“Where words fail, music speaks.”
– Hans Christian Andersen
Strengths of Music Therapy
Along with these strengths, Music Therapy has been proven to enhance cognitive, social, emotional, and motor functioning for individuals who have intellectual or physical difficulties, brain injuries, or Alzheimer’s. People on the Autism Spectrum have also been shown to benefit from Music Therapy. A study was conducted to support this, where various doctors analyzed children diagnosed with Autism undergoing Music Therapy treatment. The AMTA stated that the “research supports connections between speech and singing, rhythm and motor behavior, memory for song and memory for academic material, and overall ability of preferred music to enhance mood, attention, and behavior to optimize the student’s ability to learn and interact.” 4For people with Autism, Music Therapy provides the individual with an initial assist using melodic and rhythmic strategies. This was followed by fading of musical cues to aid in generalization and transfer to other environments. Overall, the outcomes found for the clients a part of the study were very positive. Outcomes included increased attention, decreased self-stimulation, improved cognitive functioning, increased socialization, successful and safe self-expression, improved behavior, enhanced auditory processing, decreased agitation, improved verbal skills, and enhanced sensory-motor skills.
4) Autism Spectrum Disorders: Music Therapy Research and Evidence Based Practice Support. https://www.musictherapy.org/assets/1/7/bib_autism10.pdf.
The Power of Music 