AN INVESTIGATION OF MUSIC THERAPY FOR IMPROVING REQUESTING SKILLS IN A CHILD WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER: A SINGLE–CASE RESEARCH DESIGN

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of music therapy on requesting skills in a seven-year-old child with autism spectrum disorder [ASD]. ABAB single-case design was used to examine music therapy in two situations of requesting skills, including requesting objects and snacks between baseline condition (A) and music therapy interventions (B). The music therapy interventions consisted of singing, instrument playing, movement with music, and music with social stories. The research instruments were: 1) initial assessment, 2) interview protocol, 3) assessment of communicative requesting skills, and 4) observational protocol. The data was analyzed using visual inspection and qualitative data analysis. The results revealed that during the baseline A1 phase, the mean scores of requesting skills revealed to be 3.08 for objects and 3.52 for snacks. In the intervention B1 phase, the mean scores were 3.64 for objects and 3.35 for snacks. At the baseline A2 phase, the mean scores were 4.00 for objects and 3.88 for snacks. The mean scores in the B2 intervention phase were 4.5 for objects and 4.6 for snacks, respectively. According to the findings, music therapy significantly enhanced the requesting skills of a child with ASD.