A randomized controlled trial of the efficacy of music therapy on the social skills of children with autism spectrum disorder

BACKGROUND: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience deficits in social skills. Music therapy (MT) has been used as a therapeutic aid for clinical disorders. This study aims to explore the effect of MT on the social skills of children with ASD and to provide evidence for clinical intervention in the social skills of children with ASD. METHODS: Children with ASD who were admitted to the Department of Children's Health Care of Zhongshan Torch Development Zone People's Hospital from April 2023 to March 2024 were continuously recruited and assigned to the experimental group and the control group by random number table. The control group received standard care only, while the experimental group added MT to standard care. The MT program is led by an occupational therapist and combines social skills training with musical activities. The training was conducted in small groups of 3-5 children for 30 minutes, three times a week for 12 weeks. The Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2), the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC), and the Gesell Development Schedules (GDS) were performed before and after the intervention. RESULTS: A total of 29 children with ASD were included and randomly assigned to the MT group (n = 15) and the control group (n = 14). All participants completed the whole treatment protocol. There was no significant difference in the scores of SRS-2, ATEC, and GDS between the two groups before intervention. After 12 weeks of intervention, the scores of SRS-2 of the MT group were decreased in the social communication subscale (P < 0.05 compared to baseline and the control group) and total scores (P < 0.05 compared to baseline and the control group). The score of the ATEC scale of the MT group decreased in the speech/language/communication subscale (P < 0.05 compared to baseline and the control group), the sociability subscale (P < 0.05 compared to baseline and the control group), and the total score (P < 0.05 compared to baseline). The development quotient score of the social domain of GDS in the MT group was significantly higher than that before intervention (P < 0.05) and that in the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that MT could effectively improve the social skills of children with ASD, and has a positive effect on language ability. MT has the potential to be an effective complement to regular social skill training.