Music Therapy for Children with Autism Essay - 1433 Words

In a setting with someone with autism spectrum disorder, music therapists make use of music as an educational tool to encourage learning. One of the purposes of music therapy for someone with autism is to provide the student with an initial assistance using melodious and rhythmic strategies, followed by fading of musical cues to assist in simplification and transfer to other learning environments. Music therapy has been proven to decrease symptoms of children with autism, and could even facilitate motivation and social interaction. Even autistic children, who rarely or never speak, can respond to music; sometimes they may even sing along. Music therapy provides a tool that can link the gap between a non-communicative child and one who can†¦show more content†¦In 1944, the first music therapy degree program in the world was established at Michigan State University and now, more than seventy colleges and universities have approved programs, according to the American Music Ther apy Association (â€Å"American Cancer Society† par. 8). Music therapists must have at least a bachelor’s degree, 1,200 hours of clinical training, and one or more internships before they can be certified. No one knows all the ways music can benefit the body but, it is known that music can affect brain waves, brain circulation, and stress hormones. Students who take music lessons have improved IQ levels and show improvement in nonmusical abilities as well. Listening to music composed by Mozart produces a short-term improvement in tasks that use spatial abilities. Studies of brain circulation have shown that people listening to Mozart have more activity in certain areas of the brain, which is called the Mozart effect. Although the reasons for this are not clear, this kind of information supports the idea that music can be used in many helpful ways. In general, music therapy done under the care of a professionally-trained therapist has a helpful effect, and is considered safe when used with standard treatment. Music therapy can help an autistic child in many ways. One way is helping their speech by singing. Singing can help a child learn how to grammatically structure a sentence correctly. Singing and speech have manyShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Music Therapy On Children With Autism1406 Words   |  6 Pageshealing methods is Music Therapy. Music Therapy has been shown to help many people of all age groups, a specific group being children with autism. It helps benefit children with autism by improving their communication and social skills. Just simply listening to music calms and puts the brain at ease. Music Therapy is beneficial to this specific group because though they may have deficits socially, they show none when it comes to musical affect. This form of therapy allows autistic children to improve thoseRead MoreMusic Therapy For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder1699 Words   |  7 Pagesfunctions in life. This special kind of creativity can help some children on the autism spectrum with regulating behaviors, help them cope with anxieties and frustration, and improve focus and attention. This art may also help a child to socially interact with their peers. May also help a non-verbal child to open up and begin to communicate, whether it would be verbally or non verbally (New Hope for Autism: Music Therapy for Children with Autism and Asperger s Syndrome). Now imagine that you were a parentRead MoreThe Effects Of Music Therapy On Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Essay2292 Words   |  10 PagesFrom 1997 to about 2007 the number of children with autism spectrum disorder has increase from 42,517 to about 258,305 and has risen since (Reschke-Hernà ¡ndez, 2011). With this rise of children who have autism, the rise of music therapy has since appeared greatly. When music therapy was first documented, the music was used in both group and individual settings. It was used with those who lacked social skills, those who needed rehabilitation, for self-expre ssion, for psychological improvement and alsoRead MoreTherapies For Autistic Children.Individuals Take For Granted1678 Words   |  7 PagesTherapies for Autistic Children Individuals take for granted the luxury of embodying qualities such as communication, interaction, and social and motor skills. Although, individuals may determine the aforementioned skills are more difficult to obtain because of a disability. Autism or autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disorder that effects many children in the United States of America. Communication, interaction, and motor and social skills are usually effected in the autistic child. Read MoreAutism Is Not Just One Disorder And It Affects The Normal Development Of A Child s Brain1498 Words   |  6 Pagesthe United States will result in a child with autism. According to the Autism Society of America, it is reported as the fastest-growing disability, reaching epidemic proportions at a rate of 10-17 percent per year. Most parents recognize the signs and symptoms of autism anytime between birth and the first three years of their child’s life. Autism is classified as a neurological disorder and it af fects the normal development of a child’s brain. Autism is not just one disorder, but a group of relatedRead MoreThe Effects Of Music On Children With Autism1476 Words   |  6 Pagespeople are becoming aware of the problem of autism. With the overall number of children effected with autism increasing everyday, there is a panic to find a solution to better treatment and therapy. As a result, the costs of autism care could reach an all time high of well over one hundred billion dollars. Without proper research this number could rise even more. Therefore, there is a need for better groundwork to bring the predicted cost of autism care down. To assure that the explorartionRead MoreBenefits Of Music Therapy On Children Essay1651 Words   |  7 PagesBenefits of Music Therapy in Autistic children Benefits of Music Therapy in Autistic children Literature Review Zuleima Haskins â€Æ' Introduction Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a group of conditions of the brain development. (Vries, 2015). The main characteristic of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is that they have difficulties to adapt and interact with other people. Also, individuals with Autism have problems with their development of verbal and nonverbal communicationRead MoreIs Music Therapy Effective For Mental Disorders?915 Words   |  4 Pages2016 Is Music Therapy Effective in Mental Disorders? Music therapy serves as an alternative therapy to help many people with mental disorders, such as autism. Autism, a disorder that interferes with communication and cognitive development in the brain. Thus, music therapy aids in medical treatment, for example, using music therapy to overcome communication barriers in some patients. As an alternative therapy, it sometimes negatively impacts some spectrum disorders, such as autism. AlthoughRead MoreMusic And Children With Autism881 Words   |  4 PagesInformative Speech Topic: Music and Children with Autism Purpose: To inform audiences about the effect of music to the children with autism Thesis: Music effect children with autism in a powerful significant way. Introduction: †¢ Do you know that 1 in every 68 children in the United States has an autism? (Miriam, 2014) †¢ Boys are more likely to have autism than girl. †¢ What is autism means to us? In 1943, according to Dr. Leo Kannar who was the first described autism as a distinct condition thatRead MoreMusic Therapy For Children And Adults With Learning Disabilities1662 Words   |  7 Pagesof literature on the topic of music therapy, the background of music therapy, how it takes place and how it helps clients with autism. A lot of the literature found on the topic music therapy found it helped children and adults with learning disabilities. This section of the dissertation will analyse the literature that is already available on music therapy and autism. It will also analyse literature on drug therapies. I will explore the history of music therapy how and why it is used, how it