Effects of music therapy on prosocial behavior of students with autism and developmental disabilities

This research study employed a multiple baseline across participants design to investigate the effects of music therapy intervention on hitting, screaming, and asking of three children with autism and/or developmental disabilities. Behaviors were observed and recorded during 10-minute free-play sessions both during baseline and immediately after music therapy sessions during intervention. Interobserver agreement and procedural fidelity data were collected. Music therapy sessions were modeled on literature pertaining to music therapy with children with autism. In addition, social validity surveys were collected to answer research questions pertaining to the social validity of music therapy as an intervention.;Findings indicate that music therapy produced moderate and gradual effects on hitting, screaming, and asking. Hitting and screaming decreased following intervention, while asking increased. Intervention effects were maintained three weeks following intervention. Implications of the study for music therapy practice and future research are discussed.