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Contact Information:

Simon Baron-Cohen, Professor 01223 465215
sb205@cam.ac.uk


Artur Jaschke, PhD aj723@cam.ac.uk


Study Location:

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Be Part of Research - Trial Details - Autism - Children's Improvisational Music Therapy Evaluation

Autism - Children's Improvisational Music Therapy Evaluation

Recruiting

Open to: ALL

Age: 7.0 - 11.0

Medical Conditions

Autistic Disorder


This information is provided directly by researchers, and we recognise that it isn't always easy to understand. We are working with researchers to improve the accessibility of this information. In some summaries, you may come across links to external websites. These websites will have more information to help you better understand the study.


The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of individual sessions of improvisational music therapy for autistic children aged 7 - 11.

Researchers will compare the impact of adding improvisational music therapy to usual care alone for autistic children over a 12-week period.

Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the following two conditions: the Improvisational Music Therapy (intervention) Group or the support as usual (control) Group.

The aim is to achieve seven overarching objectives:

1. To determine whether 12 weeks of individual sessions of improvisational music therapy in addition to support as usual is superior to support as usual alone in improving social communication in autistic children. 2. To examine whether 12 weeks of individual sessions of improvisational music therapy in addition to support as usual is superior to support as usual alone in improving communication skills in autistic children. 3. To examine whether 12 weeks of individual sessions of improvisational music therapy in addition to support as usual is superior to support as usual alone in reducing psychosocial problems in autistic children. 4. To examine whether 12 weeks of individual sessions of improvisational music therapy in addition to support as usual is superior to support as usual alone in improving wellbeing of autistic children. 5. To examine whether 12 weeks of individual sessions of improvisational music therapy in addition to support as usual is superior to support as usual alone in improving adaptive functioning in autistic children. 6. To examine whether 12 weeks of individual sessions of improvisational music therapy in addition to support as usual is superior to support as usual alone in improving anxiety in autistic children. 7. To examine whether the therapeutic relationship predicts the development of social, communication and language skills among autistic children.

Start dates may differ between countries and research sites. The research team are responsible for keeping the information up-to-date.  

The recruitment start and end dates are as follows:

Nov 2023 Dec 2025

Publications

"Levitin, D. J. This is your brain on music: The science of a human obsession. vi, 314 (Dutton/Penguin Books, 2006)."; null; "Savage PE, Loui P, Tarr B, Schachner A, Glowacki L, Mithen S, Fitch WT. Music as a coevolved system for social bonding. Behav Brain Sci. 2020 Aug 20;44:e59. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X20000333."; "32814608"; "Sharda M, Tuerk C, Chowdhury R, Jamey K, Foster N, Custo-Blanch M, Tan M, Nadig A, Hyde K. Music improves social communication and auditory-motor connectivity in children with autism. Transl Psychiatry. 2018 Oct 23;8(1):231. doi: 10.1038/s41398-018-0287-3."; "30352997"; "American Music Therapy Association (AMTA). https://www.musictherapy.org/."; null; "Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5TM, 5th ed. xliv, 947 (American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc., 2013). doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596."; null; "Kanner L. Autistic disturbances of affective contact. Acta Paedopsychiatr. 1968;35(4):100-36. No abstract available."; "4880460"; "Stegemann T, Geretsegger M, Phan Quoc E, Riedl H, Smetana M. Music Therapy and Other Music-Based Interventions in Pediatric Health Care: An Overview. Medicines (Basel). 2019 Feb 14;6(1):25. doi: 10.3390/medicines6010025."; "30769834"; "Lim HA, Draper E. The effects of music therapy incorporated with applied behavior analysis verbal behavior approach for children with autism spectrum disorders. J Music Ther. 2011 Winter;48(4):532-50. doi: 10.1093/jmt/48.4.532."; "22506303"; "Lim HA. Effect of \"developmental speech and language training through music\" on speech production in children with autism spectrum disorders. J Music Ther. 2010 Spring;47(1):2-26. doi: 10.1093/jmt/47.1.2."; "20635521"; "Carpente, J. A. Investigating the Effectiveness of a Developmental, Individual Difference, Relationship-Based (DIR) Improvisational Music Therapy Program on Social Communication for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Music Therapy Perspectives 35, 160-174 (2017)."; null; "Thompson GA, McFerran KS, Gold C. Family-centred music therapy to promote social engagement in young children with severe autism spectrum disorder: a randomized controlled study. Child Care Health Dev. 2014 Nov;40(6):840-52. doi: 10.1111/cch.12121. Epub 2013 Nov 22."; "24261547"; "Walworth DD. The use of music therapy within the SCERTS model for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Music Ther. 2007 Spring;44(1):2-22. doi: 10.1093/jmt/44.1.2."; "17419661"; "Walworth DD, Register D, Engel JN. Using the SCERTS model assessment tool to identify music therapy goals for clients with autism spectrum disorder. J Music Ther. 2009 Fall;46(3):204-16. doi: 10.1093/jmt/46.3.204."; "19757876"; "LaGasse AB. Effects of a music therapy group intervention on enhancing social skills in children with autism. J Music Ther. 2014 Fall;51(3):250-75. doi: 10.1093/jmt/thu012. Epub 2014 Jul 22."; "25053766"; "Kim J, Wigram T, Gold C. The effects of improvisational music therapy on joint attention behaviors in autistic children: a randomized controlled study. J Autism Dev Disord. 2008 Oct;38(9):1758-66. doi: 10.1007/s10803-008-0566-6. Epub 2008 Jul 1."; "18592368"; "Geretsegger M, Holck U, Carpente JA, Elefant C, Kim J, Gold C. Common Characteristics of Improvisational Approaches in Music Therapy for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Developing Treatment Guidelines. J Music Ther. 2015 Summer;52(2):258-81. doi: 10.1093/jmt/thv005. Epub 2015 May 26."; "26019303"; "Howlin C, Rooney B. Cognitive agency in music interventions: Increased perceived control of music predicts increased pain tolerance. Eur J Pain. 2021 Sep;25(8):1712-1722. doi: 10.1002/ejp.1780. Epub 2021 May 6."; "33864330"; "Howlin C, Stapleton A, Rooney B. Tune out pain: Agency and active engagement predict decreases in pain intensity after music listening. PLoS One. 2022 Aug 3;17(8):e0271329. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271329. eCollection 2022."; "35921262"; "Saarikallio SH, Randall WM, Baltazar M. Music Listening for Supporting Adolescents' Sense of Agency in Daily Life. Front Psychol. 2020 Jan 8;10:2911. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02911. eCollection 2019."; "32010014"; "Fritz TH, Bowling DL, Contier O, Grant J, Schneider L, Lederer A, Hoer F, Busch E, Villringer A. Musical Agency during Physical Exercise Decreases Pain. Front Psychol. 2018 Jan 17;8:2312. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02312. eCollection 2017."; "29387030"; "Geretsegger M, Elefant C, Mossler KA, Gold C. Music therapy for people with autism spectrum disorder. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014 Jun 17;2014(6):CD004381. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD004381.pub3."; "24936966"; "Gold C, Wigram T, Elefant C. Music therapy for autistic spectrum disorder. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2006 Apr 19;(2):CD004381. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD004381.pub2."; "16625601"; "Whipple J. Music in intervention for children and adolescents with autism: a meta-analysis. J Music Ther. 2004 Summer;41(2):90-106. doi: 10.1093/jmt/41.2.90."; "15307805"; "Ozdemir E, Norton A, Schlaug G. Shared and distinct neural correlates of singing and speaking. Neuroimage. 2006 Nov 1;33(2):628-35. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2006.07.013. Epub 2006 Sep 7."; "16956772"; "Nilsson U. Soothing music can increase oxytocin levels during bed rest after open-heart surgery: a randomised control trial. J Clin Nurs. 2009 Aug;18(15):2153-61. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2008.02718.x."; "19583647"; "Ooishi Y, Mukai H, Watanabe K, Kawato S, Kashino M. Increase in salivary oxytocin and decrease in salivary cortisol after listening to relaxing slow-tempo and exciting fast-tempo music. PLoS One. 2017 Dec 6;12(12):e0189075. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0189075. eCollection 2017."; "29211795"; "Keeler JR, Roth EA, Neuser BL, Spitsbergen JM, Waters DJ, Vianney JM. The neurochemistry and social flow of singing: bonding and oxytocin. Front Hum Neurosci. 2015 Sep 23;9:518. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00518. eCollection 2015."; "26441614"; "Schladt TM, Nordmann GC, Emilius R, Kudielka BM, de Jong TR, Neumann ID. Choir versus Solo Singing: Effects on Mood, and Salivary Oxytocin and Cortisol Concentrations. Front Hum Neurosci. 2017 Sep 14;11:430. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00430. eCollection 2017."; "28959197"; "Feldman R. Sensitive periods in human social development: New insights from research on oxytocin, synchrony, and high-risk parenting. Dev Psychopathol. 2015 May;27(2):369-95. doi: 10.1017/S0954579415000048."; "25997760"; "Shamay-Tsoory SG, Saporta N, Marton-Alper IZ, Gvirts HZ. Herding Brains: A Core Neural Mechanism for Social Alignment. Trends Cogn Sci. 2019 Mar;23(3):174-186. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2019.01.002. Epub 2019 Jan 21."; "30679099"; "Gold BP, Mas-Herrero E, Zeighami Y, Benovoy M, Dagher A, Zatorre RJ. Musical reward prediction errors engage the nucleus accumbens and motivate learning. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 Feb 19;116(8):3310-3315. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1809855116. Epub 2019 Feb 6."; "30728301"; "Bieleninik L, Geretsegger M, Mossler K, Assmus J, Thompson G, Gattino G, Elefant C, Gottfried T, Igliozzi R, Muratori F, Suvini F, Kim J, Crawford MJ, Odell-Miller H, Oldfield A, Casey O, Finnemann J, Carpente J, Park AL, Grossi E, Gold C; TIME-A Study Team. Effects of Improvisational Music Therapy vs Enhanced Standard Care on Symptom Severity Among Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: The TIME-A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2017 Aug 8;318(6):525-535. doi: 10.1001/jama.2017.9478. Erratum In: JAMA. 2021 Apr 13;325(14):1473. doi: 10.1001/jama.2021.4108."; "28787504"; "Lord C, Risi S, Lambrecht L, Cook EH Jr, Leventhal BL, DiLavore PC, Pickles A, Rutter M. The autism diagnostic observation schedule-generic: a standard measure of social and communication deficits associated with the spectrum of autism. J Autism Dev Disord. 2000 Jun;30(3):205-23."; "11055457"; "Broder-Fingert S, Feinberg E, Silverstein M. Music Therapy for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder. JAMA. 2017 Aug 8;318(6):523-524. doi: 10.1001/jama.2017.9477. No abstract available."; "28787492"; "Mossler K, Gold C, Assmus J, Schumacher K, Calvet C, Reimer S, Iversen G, Schmid W. The Therapeutic Relationship as Predictor of Change in Music Therapy with Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord. 2019 Jul;49(7):2795-2809. doi: 10.1007/s10803-017-3306-y."; "28936692"; "Rabeyron T, Robledo Del Canto JP, Carasco E, Bisson V, Bodeau N, Vrait FX, Berna F, Bonnot O. A randomized controlled trial of 25 sessions comparing music therapy and music listening for children with autism spectrum disorder. Psychiatry Res. 2020 Nov;293:113377. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113377. Epub 2020 Aug 8."; "32798927"; "Roche L, Adams D, Clark M. Research priorities of the autism community: A systematic review of key stakeholder perspectives. Autism. 2021 Feb;25(2):336-348. doi: 10.1177/1362361320967790. Epub 2020 Nov 3."; "33143455"; "Geretsegger M, Fusar-Poli L, Elefant C, Mossler KA, Vitale G, Gold C. Music therapy for autistic people. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022 May 9;5(5):CD004381. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD004381.pub4."; "35532041"; "Grzadzinski R, Carr T, Colombi C, McGuire K, Dufek S, Pickles A, Lord C. Measuring Changes in Social Communication Behaviors: Preliminary Development of the Brief Observation of Social Communication Change (BOSCC). J Autism Dev Disord. 2016 Jul;46(7):2464-79. doi: 10.1007/s10803-016-2782-9."; "27062034"; "Norbury CF, Nash M, Baird G, Bishop D. Using a parental checklist to identify diagnostic groups in children with communication impairment: a validation of the Children's Communication Checklist--2. Int J Lang Commun Disord. 2004 Jul-Sep;39(3):345-64. doi: 10.1080/13682820410001654883. Erratum In: Int J Lang Commun Disord. 2018 Jul;53(4):905. doi: 10.1111/1460-6984.12398."; "15204445"; "Goodman R. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: a research note. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 1997 Jul;38(5):581-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.1997.tb01545.x."; "9255702"; "Guerrero, N. et al. Music Therapy Communication and Social Interaction Scale - Group. (2014)."; null; "Auyeung B, Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S, Allison C. The Autism Spectrum Quotient: Children's Version (AQ-Child). J Autism Dev Disord. 2008 Aug;38(7):1230-40. doi: 10.1007/s10803-007-0504-z. Epub 2007 Dec 7."; "18064550"; "Sigman M, Ruskin E, Arbeile S, Corona R, Dissanayake C, Espinosa M, Kim N, Lopez A, Zierhut C. Continuity and change in the social competence of children with autism, Down syndrome, and developmental delays. Monogr Soc Res Child Dev. 1999;64(1):1-114. doi: 10.1111/1540-5834.00002."; "10412222"; "Blauth, L. Music therapy and parent counselling to enhance resilience in young children with autism spectrum disorder: a mixed methods study. (Anglia Ruskin University, 2019)."; null; "Sharda M, Silani G, Specht K, Tillmann J, Nater U, Gold C. Music therapy for children with autism: investigating social behaviour through music. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2019 Nov;3(11):759-761. doi: 10.1016/S2352-4642(19)30265-2. Epub 2019 Sep 4. No abstract available."; "31494080"; "Green J, Charman T, McConachie H, Aldred C, Slonims V, Howlin P, Le Couteur A, Leadbitter K, Hudry K, Byford S, Barrett B, Temple K, Macdonald W, Pickles A; PACT Consortium. Parent-mediated communication-focused treatment in children with autism (PACT): a randomised controlled trial. 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Effects of relational music therapy on communication of children with autism: a randomized controlled study. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy 20, 142-154 (2011)."; null; "Gupta SK. Intention-to-treat concept: A review. Perspect Clin Res. 2011 Jul;2(3):109-12. doi: 10.4103/2229-3485.83221."; "21897887"; "Hollis S, Campbell F. What is meant by intention to treat analysis? Survey of published randomised controlled trials. BMJ. 1999 Sep 11;319(7211):670-4. doi: 10.1136/bmj.319.7211.670."; "10480822"

INTERVENTIONAL

Intervention Type : BEHAVIORAL
Intervention Description : The therapist engages with the child by playing and sharing musical instruments, and/or sings while being attuned to the child's behaviour and expression. Various improvisational techniques are employed to engage the child. There are opportunities for pulse, rhythmic, dynamic or melodic patterns, and timbre to be mirrored, reinforced, or complemented, which allows for moments of synchronization between the therapist and the child, giving the child's musical expressions a pragmatic meaning within this context. The therapist may also gently provoke the child by violating expectations or patterns that have been jointly developed in order to elicit specific social communication behaviours. Further, there are opportunities for the child to develop and enhance social communication skills such as joint attention, sharing affect, reciprocity, shared history, scaffolding, imitation and turn-taking. These have been shown to develop social competency and also resilience.

Intervention Arm Group : Improvisational Music Therapy;



You can take part if:



You may not be able to take part if:


This is in the inclusion criteria above


Below are the locations for where you can take part in the trial. Please note that not all sites may be open.

  • Anglia Ruskin University
    Cambridge
    CB1 1PT
  • Autism Research Centre
    Cambridge
    CB2 8AH

Artur Jaschke, PhD aj723@cam.ac.uk


Simon Baron-Cohen, Professor 01223 465215
sb205@cam.ac.uk



The study is sponsored by Prof Simon Baron-Cohen and is in collaboration with Anglia Ruskin University; Musical Universe; Rosetrees Trust; Stoneygate Trust; Autism Centre of Excellence.




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Read full details for Trial ID: NCT06016621
Last updated 24 March 2025

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