Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - Theses
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ItemEffectiveness of SAMONAS Sound Therapy (SST) in improving social engagement of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder( 2016)Atypical sensory reactivity has been included in the latest diagnostic criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Compared to typically developing children, children with ASD are more likely to demonstrate atypical sensory responses, such as adverse reactions or indifference to sensations. An increasing body of literature has explored the connections between auditory processing and social engagement. Difficulty orienting towards a parent’s voice has been suggested to have a detrimental impact on a child’s ability to engage with the social world. Severe auditory processing difficulties can be disabling for a child and his or her family. A child with poor auditory filtering might not respond when being called, have difficulty following verbal instructions, and struggle with social engagement and interaction. Treatment options for auditory-based difficulties for children with ASD are, however, limited. For this reason, parents seek other therapies such as sound therapy to help their children. SAMONAS Sound Therapy (SST) is a sound therapy method that involves listening to electronically modified music through headphones over a period of time with the aim of improving listening skills. Evidence of the effectiveness of sound therapies with children with ASD is scarce and limited to studies examining language and behavior. There have not been any studies published on the impact of SST on children with ASD. This Singapore-based study aimed to investigate whether SST impacts social orienting, joint attention, and social interaction of children with ASD. Eleven Asian children between ages four and six years were recruited for the study. All children had severe ASD, difficulty focusing on the voices of their parents, and low cognitive, verbal, and adaptive functioning. Double-blinded randomised controlled trial with repeated measures was employed. The children, randomly allocated into SST and music listening groups, received a combination of clinic- and home-based treatments. Measurements were taken before and after a two-week clinic-based intervention, after an eight-week home program, and at three-month follow-up. Clinician-administered tests were supplemented with parent and teacher questionnaires, parent interviews, and observations of parent–child free play. Statistical analysis of standardized and non-standardised measures indicated a significant effect in favour of SST in some, but not all, clinician-administered measures. SST was more effective than music listening in improving joint attention and reciprocal social interaction in children with ASD. Treatment gains were maintained at three-month follow-up. There were, however, no differences between groups on social orienting. An important finding of this study was that the positive results achieved in the context of therapist–child interaction did not simultaneously generalise to parent–child interaction. Incorporation of parent training is recommended for SST treatment and future trials. These outcomes offer the first indication that SST may be a useful tool for children with severe ASD in particular areas of social engagement.
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ItemMaking a connection: randomised controlled trial of family centred music therapy for young children with autism spectrum disorder( 2012)Young children with autism spectrum disorder vary greatly in their social and communication skills, from non-verbal and difficult to engage socially, to using some sentences and showing social interest in other people. For those children who are non-verbal and difficult to engage socially, there is minimal evidence to help parents and early childhood intervention service providers determine which interventions will most successfully foster the social communication development of these young children. There is, however, increasing awareness in the literature of the positive impacts a strong parent-child relationship can have on social communication development in both typically developing children and children with ASD. The use of music therapy to assist children with autism to develop social communication skills has a long history, dating back to the 1960s. While the use of music therapy with children who have social communication impairments has been widely described, evidence into the effectiveness of music therapy with children with autism spectrum disorder has primarily taken the form of case studies, small quasi experimental research and small experimental designs. This mixed-methods study aimed to investigate whether family-centred music therapy positively influenced the social communication development of preschool aged children with severe autism spectrum disorder. 23 children between the ages of 3 and 6 years and their families were randomly allocated to either the treatment group or the control; with each participant receiving 16 weeks of family-centred music therapy sessions which took place in the family home. A variety of data was collected including 4 standardised measures, 1 non-standardised measure, a survey of the use of music in the home, and a structured interview with the participating parent. Quantitative analysis showed that children in the treatment group made improvements in the quality of their social interactions in the home and community, as well as their level of engagement within the music therapy sessions. The qualitative and mixed data analysis suggested that there were also improvements in the closeness of the parent-child relationship. Further, parents were able to adapt music activities to support their child in various activities in the home and community. These outcomes provide preliminary support for family-centred music therapy’s effectiveness in promoting developmental change in children’s social communication skills, and fostering greater closeness in the parent-child relationship.