Autism Spectrum Disorder and Music Therapy: A Narrative Review - Abstract
Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is currently a well-known and researched area majorly characterized by impairments in social and communication domains. The
symptoms exhibited change from person to person making each individual unique. This fact emphasizes that the diagnostic and treatment procedures also need to be
tailor made for each individual. Although it is globally a well delved area, there is paucity in many aspects in the Indian scenario. The pathogenesis of the condition is
unclear but many possible explanations have been hypothesized by researchers in the field. Music Therapy (MT) is one of the intervention approaches in which various
methods and techniques are modified and employed to meet the unique functional levels and needs of children with ASD. Considering the fact that music is generally a
preferred component for this population, the effectiveness of using music as a medium for intervention has proven to be positive in a wide array of instances. The School
of Music Therapy functioning under the Institute of Salutogenesis and Complementary Medicine of Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth University has been pioneering in the field of MT
in the Indian context offering vast amounts of services to the autistic population.