Improved motor skills in autistic children after three weeks of neurologic music therapy via telehealth: a pilot study.

Autor:	Richard Williams N; Music and Health Science Research Collaboratory, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.; College of Music and Performing Arts, Belmont University, Nashville, TN, United States., Hurt-Thaut C; Music and Health Science Research Collaboratory, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada., Brian J; Bloorview Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada., Tremblay L; Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.; KITE Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada., Pranjić M; Music and Health Science Research Collaboratory, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada., Teich J; Music and Health Science Research Collaboratory, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada., Tan M; Music and Health Science Research Collaboratory, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada., Kowaleski J; Music and Health Science Research Collaboratory, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada., Thaut M; Music and Health Science Research Collaboratory, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.; Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Frontiers in psychology [Front Psychol] 2024 May 08; Vol. 15, pp. 1355942. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 May 08 (Print Publication: 2024).
DOI:	10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1355942
Abstrakt:	Background: Many autistic children experience motor skill deficits which can impact other areas of functioning, and research on therapeutic interventions for motor skills in autism is in a preliminary stage. Music-based therapies have been used extensively to address motor skills in non-autistic populations. Though a handful of studies exist on the effects of music-based therapies for movement in autistic children, none have investigated the possibility of administering sessions via telehealth. This mixed-methods pilot study investigated whether nine Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) ® sessions via telehealth would improve motor and attention skills in autistic children. Methods: Five autistic children between five and 10 years of age participated in the study, with support from their caregivers. Motor skills were assessed using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency second edition, short form (BOT-2 SF), and a selective attention and sustained attention task were taken from the Test of Everyday Attention for Children, Second Edition (TEA-Ch2). Caregivers and the two neurologic music therapists involved in the study provided qualitative input about the perceived effectiveness of telehealth NMT for the children involved. Their responses were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Caregivers also filled out a Sensory Profile 2 assessment prior to the onset of sessions so that each child's sensory profile could be compared to their motor and attention results. Results: Statistically significant improvements in motor skills were observed between pre-test assessment and a two-week follow-up assessment. Results from attention test scores were not significant. Caregivers and neurologic music therapists generally perceived sessions positively and noted the importance of having caregivers actively involved. When compared with individual progress on the BOT-2 SF assessment, sensory profile results revealed that children with fewer sensory sensitivities tended to improve the most on motor skills. The improvements in motor skills and positive caregiver and therapist views of telehealth indicate that NMT motor interventions administered via telehealth are a promising avenue of therapeutic support for movement skill development in autistic children. Competing Interests: NR has occasionally aided with educational endeavors and received small honoraria from The Academy of Neurologic Music Therapy. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision. (Copyright © 2024 Richard Williams, Hurt-Thaut, Brian, Tremblay, Pranjić, Teich, Tan, Kowaleski and Thaut.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
Externí odkaz:	Zobrazit plný text záznamu