Rhythm for autism

Music and rhythm is everywhere in Bangladesh. It can be heard in the joyous celebration of diverse cultural festivals. It wafts through the breeze in the form of the daily call to prayer.  It is in the whistling of a rickshaw walah and even in the quiet of the house when a mother lulls her child to sleep.  

Just as the sun rises and sets in universal rhythm we also function in rhythm.  The rise and fall of our chest as we breathe and the rhythm of our heart beating are timely reminders that everything about us is organized in and governed by rhythms.  When our body rhythms are out of synchronization with the world around us (for example in neurological disability such as autism) our lives can be disorganized and chaotic.

For children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) - a neurodevelopmental disability which affects normal brain function - finding rhythmic organization can be one of the biggest challenges in achieving overall quality of life.  The brain holds an important part in regulating body rhythm so much so that any abnormalities in the brains structure can disrupt general brain-to-body organization.  With recent research identifying specific abnormalities in the brains of children with autism it can be assumed that some of the social, behaviour and communication difficulties faced by these children may be a result of being ‘out of rhythm’ due to neurological disturbance.   

Music is a powerful tool that is used in the treatment of children with Autism who have ‘rhythmic disturbance’. Brain cells need to follow a regular rhythm to produce an organized response in the brain. For children with autism, due to weakened inter-brain communication there is less coordination of this rhythm from one point to another. Music - which has rhythm - helps by creating a regular stimulus to the brain that helps the brain to get organized and to keep track of the rhythm from one point to another.  This results in improvements in and development of timing and overall organization.  Just by listening to music that has certain rhythmic qualities we are able to improve attention, strengthen neural pathways in the brain and provide an organizing experience for the body.

Music therapy

Since it was developed in the years of 1950‘s and 60‘s in the United Kingdom, music therapy has become accepted as a highly recommended intervention for children with autism.  Music therapy is the use of music and music based activities to achieve therapeutic client goals - goals which are usually non musical.  This is what sets it apart from music education - which focuses on teaching concepts and skill acquisition.  Music therapy goals can include but are not limited to: Improving communication - emotional expression and speech; Improving social skills; Improving cognition including increasing attention;  Increasing self confidence and motivation; and Facilitating development of functional motor skills.

Clients are assessed and goals are developed and met through the prescription of specific music therapy interventions by a registered music therapist (RMT) who is usually part of a multi-disciplinary team.  Although music therapy can be used with people with other physical, cognitive and emotional disabilities from all ages and backgrounds, it has particular benefits for children with autism.

Music therapy and autism

Case studies by music therapists indicate that music interventions are an un-invasive way to ‘connect’ with children with autism and develop more meaningful and playful communication.  The key to music therapy success is music and rhythm! Music is highly motivating, organizing and engaging even to a closed off child with autism and can be a creative way to encourage children to complete challenging tasks and achieve therapy goals.

There are many music therapy interventions, but most music therapy with children with autism is based on spontaneous musical improvisation. The therapist uses percussion or tuned instruments, or his/her own voice, to respond creatively to the sounds and behaviours produced by the child.  This encourages the child to create his or her own musical language. Instruments are selected which are non-threatening and most interesting to the child. Some children have a strong preference for one type of sound and in some cases the same sound may be intolerable to another child.  In the case of Joshua, a three year old child with severe autism after music therapy assessment it was discovered that he had extreme sensitivity to certain sounds and musical keys, which included certain tones in his own mothers voice. Whenever Joshua would hear these sounds or a specific tone in his mothers voice it would trigger screaming and crying behaviours where he would hold his hands over his ears and rock backwards and forwards uncontrollably.  After many music therapy sessions where Joshua was gradually exposed to such sounds that were disguised in his favourite songs, he was slowly able to tolerate more of these sounds outside of therapy.   His mother was also able to alter the pitch of her voice to eliminate the problem pitches.   

It is this type of individualistic approach that is one of the strengths of music therapy for children with autism. The aim is to create a context of sound in which each individual child feels comfortable and confident to express himself, to experience a wider range of emotions, and to discover what it is like to be in a two-way communicating relationship.  Once the child’s awareness of relationship is established the music therapist can start to use music communication to address other problematic areas such as rhythmic organization, social skills and cognitive deficits.

Strategic instrumental play activities are used to increase attention, social skills, imitation skills and functional ability.  Instrumental play activities might involve engaging a child in a drumming and marching task - in which the child is engaged in playing a drum to a steady beat while marching within the context of a specially designed action song.   Using activities like this not only allows the child to experience what it feels like when his/her body is synchronized to a rhythm but also allows the child to feel what it is like to be synchronized with another person.  Using such activities with children with autism helps to increase their own awareness of self - including body and emotional awareness -  and others around them which can ultimately lead to the development of more appropriate social skills and expression.

Given the rich musical heritage of Bangladesh there is much scope for using music functionally in the lives of children with autism.  Simple music techniques can be used by teachers, parents and therapists to achieve better therapy outcomes for children with autism in everyday life.   Using music and singing to engage with your child is a good place to start.  By setting up a regular time each day to sing songs or have music listening time with your child you can start to encourage communication and positive social skills in your child.   (Reprint)

Rhythm for autism

Music and rhythm is everywhere in Bangladesh. It can be heard in the joyous celebration of diverse cultural festivals. It wafts through the breeze in the form of the daily call to prayer. It is in the whistling of a rickshaw walah and even in the quiet of the house when a mother lulls her child to sleep. Just as the sun rises and sets in universal rhythm we also function in rhythm. The rise and fall of our chest as we breathe and the rhythm of our heart beating are timely reminders that everything about us is organized in and governed by rhythms. When our body rhythms are out of synchronization with the world around us (for example in neurological disability such as autism) our lives can be disorganized and chaotic. For children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) - a neurodevelopmental disability which affects normal brain function - finding rhythmic organization can be one of the biggest challenges in achieving overall quality of life. The brain holds an important part in regulating body rhythm so much so that any abnormalities in the brains structure can disrupt general brain-to-body organization. With recent research identifying specific abnormalities in the brains of children with autism it can be assumed that some of the social, behaviour and communication difficulties faced by these children may be a result of being out of rhythm due to neurological disturbance. Music is a powerful tool that is used in the treatment of children with Autism who have rhythmic disturbance. Brain cells need to follow a regular rhythm to produce an organized response in the brain. For children with autism, due to weakened inter-brain communication there is less coordination of this rhythm from one point to another. Music - which has rhythm - helps by creating a regular stimulus to the brain that helps the brain to get organized and to keep track of the rhythm from one point to another. This results in improvements in and development of timing and overall organization. Just by listening to music that has certain rhythmic qualities we are able to improve attention, strengthen neural pathways in the brain and provide an organizing experience for the body. Music therapy Since it was developed in the years of 1950s and 60s in the United Kingdom, music therapy has become accepted as a highly recommended intervention for children with autism. Music therapy is the use of music and music based activities to achieve therapeutic client goals - goals which are usually non musical. This is what sets it apart from music education - which focuses on teaching concepts and skill acquisition. Music therapy goals can include but are not limited to: Improving communication - emotional expression and speech; Improving social skills; Improving cognition including increasing attention; Increasing self confidence and motivation; and Facilitating development of functional motor skills. Clients are assessed and goals are developed and met through the prescription of specific music therapy interventions by a registered music therapist (RMT) who is usually part of a multi-disciplinary team. Although music therapy can be used with people with other physical, cognitive and emotional disabilities from all ages and backgrounds, it has particular benefits for children with autism. Music therapy and autism Case studies by music therapists indicate that music interventions are an un-invasive way to connect with children with autism and develop more meaningful and playful communication. The key to music therapy success is music and rhythm! Music is highly motivating, organizing and engaging even to a closed off child with autism and can be a creative way to encourage children to complete challenging tasks and achieve therapy goals. There are many music therapy interventions, but most music therapy with children with autism is based on spontaneous musical improvisation. The therapist uses percussion or tuned instruments, or his/her own voice, to respond creatively to the sounds and behaviours produced by the child. This encourages the child to create his or her own musical language. Instruments are selected which are non-threatening and most interesting to the child. Some children have a strong preference for one type of sound and in some cases the same sound may be intolerable to another child. In the case of Joshua, a three year old child with severe autism after music therapy assessment it was discovered that he had extreme sensitivity to certain sounds and musical keys, which included certain tones in his own mothers voice. Whenever Joshua would hear these sounds or a specific tone in his mothers voice it would trigger screaming and crying behaviours where he would hold his hands over his ears and rock backwards and forwards uncontrollably. After many music therapy sessions where Joshua was gradually exposed to such sounds that were disguised in his favourite songs, he was slowly able to tolerate more of these sounds outside of therapy. His mother was also able to alter the pitch of her voice to eliminate the problem pitches. It is this type of individualistic approach that is one of the strengths of music therapy for children with autism. The aim is to create a context of sound in which each individual child feels comfortable and confident to express himself, to experience a wider range of emotions, and to discover what it is like to be in a two-way communicating relationship. Once the childs awareness of relationship is established the music therapist can start to use music communication to address other problematic areas such as rhythmic organization, social skills and cognitive deficits. Strategic instrumental play activities are used to increase attention, social skills, imitation skills and functional ability. Instrumental play activities might involve engaging a child in a drumming and marching task - in which the child is engaged in playing a drum to a steady beat while marching within the context of a specially designed action song. Using activities like this not only allows the child to experience what it feels like when his/her body is synchronized to a rhythm but also allows the child to feel what it is like to be synchronized with another person. Using such activities with children with autism helps to increase their own awareness of self - including body and emotional awareness - and others around them which can ultimately lead to the development of more appropriate social skills and expression. Given the rich musical heritage of Bangladesh there is much scope for using music functionally in the lives of children with autism. Simple music techniques can be used by teachers, parents and therapists to achieve better therapy outcomes for children with autism in everyday life. Using music and singing to engage with your child is a good place to start. By setting up a regular time each day to sing songs or have music listening time with your child you can start to encourage communication and positive social skills in your child. (Reprint)