Antonio Padula: How Music Therapy Can Help Students With Autism

Students with autism can benefit from music therapy because among its possible outcomes are heightened self-awareness and improved social skills. It also fosters better communication by building the vocabulary of children and spurring them to speak or gesture more frequently. Furthermore, music therapy could enhance attention span, sound-processing capability, sensory and motor abilities, and abstract thinking.

An Early Experiment

Around 1959, Dr. Paul Nordoff, an American-born pianist, composer, and professor of music, was in Europe demonstrating his concept of what is now called music therapy, He stopped in England at the Sunfield Children's Home, a residence for children with disabilities. While there, he played piano for Johnny, a child who by today's standards had autism spectrum disorder. He didn't speak or interact with anyone.

Nordoff started playing calming notes and then switched to more dissonant sounds. All the while, he made his music reflect the child's movements through the room. Johnny became aware that as his motions changed, so did the music. When Nordoff ended his session, the usually stoic boy wept. The staff was pleasantly amazed because sometimes they had heard the child crying at night.

By the early 1960s, Nordoff and Dr. Clive Robbins, who had been a special education teacher at Sunfield, were in the United States using music therapy to help children with special needs. They worked together until Nordoff's death in 1977. Both men are credited with being the founders of (modern) Creative Music Therapy. Robbins, who died in 2011, continued the work for over three decades following his colleague's death.

Examples of How Music Therapy Helps

Communication is a major barrier for individuals with autism. One of many possible breakthroughs that music therapy could make is that with the playing of an instrument or a song, students are spurred to share their thoughts about the music.

A music therapist might also be able to improve a student's verbal skills. Playing a song with lyrics could be just the setup to help a child learn a new word. If, on the other hand, the lyrics promote a specific behavior, they could be the motivator for the individual to act more appropriately in a particular situation.

Many people with autism engage in repetitive behavior when they are nervous. Music can be effective in soothing their emotional distress. The rhythms created when playing an instrument, singing, or dancing can also improve fine motor skills and stimulate sensory responses. From music, students could also learn to associate specific tones with certain feelings and emotions.

Music therapists who treat students with autism usually customize a program. Before children can begin music therapy, they are customarily evaluated to determine if they are good candidates for it. Those who react to music and appear to enjoy it usually qualify.

How Parents Can Get Help

Some parents have the resources to get help for their children easily. On occasion, all parents have to do is ask the appropriate person at their child's school to have the youngster evaluated by a music therapist who is board certified. If the school doesn't have a music therapist or if it needs help in finding one, it can contact one of a number of groups, including the American Music Therapy Association or a local group of parents whose children have ASD.

Families on a tight budget can get help too.The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is a federal law that mandates that qualifying children and youth with special needs get a public-school education suited to their disability. The requirements and qualifications for such schooling vary by state. Parents can learn about them from their school counselor, parents' association, or elected city and state representatives.

Insurance Coverage

Some health insurance does pay for music therapy. Getting an insurer to cover costs depends on factors such as whether a physician prescribes the therapy and whether the insurer rules that it's reasonable and necessary. Parents might help their case by having their medical professional show a treatment plan that has the goal of improving one or more aspects of their child's functioning.

When successful, music therapy can help students with autism improve their skills for dealing with life. It does not aim to "cure" them. Rather, its purpose is to give them a better understanding of self and to unlock their valuable skills and behaviors so they can share them with others.

About the author, Antonio Padula: Antonio Padula is a classically trained pianist and vocal instructor. After 15 years touring with several prestigious symphonies, he settled down in 2008 to establish a musical community in Kirkland, Quebec. Antonio Padula is widely recognized as a compassionate teacher who has launched students in opera, orchestral, and choral careers all around North America. In his free time, he enjoys woodworking.