Resources & references

Watch how 3 music therapists — John Mews, Cristin Bostrom, and Nam Kyo Kim — work with children with developmental disabilities and their families.

Heather Overly, a board-certified music therapist, discusses how music therapy can support children with  developmental disabilities. Through live session examples and interviews, she demonstrates how group music therapy can meet therapeutic goals such as self-expression, academic skills, and social skills.

Watch music therapist Karen Hook describe how she uses music therapy with autistic children and children with learning disabilities. 

Click here to watch part 2 of the documentary.

Watch a video on the use of music therapy for autistic children featuring music therapists Blythe LaGasse, Jody Wilfong, and Erica Lyles. Both parent and music therapist testimonials are included.

Click here to watch part 1 of the documentary.

Listen to music therapist Calli Puko describe her work with adolescents in behavioural health. 

Case study examples from both music therapy and ethnomusicology are provided, illustrating how adopting this approach has been validating and beneficial for autistic individuals. 

Read a Cochrane review on the effects of music therapy for autistic people, updated in 2022. Results show with moderate certainty an increased chance of global improvement and quality of life for autistic individuals, as compared to placebo and standard care conditions. Notable limitations include the age of participants, with no results able to be drawn between autism and music therapy for individuals older than young adults. Long-term effects are also understudied. 

This study employed an online survey to investigate current approaches, clinical interventions, and outcome measures used by music therapists working with young children with acquired communication impairments (ACIs)  to address language- and communication-oriented goals. Among the diverse range of interventions employed by music therapists, song singing, vocal improvisation, and music and play emerged as the most effective techniques for supporting individuals with ACIs in achieving their goals. 

Watch how Benji and his music therapist engage together to work towards his goals targeting collaboration, communication, and social skills.

Watch a video of a music therapist working with a young autistic girl. Goals discussed include communication, social skills and functional skills.

Music therapists at the Montreal Children's Hospital explain how they use musical experiences to help babies, children, and adolscents with various needs express emotions, self-regulate, enhance relaxation, build social skills, and improve motor skills.

Charlotte Stewart, a board-certified music therapist, sings a hello song to a child during an individual music therapy session, helping the child develop their verbal communication skills through singing.