The Use of Music to Stimulate Joint Attention as a Developmental Step in the Language Acquisition of Children with Autism : A Descriptive Case Study

This descriptive case study details music therapy with one five-year-old boy named Yitzchak who presented with autistic spectrum disorder. A literature review of aspects of a developmental skill, joint attention, is presented as a basis for the work. It defines joint attention and communication, as well as music’s effect on these skills within a developmental, individual-difference, relationship-based philosophy. An investigation was conducted to test music’s efficacy as a stimulus to increase joint attention behaviors and therefore increase language output. The results show positive trends of increases in eye contact and musical/communicative behaviors in a short-term therapy sequence of sessions as well as a decrease in fleeing/avoidance behaviors. Considerations for future study are presented