Autism

Overview

Trevor is diagnosed with a high-functioning form of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Before 2013, the diagnosis would have been called Asperger’s Syndrome. Persons on the autism spectrum can range from low-functioning individuals who may have limited motor skills and no verbal communication ability, to higher-functioning people like Trevor. Generally, persons with autism tend to process neural information differently from those not on the spectrum. Many people with autism will “think in pictures,” as Temple Grandin, the famous professor with autism at Colorado State University, says. In other words, they might relate to visual communication rather than auditory communication.

Many children with ASD experience brain plasticity, the growth of new neural networks in the brain, when exposed to music therapy experiences.

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"One in 36 8-year-old children have been identified with autism, according to an analysis of 2020 data published in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Surveillance Summary."

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Social Impacts

Social Issues

Children with ASD typically have difficulties socializing with their peers, teachers, or even parents. They may be loners and prefer to interface more with digital devices such as computers and iPhones than other people. Some of this behavior is natural and some of it is learned, as they realize that the world outside their unique personalities is noting their differences and possibly bullying them. Music and musical games are a wonderful way to introduce social help in a way that is nonthreatening to a child with autism. In Trevor’s case, the formation of the band is not “music therapy” in the strict sense, but it is most definitely a therapeutic experience involving music for him. With the band, he gains experience, confidence, and friendship.

Link - Social outcomes in children with autism spectrum disorder

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"The application of effective interventions to faciliate and develop social skills is essential due to the lifelong impact that social skills may have on independence and functioning."

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Physical Issues

Motor/Speech issues

Motor issues - Many children with autism have motor issues and can be helped with music therapy. Trevor’s motor issues result in awkwardness in gait and coordination, which is helped by RAS. Other children with autism can have a hard time coordinating between the left and right sides of their bodies when attempting to do something with two hands, such as playing a drum. But with practice and enjoyment, the skill can be mastered. Playing a musical instrument helps develop fine motor skills and, in Trevor’s case, helped both his coordination and his ability to learn music. Many small percussion instruments can easily be played without prior knowledge of the instrument. This is why Mrs. Hopkins uses a variety of small percussion instruments in her studio when she works with specific music therapy techniques.

Speech issues – Many children with ASD are nonverbal but can be helped therapeutically with rhythmic breathing, uttering rhythmic sounds, and finally rhythmic words that can lead to speech. Trevor has full speech capability, but he still enjoys making up his own “silly sounds.” These sounds would mirror physical actions when he was young, such as spinning in circles while he recited the “Skally ally ally ally” phrase. Sometimes children with ASD have a hard time initiating speech and fall into a form of communication called echolalia, where they suddenly repeat something they’ve heard. It can be difficult for others to try to decipher at times, but generally there is real intent. This book’s author experienced an example of echolalia when she was first teaching a young child with autism to play the piano. At one point, while sitting on the bench, the child, seemingly out of nowhere, exclaimed, “Oh, my diamonds!” The child’s mother immediately said, “Oh, she heard that in a movie. One of the cartoon characters drops her diamonds and says, ‘Oh, my diamonds!’ So whenever my child drops something, that’s what she says.” Once the intent is discovered, the meaning becomes clear.

Link - Motor difficulties forecast language trouble in autism

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"Children with autism who speak few words and have trouble manipulating objects tend to remain minimally verbal as they reach adulthood. About half of children with autism are slow to learn and understand speech, and roughly one in three adults is minimally verbal."

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Learning Challenges

Learning Difficulties

Cognition issues – Many children with ASD have a hard time focusing attention, remembering facts, or making decisions. Music assists these nonmusical skills by working across both halves of the brain to shape cognitive direction. The musical games that Mrs. Hopkins utilizes for attention control are an example. Music protocols could also assist with executive functioning in children with ASD. For example, a child who has a hard time making decisions but then is given the enjoyable task of directing a therapist to compose a song can start incorporating the skill of making decisions in a compositional exercise. That skill of decision making is then transferrable to real-life experience in a classroom.

A small percentage of children with autism are born with savant characteristics that result in extraordinary capabilities in a particular subject. Trevor’s abilities in math are the key to attracting the interest of the other children who later become his best friends. Children who have savant capabilities in math are likely to also become capable musicians. However, a diagnosis of autism is not automatically associated with musical or mathematical skill.

Link - Autism Spectrum Disorders Fact Sheets - Education and Autism

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"Children on the autism spectrum may have trouble understanding or communicating their needs to teachers and fellow students. They can have difficulty understanding some classroom directions and instruction, along with subtle vocal and facial cues of teachers."

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