Assessing the Impact of Music Therapy on Sensory Gating and Attention in Children With Autism: A Pilot and Feasibility Study

Abstract

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently demonstrate atypical processing of sensory information and deficits in attentional abilities. These deficits may impact social and academic functioning. Although music therapy has been used to address sensory and attentional needs, there are no studies including physiologic indicators of sensory processing to determine the impact of music therapy. The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of conducting study protocols, determine the adequacy of electroencephalography (EEG) and behavioral measures in identifying attentional differences in children with ASD compared with typically developing (TD) children, and to gather preliminary evidence of intervention effects on brain responses and attention outcomes. Seven children with high functioning ASD ages 5 –12 and seven age- and gender-matched TD completed procedures measuring brain responses (EEG) and behaviors (the Test of Everyday Attention for Children). Children with ASD then completed a 35-min individual music therapy attention protocol delivered by a board-certified music therapist ten times over 5 weeks. Children with ASD completed measures of brain responses and behavior post-intervention to determine pre- to post-test differences. Consent and completion rates were 100% for children who met the study criteria. Feasibility measures indicated that measures of brain responsivity could be used to determine attentional differences between children with ASD and typical children. Initial outcome data for brain responses and behavior indicated positive trends for the impact of music therapy on selective attention skills.

Improving Physical Fitness of Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities through an Adapted Rhythmic Gymnastics Program in China

“…Music is used to satisfy children's attention needs. Previous research has shown that music or rhythm can help increase the attention of IDD children [ 22 ] and also make them more interested in what they are doing [ 23 ]. Lasma and Rachman's research found that due to the rhythm and fun that accompanies music, the daily training of artistic gymnastics can improve mood [ 24 ].…”

A Music-Therapy Robotic Platform for Children With Autism: A Pilot Study

“…Music is an effective method to involve children with autism in rhythmic and non-verbal communication and has often been used in therapeutic sessions with children who suffer from mental and behavioral disabilities LaGasse et al (2019) ; Boso et al (2007) ; Roper (2003) . Nowadays, at least 12% of all treatments for individuals with autism consist of music-based therapies Bhat and Srinivasan (2013) .…”

Neural Effects of Physical Activity and Movement Interventions in Individuals With Developmental Disabilities–A Systematic Review

“…The training time for the studies that assessed the chronic effects of exercise varied widely from 35 to 240 min, with an average of session time 69.44 min (SD = 48.69). The Social Emotional NeuroScience Endocrinology (SENSE-theater) treatment had the longest training time (240 min/session) ( 88 ), while the music therapy and physical activity interventions had the shortest training time (35 min/session; Tables 3 , 4 ) ( 96 , 97 , 112 ). For studies that assessed the acute effects of exercise, the training time ranged from 10 to 60 min, with an average training time of 27.53 min/session (SD = 11.33; Tables 5 , 6 ).…”

“…One study included three experimental groups with the target exercise heart rate of 30% (Light), 50-60% (Moderate), and 70-80% (Vigorous) of the suggested maximum heart rate, respectively (104). Two other studies reported average heart rate during/right after movement intervention (Vogt et 3, 4) (96,97,112). For studies that assessed the acute effects of exercise, the training time ranged from 10 to 60 min, with an average training time of 27.53 min/session (SD = 11.33; Tables 5, 6).…”