Music really is a powerful thing. I was reading about how music can impact children, even helping them improve their language skills and how they express themselves. Luckily many schools incorporate music lessons into their normal curriculum – and if schools are looking to cut music, people are fighting back.

The impact of music is not at all surprising, considering what we know about music’s influence over those with autism. Music Therapy has been around for decades – although typically used as a supplemental treatment used in conjunction with other therapies. Through this type of therapy, music has proven to stimulate and develop more meaningful and playful communication in autistic people.

Music Therapy is one of the treatments we highlight on in our Treatments section, where we invite KTH members to share their own opinions on the treatments and therapies they’ve tried – for better or worse. For example, some of the feedback on Music Therapy that members have shared includes:

• “Our son enjoyed the therapy. It respected his desires and helped him explore his musical inclinations”
• "Music is healing to us all and perhaps even more so to our children diagnosed with autism. There is often more of a pattern to the words when put to music and most autistic children are pattern and repetition driven.”

We like to continue to build out this section of our site so others that are new to the autism community can learn about different treatment options – and what those who’ve tried those treatments think. I invite you to share your own feedback on the treatment(s) you’ve tried, whether it’s Music Therapy or something entirely different. Your experience and insight are truly valuable to us.

What does autism mean to us today? It means perfect harmony. What about you?

Best,
Jenifer

PS – To share your insight on a treatment option, in our Treatments section, just select the appropriate treatment option. Once on that specific treatment’s page, scroll down to “Join Our Community or Login to Add Your Own Review.” If you’re new to our community, select “Join Our Community” - it only takes a few moments and you’ll create a username / password. Once logged in, you can also visit our Forums to connect with other KTH members.