Using a Music Therapy Collaborative Consultative Approach - World ...

known if other songs or other interventions would have been equally effective or more so.
Only the multiple-step tasks study provided evidence that the songs were more effective than
the verbal presentation of sequencing, except for one task where the verbal presentation was
more (albeit not significantly) effective. More studies are needed that compare the effects of
a variety of songs and other interventions on the behavior of young children with autism.
A third finding centers on therapeutic effects that resulted from the design and
musical adaptation of the playground in Experiment III. Specifically, two out of the four
target children engaged in more meaningful play by using the musical instruments available
in the outdoor music center. However, no significant changes occurred in social interactions
with peers. Thus, at least for these participants, the combination of the musical playground
equipment and individualized interventions were needed to obtain the desired outcomes.
This was the same conclusion reached in another study of playground modifications (Kern &
Wolery, 2001, 2002) and is described in the literature (e.g. Nabors et al., 2001). That is,
adaptations to the environment and teacher-mediated interventions are often necessary to
achieve desired outcomes. However, the musical outdoor environment facilitated the
involvement and motivation of children with autism to interact with peers on the playground.
Informal observation during this study reveals that, on many occasions, other children with
special needs are attracted by the sounds of the instruments and become involved in musical
activities in the outdoor music center.
In general, the playground needs to be seen as an educational/therapeutic
environment. More studies that apply music therapy on playgrounds, both to children with
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