Children with autism spectrum disorder present from an early age, a severe disorder of development, especially related to communication and social interaction, however, might have great motor skills, musical, complex mathematical calculation, memory and others.
The music, as part of our history, which is being built and then separated in time past and present, is part of our dynamic process of identity, acts on the culture that shapes it and where it comes at the same time it is inserted in the dynamic structure which itself was formed. The music has meaning for each person in that it is linked to experience, past and / or present. The meanings of music are, then, social and natural, built, created and recreated in the relations and actions consistent with what is lived and experienced.
The music, whose effect on the mind is undeniable, and is widely used in relaxation techniques, has the advantage of being much appreciated by children with autism spectrum disorder and therefore music therapy is the first technical approach with these children. The musical experiences that enable active participation (see, hear, touch) favor the development of the senses of children. When working with the sounds she develops auditory acuity, gestures or dance to accompany it works in coordination, rhythm and attention, to sing or imitate sounds she discovers their abilities and establish relationships with the environment in which they live.
3 comments:
I have had experience teaching sp. ed. early childhood ed. for the past ten years. I can attest to the fact that many of my past students, including those with Autism, seem to have a sixth sense when it comes to music. My district was fortunate enough to allow my music teacher to teach in reg. music ed. in my classroom with my students. She would always comment how quickly my students picked up the rhythm even quicker than her K and first gr.students. We often made videos for the parents of their favorite songs and it was truly amazing to see how well they performed using simple instruments, words and actions. Music allows us to teach across categories and cultures. I will add one point, there are some students with disorders such as Autism that cannot tolerate loud music due to hyper sensory issues ,but for the most part my students did very well with it.
Yes, even I noticed while teaching in group , autistic children, some of them get hyper in music, even rhymes songs, and difficult to handle. However most of them love it.
As a Board Certified Music Therapist with a masters in special education, I teach a class with severely disabled middle school students, many of whom are autistic. I use music to teach social and academic skills-it can also be used to improve orthopedic disabilities & much more. I find my students w/autism benefit greatly from the music activities I do. It helps them focus, stay on task, improve memory, communicate meaningfully, event elicit communication which is their greatest need.
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