The Effects Of Music Therapy On Children With Autism

Autism is only one of the many disorders that have no precise cure or treatments. Instead, children with autism are taught how to communicate effectively and improve their social skills. Parents of children with autism know that teaching them can be quite challenging and you must be creative enough to think of things that could capture their attention enough to let them learn. For every thousand in the world’s population, one or two of them are diagnosed to have autism. This is why parents, families and people who know them have been constantly searching for more ways to help the child cope with this condition.

The goals for the management of autism are typically to allow the child to grow up with adequate social skills and to live and function as independently as possible. To achieve this, there are therapies specially designed for children with autism such as speech therapy and occupational therapy. There are also medications which work on the brain such as antidepressants, antipsychotics and stimulants. There are also alternative ways such as diets and other methods. However, all these are not an assurance that autism will be treated since there is no single cure for this condition and not every treatment found has a scientific basis or enough evidence to support its effect on children.

One form of therapy which might help children with autism is music therapy. It is recommended since children with autism can develop interest in music and playing musical instruments. Music is able to elicit positive responses from people, even those who are suffering from developmental and other disorders.

Music therapy improves the ability of the child to communicate verbally or nonverbally. Studies have shown that music therapy is a less stressful kind of therapy and the approach allows the child to learn without feeling pressure and anxiety. The child is able to interact effectively with the music therapist or the parents. This kind of therapy can improve verbal communication by letting a child listen to a song or even sing the songs with words and phrases that get repeated throughout the song. This allows the words to register in the child’s brain and teaches him in a way which is interesting. Nonverbal communication is improved through the gestures and expressions that are reflected by the music therapist or the parents. The child is able to see these expressions and process how or when they should be used and what they mean.

Music therapy can also improve a child’s ability to express his emotions. An improvement in the child’s ability to express what he feels in a successful way means progress with his social skills as well. Learning how to play musical instruments can be very beneficial to children with autism. Since music is ideally used to express how people feel, they can also benefit from this purpose. Since most problems appear in relation to their repetitive behavior, steering the child to music has been very helpful to both the person and his family. It would also helpful to assist children with autism with comfortable and friendly clothing especially if you are a medical practitioner or a nurse. There are cheap urbane scrubs with various cartoon designs that most kids are familiar with that would help you catch their attention. You can also try cherokee 4101 scrubs that comes with different colors and interesting designs, by then, it would easy for you to let them participate with their activities.

For those who have children with autism and are interested with music therapy, you can search for music therapists near your area. You can also talk with your pediatrician about this and ask if recommendations can be made. Since there are no precise treatments for autism, music therapy is worth a try just like any other recommended therapies.