Music as a therapeutic approach in children with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

Music therapy is an alternative form of therapy that has positive impact in many areas of physical and mental health. The purpose of this study was to review researches systematically on the impact of music therapy in children with autism spectrum disorder. PRISMA model was followed including 17 researches out of 27 researches published in various journals related to music therapy from sources like PubMed and Scopus over 6 years and were analyzed in detail. Findings suggested that music therapy has positive outcomes as a treatment approach in children with autism with one study showing no significant relationship. Most of the studies were done on social skills and communication, stereotype behavior and motor coordination and less on other domains like social affect and responsiveness, understanding others gestures and perspective, resistance to change and echolalia. Future studies need to focus on the domains less studied on.