AUTISM THERAPY
Children on the autism spectrum benefit from less traditional
methods of teaching, like music therapy, which not only
personalizes the therapy experience, but captures and sustains
attention, allows for mnemonic interpretation, engages
multiple areas of the brain, provides a multisensory experience,
and offers predictable structure.
and repetitive use of language. According to Music
Therapy, Autism, and Language by Paige Scarbrough
of Duke University, “Children with autism show in-
creased brain activity in both the music and lan-
guage-processing regions when words are sung
compared to words that are spoken. Music therapy
uses this power of music to its advantage by using
instruments, rhythm, and lyrics in a way that increas-
es brain activity in the language-processing centers,
thus helping individuals with autism build and main-
tain more neural connections, which are necessary
for communication.”
Children on the autism spectrum benefit from less
traditional methods of teaching, like music therapy,
which not only personalizes the therapy experience,
but captures and sustains attention, allows for mne-
monic interpretation, engages multiple areas of the
brain, provides a multisensory experience, and offers
predictable structure.
Music and neuroplasticity
Here’s a super neat thing about our brains: they can
become rewired in either a positive or negative man-
ner. It’s a practice called neuroplasticity, and it’s one
of the most important elements in music therapy.
For example, look at the story of Gabrielle Giffords. In
2011, just a week into her third congressional term,
she was a victim of an assassination attempt and was
critically injured by a gunshot wound to the head.
The damage to the left side of her brain left her un-
able to speak. But months of music therapy helped
to produce new pathways in her brain, creating new
avenues for speech.
The same can happen for children on the autism
spectrum. How often do we hear that our ASD kids
have brains that are “wired differently?” While there
is much to my son’s unique mind that I love and be-
lieve will enable him to one day accomplish amazing
feats, in the meantime, everyday social interaction
could be improved upon—behaviors that could very
well be a result of his different “ASD wiring.”
Imagine if music therapy can help rewire his path-
ways so he doesn’t run from a situation that becomes
too overwhelming, hide under the table when things
don’t go his way, or react to situations in such a bi-
zarre way that his peers think he’s strange. While I
don’t want to squash his creativity, his ability to focus
on and learn about particular subjects, or his incredi-
ble humor, resolving some of these other behavioral
issues could serve him well.
Music resonates with ASD strengths
Recently, I attended the presentation Autism, Music
Therapy, and other Neurological Disorders by music
therapist, Kirsten Arbogast, MM, MT-BC, of Altitude
Music Therapy Services in Salida, Colorado. During
her presentation, she not only addressed the various
reasons music therapy produces profound changes
in children with ASD, but she also spoke of music’s
ability to cater to the strengths that tend to accom-
pany ASD, such as heightened auditory sensitivity,
attention to detail, increased pattern recognition,
craving for controlled multisensory experiences, and
unique abilities pertaining to memory.
To be a successful musician, one must have all or
most of these traits. To the child with autism, many
of these traits are innate, a part of who he/she is and
what might have led to his/her diagnosis in the first
place. By incorporating music therapy into treat-
ment, you are giving your child a gift, allowing his/
her unique behavioral differences to give an advan-
tage rather than a disadvantage.
During her presentation, Arbogast invited my son
to participate. Despite the dozen or so people in
the room, he happily beat a drum to one of his fa-
vorite melodies—In the Hall of the Mountain King—
Autism Parenting Magazine | Issue 68 |
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