Effects of music on joint attention between individuals with autism and neurotypical siblings
Given that a common social skills deficit for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is joint attention, and that development in joint attention can cause improvement in other social skill deficit areas such as affect, imitation, initiation of socialization, and expressive language (Ferraioli & Harris, 2011), it is necessary to examine treatment options that promote joint attention. This study measured the effects of music versus non-music interventions on joint attention between individuals with ASD and neurotypical siblings. One sibling pair (dyad) participated in this study. To be eligible for the study, one sibling must have an ASD diagnosis, be between the ages of 6 to 10 years old, have a sibling up to three years older with no ASD or related diagnosis, speak English as a primary language, and both siblings free of significant visual or hearing impairments. The sibling dyad received two fifteen-minute sessions a week for two weeks. The first session of each week was a music session designed to elicit joint attention in siblings. In the second session of each week, the group participated in a fifteen-minute non-music session designed to elicit joint attention between siblings. The neurotypical sibling primarily led these sessions, with video instruction shown to the participants before each task in the sessions.
joint attention, sibling, music therapy, autism
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