Increasing Positive Affect and Social Responsiveness in Children and Adolescents with

1. Increasing Positive Affect and Social Responsiveness in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders: The Adaptation of a Music-Based Intervention in a School Setting Dilshad Tung, Ruth Ellingsen, Lara Tucci, M.A., Istvan Molnar-Szakacs, Ph.D., and Elizabeth Laugeson, Psy.D. The Help Group – UCLA Autism Research Alliance UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior Funded by the NAMM Foundation BACKGROUND RESULTS DISCUSSION • Many children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) face challenges in social and emotional behavior that may lead them to be isolated from their peers, family and community (Bauminger and Kasari, 2000). • Music is an avenue of communication and social engagement that may come easily to many youth with ASD, yet very little is known about the benefits of music in promoting positive affect and social responsiveness. A review of previous research (Whipple, 2004) indicates that music therapy may promote: • increased attention to task • increased communicative acts •  increased engagement with others •  enhanced body awareness and coordination •  improved symbolic play •  anxiety reduction • increase in appropriate social behaviors • While music therapy can be costly and often unavailable to many children with ASD, music education is often part of the public school curriculum and may be more accessible. Although the positive impact of music therapy has been reported in the research literature, little is known about the effectiveness of music education in promoting positive affect and social responsiveness in children with ASD. Table 1. Results of inter-rater reliability based on calculation of Cronbach’s alpha (α) Results suggest that the Orff-Schulwerk method of music instruction may contribute to an increase in positive affect and social responsiveness in children and adolescents with ASD. However, joint attention appears to be greater in more formal academic settings in comparison to structured music education. These findings suggest the use of more structured music education in the school setting may promote more prosocial behaviors in children and adolescents with ASD, which in turn could provide these youth with useful tools for improved social interaction and engagement with peers, family and community. Findings from the present study are limited due to small sample size, lack of behavioral assessment of generalizability, and lack of assessment of maintenance of treatment gains over time. Future studies may expand upon the current findings by observing a greater number students in multiple settings across a longer span of time . The evidence gathered in this study and future studies may provide insights needed to understand how to develop better evidence-based interventions and music-based educational programs for youth with ASD, which may lead to the development of the skills needed to create lasting social relationships. • Results show significant differences across music and academic settings: • Higher levels of positive affect in the music setting (p< .001) • Higher levels of social responsiveness in the music setting (p<.001) • Lower levels of joint attention in the music setting as compared to the academic setting (p<.01) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS RESEARCH OBJECTIVE The authors would like to thank the dedicated teachers, staff and families at The Help Group for their support of the music classes and this research study. We are grateful to the research assistants and interns at The Help Group – UCLA Autism Research Alliance for facilitating the research. We would also like to thank the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) for making this study possible with their funding. To examine the positive impact of a structured music education program in a specialized day school program for children and adolescents with ASD. METHODS • PARTICIPANTS • N = 36 children and adolescents • Confirmed ASD diagnosis • Attending a non-public school for children with ASD • Age: M = 11; 7 to 15 years of age • Gender: 89% male (n = 32); 11% female (n = 4) • Ethnicity: 38% Caucasian (n = 14); 38% Hispanic (n = 14); 24% Unspecified (n = 8) • ORFF-SHULWERK MUSIC EDUCATION • Teachers utilized a structured music education program known as the Orff-Shulwerk method of music instruction (Orff-Schulwerk, 1963), which is characterized by: • A non-competitive atmosphere where making music with others is considered a reward • Singing, rhyming, clapping, and dancing as part of the instruction • Promotion of group coordination and engagement • Academic learning through musical engagement • An emphasis on musical learning through creating, improvising, and imitating • MEASURES • Students participated in 30-minute structured music education classes daily for four weeks (summer session) • Live behavioral observations of students were conducted in music and academic classes by trained research assistants • Behaviors were coded in the following areas: joint attention, use of language, negative behavior, positive affect, social avoidance and social responsiveness • Inter-rater reliability was established across all domains through coding of recorded class observations REFERENCES Bauminger, N., & Kasari, C. (2000). Loneliness and friendship in high- functioning children with autism. Child Development, 71(2), 447-456. Orff, C., & Walter, A. (1963). The Schulwerk: Its origin and aims. Music Educators Journal, 49(5), 69-74. Shamrock, M. (1997). Orff Schulwerk an integrated foundation. Music Educators Journal, 83(6) Trevarthen, C. (2000) Autism as a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting communication and learning in early childhood: Prenatal origins, postnatal course and effective educational support. Prostoglandins, Leucotrines and Essential Fatty Acids, 63(1/2), 41-46. Whipple, J. (2004). Music intervention for children and adolescents with autism: A meta-analysis. Journal of Music Therapy, 41, 90-106. CONTACT INFORMATION For more information about this study, please contact Dilshad Tung at alliance@thehelpgroup.org or (818) 778-7133 • Results revealed no significant differences between the music and academic settings for the following domains: • Language • Negative Behavior • Social Avoidance