Effective strategies for teaching music to students with autism [an honors thesis] (HONRS 499)
The purpose of this sludy was to examine the perceptlnlls of music teachers who teach music to children ;ith autism through a case study of a music educator with significant experience in this field. This study answers the following questions: a) what are the challenges faced by inservice music teachers who teach music to children with autism and b) what types of effective accommodations do music teachers who teach children with autism use? A qualitative case study was used in this investigation. This study included observations in five elementary music classes at a Midwest school to examine the strategies used by a music educator to include students with autism. Semi structured interviews were conducted with a public school elementary music teacher. The paper outlines specific strategies to adapt music instruction for students with autism that were effective in the music classroom. These strategies are included under the following categories: a) daily routines and transitions, b) visual cues, c) proximity, d) developing social skills, e) simplification, f) environmental conditions g) communication with other professionals, and h) personal professional growth. Acknowledgements I would like to thank Dr. Ryan Hourigan for advising me throughout this project and proofing my paper for technical and structural errors. He was a very large inspiration and extremely helpful throughout the entire process. Teaching Music to Students with Autism 1 EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING MUSIC TO STUDENTS WITH AUTISM According the Autism Society of America (2007) autism is the fastest growing developmental disability, measuring a 10 17% annual growth. 90 billion dollars are spent annually on this disability and 90% of these costs stern from adult services. However, the cost oflifelong care can be reduced by two thirds with an early diagnosis and intervention. Damer (2001) outlines how the law has shaped education for children with special needs since the Education of the Handicapped Act was passed in 1975. PL 94 142 mandated that all "handicapped" children be provided a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment. This formerly accepted terminology was later reevaluated and amended in subsequent acts. The act also mandated that schooling was to be meet the guidelines of an Individualized Education Program (lEP) in which the student's placement would be evaluated within a particular timeline by a specified team. All efforts to involve the parents are to be documented. Finally, the law banned the use of any discriminatory measures of assessment to identify "handicapped" children. In 1986, the law was amended to address the needs of children from birth until age 2 in the case that early intervention is necessary. While this law was one step towards providing the best public education possible to all students, there was still much more legislation that changed the landscape of the education of persons with disabilities. A new law was enacted in 1990 entitled the Americans with Disabilities Act. The act prohibited the exclusion of any individuals with disabilities from public services or any other organization that provides public accommodations of any kind. Finally, during the same year, the Education of the Teaching Music to Students with Autism 2 Handicapped Act was amended under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and changed the perception of students with special needs by using person first terminology, instead of referring to an individual as a disability. Under this law, autism was officially specified as a disability, qualifying children with autism for the best public education possible and any accommodations necessary to achieve this under IDEA. It is critical that students with autism are provided the best education possible, including making appropriate accommodations to successfully include students with autism in regular classrooms if at all possible. A student's abilities or disabilities should not affect the quality of their education. However, there is little research suitable for inservice teachers offering possible strategies for adapting music instruction to meet the needs of exceptional students in the music classroom. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of music teachers who teach music to children with autism through a case study of a music educator with significant experience in this field. This study will answer the following questions: a) what are the challenges faced by inservice music teachers who teach music to children with autism? and b) what types of accommodations are used by music teachers who teach children with autism? Review of Literature Since the law mandated public schools to provide a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment for students with disabilities, education is becoming more and more geared towards inclusion. Music teachers need to have a strong understanding of how to most effectively include children with autism. Armstrong and Darrow (1999) not only describe the impact of federal regulations on educating children with disabilities, but also cite the characteristics of autism. Autism is a Teaching Music to Students with Autism 3 developmental disability characterized by impairment in both verbal and nonverbal communication, resistance to environmental change, excessive attachment to small objects, and isolated areas of ability. A person with autism may also engage in repetitive activities and stereotypic movements. Adamek and Darrow (2005) also further describe more specific characteristics of autism. Students with autism may have difficulty verbally communicating and as a result may use more nonverbal forms of communication. Some students may be highly echolalic, repeating words or phrases several times, while other students may appear to be completely unresponsive to verbal cues or directions. Most children will suffer from difficulty with social interaction and resist change. Finally, many students with autism may use very minimal eye contact or seem particularly attached to small inanimate objects. Several studies cite music's impact on students with autism. Research by Armstrong and Darrow (1999) indicates that these students may demonstrate a unique sensitivity and ability in music compared to other academic areas. For example, they may demonstrate an especially strong sense of rhythm or ability to imitate pitch. In addition to this, the authors summarize several studies suggesting a strong correlation between music and task accuracy. One such study demonstrated that four male children with autism successfully sorted 60% more color chips into color coded boxes when music was being played in the background as opposed to no music being played in the background during the task. The article also suggested that music is an effective motivator and reinforcer in behavior modification treatment plans for students with autism. Teaching Music to Students with Autism 4 Annstrong and Darrrow explain that research on music and autism has many implications for music educators. This includes a brief summary of the advantages of participation in inclusive school music classes for students with autism such the opportunity for nonverbal classroom perfonnance, socialization, and the impact of musical structure and organization on such students. While this article is an excellent source to gain an understanding of why music is so significant for students with autism, it did not discuss effective strategies that music teachers use to more effectively include these students in the regular music classroom. The authors admit that new research is becoming a necessity due to the fact that the population of students with autism entering regular music classrooms is growing. Preservice teachers are taught how important it is to offer the best education they can to every student. However, there is simply a lack of significant research in this area. Graham (2001) describes the use of music therapy and mathematics as a means of "opening and to a degree sustaining a communicative relationship" (p. 46) However, this philosopher's conviction stopped at just this. The author compared the use of mathematics as a means to foster communication between two "autistic twins" with the practice and practicality of music therapy. While these observations reinforced the practicality of music therapy for students with autism, they fell short of the significant potential benefits that music education has to offer students with autism. The author failed to address the implications for music educators that will work with students with autism on a regular basis. In addition to this, Graham is inconsistent with that oftoday's acceptable language, referring to a student with autism as the autistic student. This vocabulary does Teaching Music to Students with Autism 5 not recognize the student as an individual and implies that it is appropriate to define them by their disability. This is the very reason that the Education of the Handicapped Act was amended to use more person first language. The article also uses the formerly appropriate term idiot savant to describe students with autism that achieve extraordinarily strong abilities in specialized areas such as math, art, or music. In short, this article exemplifies the very type of thinking that effective music educators should strive to surpass and overcome. Not only does the law mandate it, but also effective educators should work towards providing the best and most equal education they can for all students, regardless of their abilities or disabilities. Other Relevant Practitioner Literature On the opposite end ofthe spectrum, Adamek (2001) writes about music teachers learning to teach students with specials needs to the best of their ability by holding to four major principles: partial participation, normalization, interdependence, and individuality. Her article, Meeting Spec