‘It gives them a place to be proud’ – Music and social inclusion. Two diverse cases of young First Nations people diagnosed with autism in British Columbia, Canada

Abstract

PostprintThis is the accepted version of a paper published in Psychology of Music. This paper has been peerreviewed but does not include the final publisher proof-corrections or journal pagination. Educational Studies, Karlstad University, Sweden. School of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland. 1"It gives them a place to be proud" -Music and social inclusion. Two diverse cases of young First Nations people diagnosed with autism in British Columbia, Canada. AbstractGrowing up and becoming an active participant in society can be challenging for young people. Factors such as ethnicity, disability, and gender can, separately, compose difficulties.When combined, they can develop into insurmountable obstacles. The use of music interventions and activities to overcome some of these obstacles is explored in this article, using two cases of young First Nations people diagnosed with autism, in British Columbia, Canada. Although there are similarities, the differences in severity of ASD, place of residence and school situation, to mention a few factors, make a huge difference in their daily lives.Their contrasting possibilities to be present and participate in society may have implications for their social inclusion in adulthood. Results show that both traditional and contemporary music interventions can provide foundations for inclusion and they need to be carefully designed for each individual.

Psychosocial resources developed and trialled for Indigenous people with autism spectrum disorder and their caregivers: a systematic review and catalogue

“…Small sample size. Lindblom, 2017 (Canada) [ 67 ] C Article: ‘It gives them a place to be proud’- Music and social inclusion. Two diverse cases of young First Nations people diagnosed with autism in British Columbia, Canada.…”

“…The studies described in six of the articles showed positive outcomes associated with the implementation and evaluation of programs designed specifically for Indigenous people with ASD, including improvements in personal (e.g., mood, self-esteem, relaxation, self-regulation, executive functioning; see Table 1 Bettag (Article A) [65] described a program that aimed to improve the developmental (cognitive and communication) outcomes of young children with developmental delay by strengthening parent/caregiver-child relationships and enhancing parenting and teaching skills, and used validated self-report scales and semi-structured observational assessments to measure outcomes. Other articles, Keightley et al (Article B) [66] and Lindblom (Articles C & D) [67,68] used theatre-based activities or traditional and non-traditional music in programs with Indigenous children with developmental impairment or ASD. According to observational reports from researchers, and anecdotal evidence gathered from interviews with participants and caregivers, the programs achieved increased inclusion, improved mood, and increased relaxation in participants.…”

Exploring autism and music interventions through a First Nations lens

“…Through key people in Indigenous education and tribal contexts, research partners were found. This access was made possible through my family connections with the Lake Babine Nation in BC, Canada (see Lindblom, 2016, 2017a, 2017b).…”

“… 1. The cases can also be found in Lindblom (2016, 2017a, 2017b) and Dindar, Lindblom, and Kärnä (2017). …”

Forming strong cultural identities in an intersecting space of indigeneity and autism in Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand

“…Twenty-four articles were included. Seven articles explore identity and experiences of autistic Indigenous Peoples (Bailey & Arciuli, 2020;Kapp, 2011;Lindblom, 2014Lindblom, , 2017aLindblom, , 2017bSullivan, 2013;Travers et al, 2013). Ten articles explore autistic identity (Cooper et al, 2017;Cridland et al, 2014;DeNigris et al, 2018;Hughes, 2012;Kapp et al, 2013;MacLeod et al, 2013;Mogensen & Mason, 2015;Tan, 2018;Violeta & Langer, 2017;Winstone et al, 2014), five articles, Indigenous identity (Kahn et al, 2016;Kelley & Lowe, 2018;Kickett-Tucker et al, 2015;Tracey, 2012;Victor et al, 2016), and two articles, the inclusion and treatment of Indigenous students with a variety of disabilities (Bevan-Brown, 2013;Graham, 2012).…”