Efficacy of music-centered improvisational music therapy on the treatment of preschool children on the autism spectrum: a controlled study

• Autor(a) principal: Marina Horta Freire
• Data de Publicação: 2021
• Outros Autores: Aline Moreira Brandão André, Renato Tocantins Sampaio, Arthur Melo e Kummer
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UFMG
• Texto Completo: https://doi.org/10.51914/brjmt.32.2021.159; http://hdl.handle.net/1843/58535; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8022-3578; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3115-7679; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4384-6669; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3941-0931
• topic: Autism spectrum; Preschool children; Music therapy; Music-centered improvisational music therapy; Autismo; Pre-escolares; Musicoterapia

Music is related as a treatment for people on the Autism Spectrum (ASD), although controlled studies with specific music therapy approaches are scanty. Aiming to investigate the effects of Music-centered Improvisational Music Therapy(MCIMT)on the treatment of preschool children with ASD, 45 autistic children aged 2 to 6 years old were assigned to groups under control (n=19) and intervention (n=26) conditions. Initial and Final assessments(T1 and T2) were performed through psychiatric and music therapy scales. The intervention group received individual weekly Music-centered Improvisational Music Therapy sessions. Both groups kept usual care during study. Intervention group participated in follow up evaluation (T3) two months after T2. Statistical analyses showed that both groups were paired on T1. Differences between T1 and T2 were significant for almost all scales on the intervention group while the control group showed significance only on one communication subscale. The intervention group showed moderate to large effect size, while the control group showed a small effect size. Most improvements were not maintained on T3. Correlations between initial data and treatment response rate are discussed. Results suggest the value of Music-centered Improvisational Music Therapy in promoting improvements on behaviors, communication, and socialization for pre-school children with ASD.