Young children with autism spectrum disorder meet significant challenges in joint attention skills and in social communication. A child-centered, improvisational, music therapy intervention model was implemented to promote engagement in three young children with autism in a kindergarten classroom. A multiple baseline design compared the children's performance through three phases of intervention: focus on faces, response to joint attention, and initiation of joint attention. A complimentary qualitative analysis of teacher and parent experiences allowed for an in-depth understanding of the role of social environment in supporting emerging social communication skills among three children. As all children showed improvement in joint attention and actions of social engagement, this study bears evidence on the potential of music therapy as a promising intervention for promoting social skills of young children with autism spectrum disorder.

Recently emerging intervention studies for toddlers with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) were reviewed through a systematic assessment of intervention outcomes, research rigor, and intervention features. The review includes published peer-reviewed experimental studies of toddlers with high risk for or diagnosis of ASD in which the majority of interventions occurred before age 36 months. Of 20 identified research studies, 6 were group comparison studies, all of which showed small to large magnitudes of effect when a uniform metric was applied. Fourteen were single-case design (SCD) studies, all of which reported effects on a variety of outcomes. When grouped by area of intervention focus (communication, general development, family well-being, imitation, joint attention, and play), commonly identified needs within focus areas were for replication, common measures, and authentic practices. A majority of studies in most focus areas showed strong to acceptable levels of research rigor, though this is an area of ongoing need.

Research demonstrates connections among children's music actions, their engagement abilities, and their language development. Although the link between music and the engagement abilities of young children with autism is well established, there is not enough evidence on the effectiveness of music strategies and music therapy interventions to promote language development of young children with autism. The purpose of this review is to examine and analyze current literature on the systematic use of music and music therapy interventions as effective strategies for the development of language and preverbal and verbal communication abilities in young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Findings align with previous reviews on the positive effects of music as an age-appropriate, communicative medium. Also, the review pinpoints to the collaboration of music therapists and speech and language pathologists for the design and implementation of interventions that embed music and target language development of young children with autism.

Children with autism may have difficulties in communicating with others, developing social relationships and maintaining emotional reciprocity. Children's active involvement with musical activities may create the conditions for enhanced moments of learning and communication and it may promote children's sensory-motor abilities and their cognitive and emotional skills. The aim of this study was to investigate the views of early childhood educators on the use of music as a tool for enhancing students' with autism social skills. Participants were 94 early childhood educators, working at Greek public schools. The results were positive regarding the participants' views on the use of music as an important, instructional tool in the classroom that holds the potential to promote social and emotional growth of young children with autism. Implication of the study pinpoint to additional research on the topic and to professional development of early childhood educators on the use of music.

Introduction.  Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are a continuum of traits that may negatively affect social and emotional competencies of individuals, including challenges in their engagement abilities, possible limitations in reciprocal interactions, and inflexibility in initiating and sustaining communication. Such challenges may affect language development and speech acquisition. Considering their importance, this study explored the impact of a family-centered, music therapy intervention to promote preverbal and verbal communication skills of young children with ASD during parent–child, music engagement episodes. Method.  A mixed-methods design was implemented to gather data on the children’s preverbal and verbal communication abilities (pre-and-post intervention data collection) and on each dyad’s musical interactions during a 16-week music therapy intervention. Quantitative outcome measures included children’s scores on the Pragmatics Profile of Everyday Communication Skills (PPECS) and the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile (CSBSDP), to assess children’s communication, expressive speech, and symbolic behavior over time. Qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, logs, and journaling. Results.  Reports from the families corroborate with quantitative results regarding changes on the children’s communication abilities after the intervention. Discussion and Conclusion.  Collectively, the current study provides evidence on the potential of using music therapy interventions within a family-centered approach to enhance young children’s preverbal and verbal communication skills.