Communication Connection

Behavioral interventions effectively reduce severity of autism symptoms and improve social … [+] functioning. Music intervention has been shown to improve social interactions in children with autism, and neuroimaging studies in healthy controls have shown that circuits important for emotion and memory processing are engaged during music listening.

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“Autism was first reported in 1943 by Leo Kanner,” said Laura Lazar, National Program Manager of Music for Autism. “In his classic paper, Kanner presented eleven case studies of children with autism and repeatedly mentioned musical abilities and musical interest in six of the children. Since then, researchers have systematically studied the musical processing abilities of individuals with autism and have shown that while language may sometimes be deficient, these individuals process music similarly to typically developing individuals.”

Individuals with autism also show equal or superior abilities in pitch processing, labeling emotions in music, and musical preference compared to typically developing peers.

However, the most compelling evidence supporting the clinical benefits of music therapy lies in social-emotional responsiveness and communication, including reduced anxiety, improved speech output, receptive labeling, and increased interaction with peers. Preliminary findings also support the potential for music to assist in learning daily routines.

More recently, neuroimaging studies have shown that participating in musical activities engages a multimodal network of brain regions involved in hearing, movement, emotion, pleasure, and memory. However, a direct link between music’s effects and brain changes has yet to be demonstrated.

One Mother’s Experience

“As a nurse, we are trained to see the symptoms of ASD,” said Filippone. “As a mother, though, it … [+] isn’t so simple. The first symptom I noticed was during Eric’s infancy. He was fascinated by the ceiling lights. I talked to him during bottle feedings, but he would always be staring at those lights. I would dim them, turn him away from them, but his eyes were never on mine.”

Danielle Filippone

“As a nurse, we are trained to see the symptoms of ASD,” said Filippone. “As a mother, though, it isn’t so simple. The first symptom I noticed was during Eric’s infancy. He was fascinated by the ceiling lights. I talked to him during bottle feedings, but he would always be staring at those lights. I would dim them, turn him away from them, but his eyes were never on mine.”

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a broad range of conditions characterized by social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech, and nonverbal communication challenges. There are many subtypes, and each person with autism can have unique strengths and challenges.

By the time Filippone’s son was 18 months, he was no longer saying “mama” or trying to make words. Instead, his once beautiful little voice became a series of grunts and squeals. He began toe walking, spinning in circles and repeating squeaks and grunts. When he was 2 years old, he was officially diagnosed with autism and began early intervention therapy.

For several months after this diagnosis, Filippone struggled to communicate with her son. Then, she said they found themselves both exasperated and crying on one occasion. Out of that frustration, she started singing in an effort to comfort both of them.

“Singing was a big part of my childhood,” Filippone shared. “And something beautiful happened. Eric looked directly into my eyes. It was a soul-connecting moment I hadn’t felt since I first held him in the hospital. From then on, every activity had a song.”

Playtime, mealtime, bathtime, and bedtime became a musical. Filippone found Eric and began to respond to his name if she sang it. Eventually, Eric started even to try to sing along, forming new sounds and moving his mouth in different unique ways, forming the words and singing along with his mother.

Eric is turning nine this month, and he has come a long way. He is now verbal and loves puzzles and dinosaurs. They continue to use music as a tool to communicate.

Using Music At Home

There are many ways to incorporate music at home, whether playing an instrument, singing vocabulary … [+] cards, or simply helping your child tap their hand to a beat with each syllable when working on speech imitation. There are also many free online resources and events you can find across the country.

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There are many ways to incorporate music at home, whether playing an instrument, singing vocabulary cards, or simply helping your child tap their hand to a beat with each syllable when working on speech imitation. There are also many free online resources and events you can find across the country.

“Families are sometimes very challenged to find programming appropriate for their family members with autism who may exhibit unpredictable behaviors,” Lazar said. “Since many U.S. concerts are free for those with autism and their families, anyone affected by autism, irrespective of socioeconomic status, can experience unique, interactive programming.”

“I believe music and love are synonymous,” said Filippone. “It was from the love I felt from my grandmother and mother when they sang to comfort me as a child. And it was from the love of a mother who would move the earth to let her son know how much she loves him.”

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