Research project: Project Draft

Example 1

Finnigan, E. & Starr, S. (2010). Increasing social responsiveness in a child with autism: A

comparison of music and non-music interventions. Autism, 4, 321-348. Retrieved from

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1362361309357747

This study examined the e�ects of music and non-music interventions on an autistic pre-

school child’s social and behavioral areas. The authors conducted a meta-analysis literature

review of music therapy on autistic children's social development. The findings show music

interventions fostered higher frequency eye contact, imitation, and turn-taking activities

compared to the non-music experiences. The results connect the literature on how music

therapy has a positive e�ect on children's development in communication, socialization, and

interaction. This study is promising for future researchers who are delving into promoting

social development for children with autism. Lastly, this study's limitation of a single-subject

design demonstrates the need to have a large sample size validated to determine the next

research on the topic.

Example 2

Gattino, G. S., Riesgo, R. d. S., Longi, D., Leite, J. C. L., & Faccini, L. S. (2011). E�ects of

relational music therapy on communication of children with autism: A randomized control

study. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 20(2), 142-154. Retrieved from

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08098131.2011.566933

This study examined the e�ects of specific interventions in improving communication skills

for children with autism. Researchers from the Programme for Invasive Development

Disorder investigated the impact of relational music therapy in three areas: verbal, non-

verbal, and social communication. A controlled trial method was randomly selected to

compare individuals (N= 12) who received music therapy and routine clinical activities with

individuals (N= 12) who received just everyday clinical activities. Using the DSM IV-TR criteria,

participants were labeled as follows: autistic disorder, Asperger's syndrome, and pervasive

development disorder. The findings show no statistical di�erences in the three measured

outcomes between the experimental group and the control group. However, an analysis was

conducted with the subgroup with only the autistic disorder participants. The results favored

improvement in the non-verbal communication behavior between the experimental and

control groups. Using a more rigorous research design could lead to a smaller e�ect size

between the experimental and control groups. Additionally, providing the interventions for a

more extended period could also yield more positive results. This study o�ers future

researchers insight to investigate further the possibility of the e�ects of relational music

therapy for children with autism.