Music Therapy Autism Literature Review

Individuals with autism show equal or increased abilities in pitch processing, labeling of emotions in music, and musical preference when compared to typically‐developing peers. The most compelling evidence supporting the clinical benefits of music therapy lies in the areas of social‐emotional responsiveness and communication including increased compliance, reduced anxiety, increase speech output, decreased vocal stereotypy, receptive labeling, and increased interaction with peers. Preliminary findings also support the potential for music to assist in the learning of daily routines.

SECTION 1: AUTISM & MUSIC PERCEPTION RESEARCH

1. Bennett, E., & Heaton, P. (2012). Is talent in autism spectrum disorders associated with a specific cognitive and behavioural phenotype? Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 24(not yet in print). Parents of 125 youth and young adults with autism were surveyed. Special skills such as in music, art, and mathematics were associated with individuals who had superior working memory and highly focused attention that was not associated with increased obsessesionality.

2. Bonnel, A., Mottron, L., Peretz, I., Trudel, M., Gallun, E., & Bonnel, AM. (2003). Enhanced pitch sensitivity in individuals with autism: A signal detection analysis. Journal of Cognitive
Neuroscience, 15(2), 226‐35. Pitch processing is enhanced in “high‐functioning” autism for discrimination and categorization compared to a control group.

3. Boso, M., Comelli, M., Vecchi, T., Barale, F., Politi, P. (2009). Exploring musical taste in severely autistic subjects: preliminary data. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1169, 332‐5.
Individuals with severe autism share the same musical preferences as typically developing individuals despite their challenges.

4. Brown, W.A., Cammuso, K., Sachs, H., Winklosky, B., Mullane, J., Bernier, R., Svenson, S., Arin, D.,
Rosen‐Sheidley, B., & Folstein, S.E. (2003). Autism‐related