Music therapy helps individuals with ASD identify and appropriately express their emotions. Because music is processed in both hemispheres of the brain, it can stimulate cognitive functioning and may be used for remediation of some speech/language skills.
What kind of music is best for autism? Music therapy for autistic people is often improvisational. This means the music is spontaneous and matches the temperament of the person playing. Music therapists say music with a strong beat, simple structure, and easy lyrics do best.
Many studies found that music helps those with autism to develop better social skills and generate confidence in them. Music therapists have shown that music can reduce the stress and anxiety levels of autistic children and adults. It can reduce distressed behaviors as well.
Music helps autistic children communicate better as it's non-verbal, and it eliminates verbal expression barriers. Thus, music allows autistic children to express themselves without the use of words. Music also helps improve your child's vocabulary, verbalization, and vocalization.
Parents and caregivers have found that autistic children are able to communicate and express themselves much better through music than any other form of expression. This can sometimes be in the form of singing, as an alternative to speech. Music can also improve a child's behavior, as it has a calming effect on them.
Being over-sensitive to noise or light can cause problems in everyday life for children with autism. Parents and peers must be cautious to avoid making too much noise around a child with autism but this always isn't possible.
Autistic children enjoy play and learn through play, just as typically developing children do. Through playing with others, your child can learn and practise new social skills and abilities. These skills are important for your child's overall development.
Musical patterns (from strongly rhythmic to flexible and 'loose') can provide what an autistic person needs to help them to regulate their thoughts and brain processes, creating more coherent and adaptable responses to the world around them.
It's a common misconception that autistic people are unaware of their condition. The truth is, many autistic people are very much aware of their autism and how it affects them. In fact, some say that it's through understanding and acceptance of their autism that they've been able to lead fulfilling lives.
Why does this happen? Making excessive noise can indicate auditory sensory-seeking tendencies. Usually children with a hyposensitive auditory system are unable to register sound until they have additional input.
Though autistic people may respond to emotions and social cues differently than neurotypical people, this does not mean they lack empathy. Just like neurotypical people, levels of empathy vary between autistic individuals.
Autistic listener's felt responses to music is (statistically) normal. Of course there are a diversity of autism phenomena. But in what are called “high-functioning” cases of autism, the musical response, as measured by GSR, was not significantly different from the non-autistic control group.
In short, autistic people are more than capable of love and being in romantic relationships. Being in a relationship with an autistic person may just look a little different than what you're used to.
Children with ASD are motivated to engage in music activities and it can be a preferred medium to operate within. They thrive within structure and music fulfills this need for structure and routine. First of all, children with ASD seem to enjoy musical experiences because they are often “good at it”.
Percussion instruments benefit kids with autism because these specific instruments need certain skills to play. Percussion instruments such as bells, drums, or xylophones, allow the player to have control when playing. Your child can decide how much weight to put behind, hit, or shake.
Helps improve behavior issues
Learning to play an instrument has shown to decrease behavior issues in many autistic children. By having something constructive and positive to learn and focus on, they generally improve their social skills, cognition and attention. These all help with their behavior.
Main signs of autism
finding it hard to understand what others are thinking or feeling. getting very anxious about social situations. finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on your own. seeming blunt, rude or not interested in others without meaning to.
One of the main symptoms for individuals with autism is an inability to process all the different sensory inputs in their environment. Many times individuals on the spectrum have hypersensitivity to sights and sounds. This generally leads to an increase in anxiety and stress.
Children can be misdiagnosed as having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and not actually be autistic. It is concerning enough for a parent to be told their child is on the Autism Spectrum, but for a child to be misdiagnosed as having autism can cause unnecessary stress and worry for the family.
Associated with these short-term natural rhythms may be fluctuating states of sensory arousal and alertness. People diagnosed with an ASD often appear to experience states that fluctuate more widely and more often, sending them out of sync with typical daily rhythms.
For autistic people, trains can offer many benefits over other forms of transportation. They are predictable, quiet, and offer a sense of security. Additionally, the visual stimulation provided by watching the scenery go by can be calming. Overall, train travel is often less stressful than flying or driving.
Children with ASD often need a hug, just like other children. Sometimes they need this much more than other children. But some children don't like to be touched. Respect their personal space.
Science fiction and fantasy are often of great interest to autistic people. Depending on their interest levels and abilities, people on the spectrum may learn every detail of a particular "universe," write their own stories, watch and rewatch movies, read comics, attend conventions, or even make their own costumes.
Many children on the autism spectrum are fascinated by animals, trains, or other aspects of the real world. Selected TV and videos, such as "Animal Planet" and the "Eye Witness" videos can build on those interests.