The Feasibility and Efficacy of Tele-Music Therapy on Children with Autism

Research Objectives: Low accessibility and lack of resources are primary barriers for children in rural areas to receive music therapy services. This research uses real-time video-conferencing platforms to provide cost effective music therapy to serve children with autism in any location.

Design: This study used a mixed methods design to understand the feasibility and efficacy of tele-music therapy.

Setting: Telehealth.

Participants: The targeted population were children and youth with autism. Forty-three participants, aged between 7 and 17 were recruited to the study.

Interventions: The intervention of the study started in February 2021 and completed in May 2022. For each participant, intervention occurred once a week for eight consecutive weeks. Each session is 30-minute long.

Main Outcome Measures: Goal Attainment Scaling, Developmental Behavioral Checklist 2, and PROMIS® Cognitive Function Parent Proxy Item Bank

Results: Findings showed changes in a positive direction and significant on GAS (p=0.0009) and PROMIS® (p=0.04). Tele-music therapy intervention was associated with larger increases in GAS scores: 23.5 vs. -0.2, mean difference 23.7 (95% CI 11.4–35.9). Tele-music therapy intervention was associated with increases in PROMIS® scores: 2.9 vs. -1.3, mean difference 4.2 (95% CI 0.2–8.3). Greater decreases in DBC™2, which measures development behaviors, during tele-music therapy intervention were observed in DBC2 scores though this did not reach statistical significance: -2.7 vs. 0.8, mean difference –3.5 (95% CI –9.2–2.3), p=0.22.

Conclusions: Both quantitative and qualitative data showed that tele-music therapy is a feasible and efficacious method to deliver music therapy intervention to children with ASD.

Author(s) Disclosures: The author disclose that there is no conflict associate with this submission.