Focus
Psychology, Music Therapy, Neurodiversity Studies
Motivation
Inclusion, Emotional Expression, Communication Accessibility
About the project
This research examines how Improvisational Music Therapy (IMT) influences the social communication and emotional expression of autistic children aged 3 to 17. The paper is rooted in the understanding that traditional behavioural interventions like Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) and JASPER often prioritise conformity over connection, leading to negative emotional outcomes such as anxiety or masking. In contrast, IMT adopts a neurodiversity-affirming and inclusive framework, allowing autistic children to communicate and build relationships through spontaneous, musical interaction rather than through rigid, prescriptive behavioural goals.
Drawing on secondary research and thematic analysis, the study identifies four major outcomes of IMT — improved social reciprocity, emotional regulation, cognitive and language development, and parent–child synchrony. Through musical dialogue, autistic children engage in joint attention, turn-taking, and nonverbal communicative exchanges that foster authentic connection. The method’s flexibility allows children to express emotions, develop self-regulation, and experience relational attunement in ways that verbal therapies often fail to achieve.
The paper also situates IMT within a broader conceptual framework that integrates the Double Empathy Problem (Milton, 2012), which reframes social communication challenges in autism as mutual misalignment rather than deficits. It highlights that music, being non-verbal and emotionally resonant, bypasses linguistic and social barriers, offering a safe and inclusive medium for connection. However, the literature review reveals a gap in longitudinal and culturally diverse studies—most research remains Western-centric and short-term. Overall, this paper positions IMT as a transformative, neurodiversity-affirming intervention that honours autistic modes of expression while promoting genuine emotional and social growth through music-based engagement.
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