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Ruiz M, Groessing A, Guran A, Koçan AU, Mikus N, Nater UM, Kouwer K, Posserud MB, Salomon-Gimmon M, Todorova B, Wagner IC, Gold C, Silani G, Specht K. Music for autism: a protocol for an international randomized crossover trial on music therapy for children with autism. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1256771. [PMID: 37886114 PMCID: PMC10598663 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1256771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The notion of a connection between autism and music is as old as the first reported cases of autism, and music has been used as a therapeutic tool for many decades. Music therapy holds promise as an intervention for individuals with autism, harnessing their strengths in music processing to enhance communication and expression. While previous randomized controlled trials have demonstrated positive outcomes in terms of global improvement and quality of life, their reliance on psychological outcomes restricts our understanding of underlying mechanisms. This paper introduces the protocol for the Music for Autism study, a randomized crossover trial designed to investigate the effects of a 12-week music therapy intervention on a range of psychometric, neuroimaging, and biological outcomes in school-aged children with autism. The protocol builds upon previous research and aims to both replicate and expand upon findings that demonstrated improvements in social communication and functional brain connectivity following a music intervention. The primary objective of this trial is to determine whether music therapy leads to improvements in social communication and functional brain connectivity as compared to play-based therapy. In addition, secondary aims include exploring various relevant psychometric, neuroimaging, and biological outcomes. To achieve these objectives, we will enroll 80 participants aged 6-12 years in this international, assessor-blinded, crossover randomized controlled trial. Each participant will be randomly assigned to receive either music therapy or play-based therapy for a period of 12 weeks, followed by a 12-week washout period, after which they will receive the alternate intervention. Assessments will be conducted four times, before and after each intervention period. The protocol of the Music for Autism trial provides a comprehensive framework for studying the effects of music therapy on a range of multidimensional outcomes in children with autism. The findings from this trial have the potential to contribute to the development of evidence-based interventions that leverage strengths in music processing to address the complex challenges faced by individuals with autism. Clinical Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT04936048.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianna Ruiz
- Department of Health and Social Sciences, Norwegian Research Centre (NORCE), Bergen, Norway
- Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Alexander Groessing
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alexandrina Guran
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Asena U. Koçan
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nace Mikus
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- School of Culture and Society, Interacting Minds Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Urs M. Nater
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Karlijn Kouwer
- Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Maj-Britt Posserud
- Division of Psychiatry, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Maayan Salomon-Gimmon
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- The School of Creative Arts Therapies, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Boryana Todorova
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Isabella C. Wagner
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christian Gold
- Department of Health and Social Sciences, Norwegian Research Centre (NORCE), Bergen, Norway
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Giorgia Silani
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Karsten Specht
- Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Radiology, Mohn Medical Imaging and Visualization Centre, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Education, Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
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