Devon Ortt

Music Education and Students with Autism

Dr. Stringham
12/3/13

1 in 210 children in Alabama are identified with having autism spectrum disorder.
1 in 47 children in Utah have autism. Autism spectrum disorders are nearly five times
more common in boys than girls. 1 in 54 boys are identified with having autism
spectrum disorder. 1 in 88 children in the United States have been identified as having an
autism spectrum disorder. These statistics, found by the Center for Disease Control and
Prevention, show how prevalent autism is in our country. Since autism is not atypical,
we must know how to teach autistic students in our classrooms as music educators.
Before trying to teach these students music, we should first try to understand what
autism is. Rather than a singular, black-and-white, easily identifiable disorder, autism
disorder is placed on a spectrum. Students can display a wide variety of symptoms and
abilities with this disorder, therefore making each case very different and individual.
According to Autism Speaks, Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both
general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders
are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and
nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors. Autistic disorders; classic autism,
Aspergers disorder, pervasive developmental disorder, Retts disorder, childhood
disintegrative disorder, are all varying forms of the disorder on the spectrum.
Dr. Richard C. Deth tries to make sense of the grey-scale disorder by describing
it as neuroepigenetic. The prefix neuro, deals with the development of the brain.
Epigenetics (according to livescience.com) refers to external modifications to DNA
that turn genes on or off and do not change the DNA sequence, but instead affect
how cells read genes. Dr. Deth puts it simply as autism being A, B, and C, not A, B,

or C. This means that autism is caused by a certain combination of neurological,

environmental, and developmental factors rather than a single factor.
It is also obvious that we will learn more from observations made directly on
individual autistic children than from some population-based statistical construct far
removed from the actual clinical disorder. This is especially true because the high level
of genetic variability among humans tend to wash out factors not present in the majority
of the population. (Dr. Richard C. Deth, Autism Neuroepigenetic Disorder). In regards
to teaching music, we must approach each of these students as individuals rather than
grouping them into what we believe autism is. In order to teach these students most
effectively, we must believe that they are individuals and understand what factors play
into their disorder.
There are several factors that play into where a student may stand on the autism
spectrum disorder. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the causes may
include genetic factors as well as environmental factors, similar to Dr. Deths theories
from his research.
As music educators, we also must believe that music is something that all students
would experience and enjoy. Music is a birthright of all children. To be able to listen
and appreciate, sing or participate in music-making are as essential to development as
mathematical or linguistic learning. The purpose of this work is to provide a means for
awakening the potential in every child for being musical-that is to be able to understand
and use music and movement as forms of expression and, through that, to develop a
recognition and understanding of emotions quote by Molnar-Szakacs a research
neuroscientist at UCLA (Wheeler, 2009). This quotation was noted recently after UCLA

received a grant to study the impact of music on children with autism, and encases the
thought that all students should have an equal opportunity to learn about music.
Autism is a lifelong condition, but there are therapies such as music that can
especially connect with and help these students. Music can help children with ASD that
can struggle with understanding emotions, understand emotions through music.
Understanding emotions through music has also helped students communicate and
express their own emotions.
As a music educator, often parents disclose their childrens information to the
school, so we may be notified if a student has autism spectrum disorder. But they are not
required to tell the schooling system if this is true. This information may be noted in a
students Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that the parent and school system devises.
It is important to take into account Dr. Hammel and Dr. Hourigans five domains of
learning: communication, cognition, behavioral, sensorial, and physical (Teaching Music
to Students with Autism).
Communication can be divided into subdivisions of receiving, sending,
processing, and comprehending. Students with autism can struggle with one or several of
the different segments of communication. One of the common receiving communication
struggles that students with ASD may struggle with may be eye contact. We may not
think that eye contact is an important thing when it comes to learning, but a student may
miss out on a lot of things if they are not making eye contact. For example, if a student is
unable to make eye contact they miss the facial expressions, personal connection with the
teacher or other students, and other visual cues to assist in learning. Another
communication issue that may be a problem is what is referred to as mindlessness.

This is be put in other words as the students not being able to derive meaning from
certain cues, especially nonverbal cues. Children with autism also may display Echolalia,
which is repeating the speech of others (Heflin, and Alaimo, 2007). Students with ASD,
who have problems with eye contact, may be mistaken for not paying attention.
Ultimately, it is vital for us as music educators to keep in contact with the parents of the
students, communicate with the special educators for advice, and do whatever we can to
educate ourselves on how to best communicate with our students.
One of the ways we can help students establish positive communication in the
classroom is to first encourage eye contact. Encouraging eye contact throughout
rehearsals, practice time, holding instruments by your eyes to enforce that the student
look at your face more, can all be helpful techniques. Though music is mostly aural, it is
important for students to see relationships and visualize the music as well to make
connections.
Another way to help communication is to encourage joint attention. Hammel
suggests keeping the students attention for as long as possible, and asking follow up
questions to keep the student engaged. If the student is interested in a certain instrument,
to encourage the students interest and keep their attention by teaching another lesson on
the subject.
Lastly, we should encourage participation during the class. If we can keep the
students attention and encourage their participation, learning will come easier.
The second domain of learning as Dr. Hammel and Dr. Hourigan discuss, is
cognition. Students with autism in the music classroom receive, process, and express
neuroinformation differently than their typical peers. (Hammel, 2013) It is important for

us as music educators to know this, and understand that students with ASD may have to
think of things several different ways before fully understanding it. An example of this
may be that a student can play their own part on the recorder successfully, but when
added into the group, they feel stressed and uneasy. The student in the example may be
experiencing the affects of weak central coherence. Hill and Frith, (2003) describe
weak central coherence as a tendency to focus on local rather than global aspects of an
object of interest. Students with autism have a hard time thinking of how others may
feel, and this contributes to their thought process and ability to communicate.
There are ways we can help enrich our students cognitive processes by asking the
meaning of a song, or lyrics, or what connections they have made with the piece. When
students can derive meaning from a piece of music, they are thinking abstractly, and
processing the lesson. If students are not continually asked to think and process
information, they may lose the ability to reflect on these global musical ideas (Hammel
2003). We must adapt our lesson plans to challenge our students thinking in new ways
and encourage their interests.
Behavior is the third dimension of Hammel and Hourigans learning theory.
Behavior can be an especially particular subject when it comes to students with autism
spectrum disorder, because their brains might not recognize inappropriate behavior as
easily. It is typical for behavior challenges to occur during these years (prior to entering
school) while children are developing personal discipline, self-control, and decision
making skills (Hodgson, 1999). One of the most important aspects of disciplining
students with ASD is to encourage good behavior. Encouraging good behavior is the
easiest, and most rewarding for both the student and the teacher. Bad behaviors may

include meltdowns, and students with autism can react extremely to certain social
situations or circumstances. These students might not understand that it is inappropriate
to react with such a manner; therefore as music teachers we must discourage this sort of
behavior. Their reaction is typically conveying a need that they have that they might not
know how to communicate effectively.
When working with behavior issues, it is important to communicate with the
students what they did wrong constructively, and continue to encourage them to behave
appropriate in the classroom. As music educators, encouragement for good behavior may
look like a reward system for the students, or a consistent behavior plan that is taped on
the desk. It is important to stay in communication with the student to help them
communicate what is giving them anxiety and what they need. Their outbursts could be
caused by anything from an argument with another student in class, or not feeling well
and not having the ability to express it.
Behavior issues in the classroom are very serious because it can take away from
the entire group if a student has a meltdown. That is why IEPs, and special educators
should be used to help us as music educators to place the students were they will best
learn. It is important to document the misbehaviors of the students to ensure proper
placement for all students, and analyze the situations with no bias. It is important not to
hurt the students feelings with autism, when they may be called for bad behavior often.
Students with autism often deal with high anxiety and require a routine schedule.
This is extremely important when it comes to making lesson plans, and notifying the
students what is happening next. In the music classroom, students may need to be told

what instrument they are playing ahead of time, and be notified for switching rhythms or
any other curveballs that can potentially throw off their routine.
Socialization is the forth aspect of learning for students with Autism Spectrum
Disorder. Autism spectrum disorders are characterized by social interaction difficulties,
communication challenges, and a tendency to engage in repetitive behaviors (Autism
Speaks, 2013). The most recognizable symptom of autism is social challenges.
Beginning at birth, infants with autism may not show interest in objects or people, may
not play simple interaction games, or laugh or smile in response to positive statements
(Carter, Davis, Klin, &Volkmar, 2005). Students with Autism often struggle with
friendships for several reasons. As stated before, it could be an environmental situation
where they would lack social experiences or potential opportunities. Genetics also plays
into social challenges, with children not being mentally capable of joint interactions or
understanding emotions therefore making relationships difficult.
Even from birth, babies make relationships with their parents or caretakers by
holding eye contact. As children with ASD grow, they begin to struggle more and more
with keeping eye contact, and may even avoid it, feeling that it is uncomfortable. This is
a good place to start with students by extending their ability to make eye contact. Doing
this will open up doors for them to understand emotions and ultimately be more relational
and strengthen social skills. Another way to encourage socialization with students is to
encourage them to reach out to their peers and vice versa. There are fantastic ways to do
this in a music classroom such as singing songs, working in small sections, and having
the students interact while dancing or playing music. Ultimately, social awkwardness is a
key factor in autism, and there are many different ways to challenge and encourage these

students socially. It is vital for students to form relationships since this is what people
often strive for and desire.
The last aspect of learning for students with autism is dysfunction in sensory
integration. DSI is described as when the brain inefficiently processes sensory messages
coming from a persons own body and his or her environment (Kranowitz, 2006).
Research has shown that 42%-80% of children with autism have unusual sensory
responses (Kientz and Dunn, 1997). The sensory challenges have been divided into
tactile, visual, auditory, vestibular, proprioceptive, olfactory, gustatory, and sensory
motor systems.
Each of the sensory challenges can be on both ends of the extreme, and it is
important to know where a student with autism stands on sensory challenges. Because of
the broad autistic spectrum, being prepared for different scenarios dealing with children
with autism is essential. For example, a student with tactile challenges may or may not
want to be touched. This is also known as being hyposensitive or hypersensitive, and
they both can happen in all types of sensory challenges. Another challenge with autistic
children in the music classroom is auditory sensitivity. Some children with autism react
differently to receiving and interpretingfiner details of conversations (109). Dealing
with auditory sensitivity and dysfunction in the classroom effectively is important and
may be handled many different ways. One in particular is soft voices and noises in the
classroom to ensure comfort throughout the students. Many more obstacles with the
senses are present and unique for each child.
There are many different ways to practically apply teachings specifically for
students with ASD in the music classroom. But ultimately, we must treat each student as

an individual, and work as a team with parents, administrators, and special educators, to
provide the best learning opportunity. Researchers are continuing to look into the best
way to teach students with autism spectrum disorder music in the classroom.
The experiment is conducted by the UCLA researchers mentioned on page three,
will study students with autism in a music-making environment. The experiment uses
elements from the Orff method including games, instruments and teamwork and
combines them with musical games. The idea is to pair emotional musical excerpts with
matching displays of social emotion in a social, interactive setting pairing emotional
music excerpts with matching displays of emotion in a social interactive setting (Mark
Wheeler, 2009). There are many sources, including ones not quoted in the paper in
Works Cited, that can be used to find further information on teaching music to students
with autism spectrum disorder.

WORKS CITED
Baranek, G. T., Parham, D. L., Bodfish, J. W. (2005). Sensory and motor features
in autism: Assessment and intervention. In F. R. Volkmar, R. Paul, A. Klin and D.

Cohen (eds.), Handbook of autism and pervasive developmental disorders (pp.

831-857). Hokoken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Carter, A. S., Davis, N. O., Klin, A., and Volkmar (2005). Social Development in
autism. In F.R. Volkmar, R. Paul, A. Klin, and D. Cohen (eds.), Handbook of
autism and pervasive developmental disorders (pp. 312-334). Hokoken, NJ: John
Wiley & Sons.

Deth , R. C., Hodgson, N. W., Trivedi, M. S., Muratore , C. R., & Waly, M. I.
(2012). Autism:a neuroepigenetic disorder. Biochemistry of Autism , 8-17.
Retrieved from http://www.autismone.org/content/autism-neuroepigeneticdisorder-deth-r-et-al

Heflin, J. L., and Alaimo, D. F. (2007). Students with autism spectrum disorders.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Hammel, A. M., Hourigan R. M. (2013). Teaching music to students with autism.

New York: Oxford University Press.

Hill, E. L., and Frith, U. (2003). Understanding autism: Insights from mind and
brain. Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences, 358 (1430), 281-289.

Hodgdon, L. A. (1999). Solving behavior problems in autism: Improving

communication with visual strategies. Troy, MI; QuirkRoberts Publishing.

Kientz, M. A., and Dunn, W. (1997). A comparison of the performance of

children with and without autism on the sensory profile. American Journal of
Occupational Therapy, 51, 530-537.

Kranowitz, C. S. (2006). The out-of-sync child has fun. New York: Perigee.

(2013). What is Autism Spectrum Disorder. Retrieved from

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/autism-spectrum-disorders-pervasivedevelopmental-disorders/index.shtml. (Last Accessed 10/2/13).

Brownell, M. D. (2002). Musically adapted social stories to modify behaviors in

students with autism: Four case studies. Journal of Music Therapy, 118-144.
Retrieved from http://www.chinamusictherapy.org/file/doc/Musically Adapted
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Darrow. (1999). Research on music and autism: Implications for music educators.
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Wheeler, M. (2009, July 20). The sounds of learning. ULCA News. Retrieved
from www.newsroom.ucla.edu