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ABSTRACT
Introduction
Previous evidence suggests that improvisational music therapy (IMT) can be effective at improving social skills of children on the autism spectrum (CoS). To date, no published research exists regarding the effectiveness of specific IMT techniques. Given the improvised nature of IMT such research is important to understand the effective ingredients of the method. The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of three IMT techniques with minimally verbal CoS: (1) exact imitation, (2) imitation with elaboration, and (3) contingent response.
Method
Seven children aged 40 to 56 months (M = 50.1) participated in the study.Inclusion criteria included minimally verbal children (producing fewer than 10 spontaneous words or phrases) between three and five years of age diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Each child participated in nine 30-minute sessions designed toinclude one of the three treatment techniques. Hence, three therapy sessions targeted each therapy technique. Sessions were video-recorded, analyzed and coded for treatment fidelity and child engagement.
Results
Analysis revealed that there was a significant overall effect of therapist technique on engagement state of a child, Hotelling’s Trace = 4.061, F(10, 14) = 2.843, p = 0.037. The overall pattern suggests that exact imitation and imitation with elaboration may result in better overall engagement than contingent response.
Discussion
Results suggest that using IMT imitation techniques may improve engagement. Since engagement is often a clinical goal, and is important in the process of social learning, music therapists are encouraged to consider employing imitation techniques during IMT sessions with CoS.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1 This same study also failed to find evidence of significant changes in ADOS symptomology; however, researchers have previously noted that the ADOS is not particularly sensitive to treatment-related changes in social engagement, especially over shorter periods of time (Anagnostou et al., Citation2015).
2 We note that important and useful distinctions have been made among types of imitation (cf. especially Tomasello’s (Citation2009) distinctions among imitating, mimicking and emulating); however, these distinctions are not especially relevant to the current study.
Additional information
Funding
Notes on contributors
John Carpente
John Carpente, PhD, MT-BC, LCAT is a professor of music and music therapy at Molloy College and the founder and director of the Rebecca Center for Music Therapy at Molloy College. He is a founding member of the International Music Therapy Assessment Consortium and creator of the Developmental Relationship-based Music Therapy model. He authored the Individual Music-Centered Assessment Profile for Neurodevelopmental Disorder and has published numerous book chapters and peer-reviewed articles on the topic of improvisational music therapy with children on the autism spectrum.
Devin M. Casenhiser
Devin M. Casenhiser, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. His research explores various aspects of language learning, development, and processing. He has published research investigating cognitive factors affecting language learning, naturalistic interventions for children on the autism spectrum, and neurolinguistic processing of syntax and phonology measured using electroencephalography.
Michael Kelliher
Michael Kelliher, MS, MT-BC, is a professionally credentialed, board-certified music therapist at the Rebecca Center for Music Therapy at Molloy College. He received his Master of Science degree in Music Therapy from Molloy College, Rockville Centre, NY. Michael has completed an advanced certification in Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy. He has presented at professional conferences regionally and nationally on his work within music-centered music therapy and relationship-based models of music therapy. Additionally, Michael is an adjunct faculty member of undergraduate and graduate music therapy at Molloy College.
Jill Mulholland
Jill Mulholland, MS, LCAT, MT-BC is a licensed creative arts therapist and board-certified music therapist. She received her Master of Science degree in Music Therapy from Molloy College, Rockville Centre, NY. Jill completed her advanced clinical certification in Level 1 Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy at Molloy College in 2011. Jill is the program coordinator and a clinical supervisor at the Rebecca Center for Music Therapy at Molloy College. She has 13 years of clinical and supervisory experience and has presented her work at various professional conferences on the regional and national levels. Her clinical focus is working with children and young adults with neurodevelopmental needs. Jill is also an adjunct faculty member at Molloy College in the undergraduate music therapy program.
H. Logan Sluder
H. Logan Sluder is a national and state-certified speech and language pathologist located in Knoxville, Tennessee. She is a graduate of the University of Tennessee Knoxville and the University Tennessee Health Science Center Knoxville. She received her Bachelor of Science in Audiology and Speech Language Pathology in May 2017 and her Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology in May 2019. She currently specializes in the treatment of spinal cord injury, neurological, and dysphagia disorders in adults and children in an inpatient rehabilitation setting.
Anne Crean
Anne Crean, MS, MT-BC, is a board-certified music therapist and a graduate of Molloy College where she received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Music Therapy. Anne is a music therapist and clinical supervisor at The Rebecca School located in New York City.