Implementation Of Improvisational Music Therapy Among Children And Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder In The Indian Context

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour and is a pervasive developmental condition with severe impairments in the social and communication domains. Lack of vocalisations, social interest, eye contact, and presence of stereotypic behaviours may be present in the affected individuals. Treatment approaches for ASD include behavioural modalities including Music Therapy (MT) rather than pharmacological treatments. MT is an effective approach for ASD as music can act as an effective point of contact. The current research design employs cluster random sampling with 2 study groups: experimental group and control group. Biopsychosocial parameters such as hand grip strength, auditory reaction time, visual reaction time, cognition and social relationship & reciprocity are evaluated to see if there are any changes before and after the intervention period (6 months). The experimental group will undergo MT intervention using improvisational MT throughout the intervention period in addition to the regular school activities where as the controls will undergo only regular school activities. The data obtained before and after the intervention period will be statistically analysed in order to examine the differences between the study groups. The anticipated outcomes may contribute to the literature evidences with respect to the benefits of MT among children and adolescents with ASD especially in the Indian context filling the gaps present.