Autism and Music Education MICHAEL LIONE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

Early Signs of Autism in Children  * Lack of Speech  * Impaired Social Skills  * Seldom Eye Contact with others

Autism with Children  Studies have shown that Autism effects boys 4-5 more times than girls.  Exact number of children with Autism worldwide not known.

Symptoms of Autism  Children who have Autism usually suffer with:  Social Interactions  Sensory issues such as sight, hearing, touch, smell or taste.

Early Signs and Diagnosis  It is usually noticed that the child has something wrong until around the age of 18 months.  Some children appear normal between 1-2 years and then “regress” to lose language and social skills.  When children loose these skills between 1-2 years, it is called “Regressive Autism”.

Early Signs and Tests  Babbling by 12 months  Gesturing by 12 months  Saying Single words by 16 months  Saying two-word spontaneous phrases by 24 months  These children should receive a hearing test, blood test, and screening test since they show signs of Autism.

The Need for Study in Music and Autism  Individuals with Autism show equal or superior abilities in pitch processing.  Music also aides Autistic children in the areas of social- emotional responsiveness, communication, reduced anxiety and increased vocal output.  There have been findings that also support the potential for music to assist in the learning of daily routines.

Tips for Teaching students with Autism  A mix of multisensory teaching techniques seems to work well. Tapping rhythms, clapping rhythms, using visual aids to teach note values, even moving around the room to "dance" quarter, half and eight note values can help.  Since kids with autism often have perfect pitch, it’s worth checking to see if your child also has that unusual ability to name a note without an aural reference point. Many kids with autism can also play by ear.

Continued Tips for Autistic Students  Associating note names with sounds can be a better first step than associating note names with symbols on the page. Once the learner knows the notes and their names, they can progress to reading notation more fluently.  Visual aids such as flashcards can help a great deal in teaching notation.  It’s important for teachers to know that kids with autism, even those with few or no words, may have significant talent and little or no stage fright. Teachers should seriously considering preparing autistic students for recitals – though it’s important to practice not only the music but also the process of reading the program, coming up on stage, playing a piece, and then leaving the stage appropriately.

Concert prep for Autistic Students  Be sure your student understands when and how long to rest between phrases. If it’s helpful, tape the band and have the student practice his/her part with the tape.  Practice the entire experience of coming on stage, playing, and leaving the stage. If there will be a need to move music stands or other equipment, be sure that experience is part of the practice. If bright lights will be on, include the lights as part of the practice experience.  Be aware of the autistic child’s placement in the band. Some people with autism are sensitive to sound, and seating a child with autism next to the timpani can be a bad choice!

Review of Literature * Students with this disorder have used Music therapy to foster their abilities for flexibility, creativity, and tolerance to change, in order to balance the more structured education that has been required in the school settings. * Goal attainment was found to be high in one year and research has indicated that patients with the generalized/responses they acquired in music to non-music environments.

Review of Literature 2  Music education has been shown to have a positive effect on improving social problem solving skills in middle school students as well. Even though many of these students have several disabilities due to autism, research has shown that in many cases, these students have none of their musical abilities compromised due to being on the spectrum.

Review of Literature 3  Music therapy for an autistic child starts with learning how to play a musical instrument, as he or she may get intimidated by human contact. Slowly, the therapy moves on to include singing and even dancing, if the child shows interest for such activities. This gives the child an emotional outlet as well as a sense of fulfillment, which were lacking in the past because of limited social activity.  Autism is not a disease, but it can be detrimental to the development of a child. Extra care must be given when dealing with an autistic child. Even though the child may respond positively to music, it is important to seek help from an expert in music therapy. A music therapist will know exactly what kind of treatment plan is effective in helping an autistic child. It is also important to note that a disorder such as autism cannot be treated in a day, and it requires time, effort, and a lot of patience.

Purpose of study  Are autistic students able to respond to music successfully?

Methodology * Study Design: View an autistic child’s behavior while listening to three different songs in a slow, medium and fast tempo. *50 different students will be selected between the ages of 7-10 years old from 5 different schools in district.

Procedure  The participants will partake in all three songs at different tempos  Each week there will be a different song used at a different tempo  Participants interactions will be viewed based on no music playing for half the period (15 mins.) and then when a song is being played (15 mins.)  Student reactions will be recorded.  The recorded results will be compared from the control condition of no music and then music being played at a slow, medium and fast tempo.

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