The Effects of Improvisational Music Therapy on Joint Attention Behaviors

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The Effects of Improvisational Music Therapy on Joint Attention Behaviors A Critique Submitted by Lynn Roach Delta State University Psychology of Learning 601, Summer I 2013 The Effects of Improvisational Music Therapy on Joint Attention Behaviors Summary Children with Autism tend to exhibit joint attention behaviors, which affect their communication, language, and social skills. Improvisational music has been used to improve social and communication skills of children with autism, through self-expression. However, a study has never been conducted in improvisational music therapy (Kim, Wigram, & Gold, 2008). This study is based on the framework of improvisational music therapy. The researchers questioned “What affects improvisational music therapy had on improving joint attention behaviors of children with autism, and how the improvements will be used to benefit their communication, language, and social skills?” Limited joint attention development in children with autism, is the dependent variable of this study. Improvisational music therapy and play therapy are the independent variables of this study. The study was conducted in a controlled setting; a comparison was made on the behavioral changes exhibited during both music and play therapy sessions. Thirteen boys and two girls with autism who were between the age of three and five, who had never received music or play therapy, were chosen to participate in the study. However, due to health issues and the length of the travel requirements, five of the children dropped out, and the study only involved ten boys with autism. Five of the participants had low-functioning verbal skills; where as the other five participants were non-verbal. The participants received twenty-four, thirty minute, therapy sessions over a length of seven and a half months. Twelve of the sessions were improvisational music

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