"Sing along!": language development through music for young children with autism

Background: Research demonstrates connections in children’s music actions, engagement episodes, and language development. Young children with autism present persistent challenges in their engagement abilities, compounded by limitations in reciprocal interactions and inflexibility in initiating and sustaining communication. Such challenges may impede language development and speech acquisition. Objective: This study explored the effectiveness of a family-centred, music therapy intervention (active music making) to promote language development of young children with autism, during parent–child music engagement episodes. Methods: Participants were 8 children with autism (aged 3–7) and their parents. An 18-week music therapy intervention was implemented. Pre- and post-data (PPVT-4; EVT-2) on children’s language abilities and qualitative data (observations, interviews, logs, audiovisual materials) on each dyad’s engaging actions were gathered and analyzed. Discussion: Analysis of the findings showed that music therapy, within the context of families, holds the potential to facilitate language development through children’s engagement in music-making. Conclusions: Music and language development may reciprocate in young children. Music therapy interventions constitute a viable approach to enhance young children’s language development through engaging in shared music-making episodes