음악치료 프로그램이 자폐아동의 사회적 상호작용 행동에 미치는 효과

A Study of the Effects of a Music Therapy Program on the Social Interactions of Autistic Children

The objective of this study was to employ a music therapy program to facilitate social interactions between children with autism, and to examine the effects of such therapy. One characteristic of music therapy is that it involves nonlinguistic music activities. Children with autism have an especially sensitive auditory sense, and thus more keenly respond to music than they do to visual or tactile stimuli. Our hypothesis, therefore, is that a music therapy program can help to mitigate the symptoms of autism. We conducted an experiment with autistic school children who were attending a specialized school for children with disabilities. The most significant challenge to autistic children is social development, and an applied music therapy program might help autistic children to form relationships and to facilitate social interactions. A music therapy program that is based on an accurate understanding of the characteristics of autistic children (impeded social interactions, communication problems, repeated behaviors, and restricted behaviors) facilitates healthy social behaviors, encourages social interactions and builds a foundation for social development. Therefore, positive effect of music therapy on autistic children is regarded as educational accomplishments that guide the children to follow deliberate and planned changes. Music therapy is a comprehensive educational program that improves the functional standards of autistic children while reducing their problematic behaviors. This research recommends class-specific programs that employ music therapy for children with autism, and demonstrates that music therapy improves the children’s social interactions.