The effect of music therapy sessions on the interactions between children and their parents and how to measure it, with reference to attachment theory.

Music therapy and attachment is an expanding field and the number of studies addressing the theoretical work is slowly growing. There are both qualitative and quantitative approaches to studying the effect of regular music therapy sessions on parent-child interactions and these cover a range of patient populations including: children at risk of neglect, parents with a trauma history, children coping with bereavement and a large number addressing the disability population, including autism spectrum disorder. These studies suggest that music therapy benefits the parent-child relationship through the improvement communication, especially non-verbal communication, and so increased the feeling of closeness and understanding.

Effects of Improvisational Music Therapy vs Enhanced Standard Care on Symptom Severity Among Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: The TIME-A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Music therapy may facilitate skills in areas affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD), such as social interaction and communication.

Objective: To evaluate effects of improvisational music therapy on generalized social communication skills of children with ASD.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Assessor-blinded, randomized clinical trial, conducted in 9 countries and enrolling children aged 4 to 7 years with ASD.