The impact of music therapy on the social behaviours of children with autism in a structured outdoor inclusive setting

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of music therapy (MT) on the development of three specific social skills – joint attention, imitation and turn-taking – in children with autism (N = 4). The development and acquisition of the above social behaviours were examined in a structured outdoor inclusive setting, and results of this study revealed that MT intervention facilitated the inclusive experience for children with autism and resulted in an increase of social behaviours. The data were collected over seven weeks at the Grace Music Therapy Centre and Griffith Park Public School. The four participating autistic boys all attended the same school where they regularly participated in MT each week. The music therapists and the special education teacher that were involved in the study were interviewed about their attitudes and impressions of MT and its effects on children with autism. By utilising a mixed methodology (i.e., observations of the students social behaviours in both settings, video recordings and rating scales that were applicable to the context of the study), data were collected and analysed. Other observable factors such as peer initiating, questioning, prompting, modelling and proximity were examined and fell into two broad categories of teacher-mediated and peer-mediated approaches. Results revealed that the above factors facilitated the development and acquisition of the three specific social skills. The strength of both approaches provided students a learning environment that allowed for the fostering of their social skills.