Effects of active music therapy on sensory processing patterns and motor skills in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder level 1

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often experience sensory processing and sensory motor impairments. Various treatments have been offered to children with ASD. Active music therapy is one of the most effective interventions conducted during the treatment. The aim of this study was to study the impact of active music therapy on sensory processing patterns and motor skills in children with ASD level one. The present study is an applied and single-subject research.

This study is an ABA single-subject study. The sample consisted of two ASD boys in the age range of 6-11 years old. The sample selection was based on non-random sampling convenient method. The sample society had been all children with ASD level 1 in the range age of 6-11 years old who had visited Nour Occupational Therapy and Speech-Language Pathology Clinic in Karaj city over the past year. Among the sample society, two boys had been chosen according to their GARS test scores which were between 48-65 and had not received any musical treatment intervention in the last six months and also their both families wanted to participate in the study voluntarily. The entering criterion to be selected as a sample was to gain level one score in GARS scale. The sessions had been performed for three months and each session had been held three times a week and each session lasted 90 minutes. The data were collected by Sensory Profile 2 and Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Proficiency. Tests were evaluated with respect to different baselines. During the study, visual review of the charts (falling and rising pattern of the dependent variable), improvement percentage index, variability and efficiency rate had been utilized. In order to analyze the data, first, the collected raw data had been presented in the form charts. After that, the stability and process index had been plotted for the charts of each subject in baseline, intervention and evaluating situation. Then, by using stability and process index, the stability rate and the processing direction of data had been identified. Finally, the data were analyzed by plotting process and explaining the effectiveness rate along with analyzing intra-situation and inter-situation subjects.

Findings showed that the active music therapy had significant impact on the sensory processing patterns as well as large and small motor skills and coordination of upper limb joints in both subjects.

The mean of the large motor skills and more improvement in upper limb coordination had shown the least enhancement percentage. Furthermore, in sensory processing patterns an average improvement rate had been displayed specifically in components of sensory and sensitivity sensory. Findings of the current study indicated that active music therapy has significant impact on the enhancement of sensory processing pattern and motor skills in children with level one Autism Spectrum Disorder.