Music Intervention

What are Music-Based Interventions?

Music-Based Interventions refer to the clinical use of music, including rhythm, intonation, lyrics, and interaction, to improve communication abilities. These principles allow clinicians to use the existing structures of music to practice social interaction in a different, salient modality. While this type of therapy is typically delivered by a music therapist, speech-language pathologists can adapt these principles for targets in their scope of practice, either independently or through interprofessional collaboration.

What Does the Research Say About Music-Based Interventions?

There is significant research to suggest that Music-Based Interventions can be effective in supporting a variety of communication skills for pediatric populations. These include:

Social Pragmatics

For children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), music intervention is a meaningful social activity that offers opportunities to practice turn taking, joint attention, expressive prosody, and collaboration. For speaking and non-speaking children alike, engaging in musical activities with those around them can be worthwhile. (Burns et al., 2024; Ke et al., 2022; MacDonald et al., 2024; Shi et al., 2024; Williams et al., 2024; Zhou et al., 2025)

Expressive Vocabulary

For children with Down syndrome (DS) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), incorporating music into intervention resulted in improved semantic abilities. Music is effective in supplementing expressive language because it is predictable, repetitive, and engaging. (Frizelle et al., 2024; Shi et al., 2024; Williams et al., 2024; Zhou et al., 2025)

Motor-Speech Planning

For a child with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS), music intervention adapted from the Speech-Music Therapy for Aphasia (SMTA) approach supported improved speech motor planning and prosody. These improvements continued in non-musical contexts and after therapy ended. (Van Tellingen et al., 2023)

References

Burns, J., O’Connor, R., & Moss, H. (2024). Music therapy for young children with acquired communication impairments: An international survey of clinical practices. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 33(5), 391–408. https://doi.org/10.1080/08098131.2024.2329898

Frizelle, P., McMullan, E., Looney, E., Dahly, D., O'Toole, C., & Hart, N. (2024). The Feasibility of an Online Language Program Delivered Through Music and the Impact of Dosage on Vocabulary Outcomes in Young Children With Down Syndrome. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 33(4), 2002–2022. https://doi.org/10.1044/2024_AJSLP-23-00375

MacDonald-Prégent, A., Saiy, F., Hyde, K., Sharda, M., & Nadig, A. (2024). Response to Music-Mediated Intervention in Autistic Children with Limited Spoken Language Ability. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 54(4), 1438–1452. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05872-w

Van Tellingen, M., Hurkmans, J., Terband, H., Van de Zande, A. M., Maassen, B., & Jonkers, R. (2024). Speech and Music Therapy in the Treatment of Childhood Apraxia of Speech: An Introduction and a Case Study. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research: JSLHR, 67(9S), 3269–3287. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_JSLHR-22-00619

Williams, T., Loucas, T., Sin, J., Jeremic, M., Meyer, S., Boseley, S., Fincham-Majumdar, S., Aslett, G., Renshaw, R., & Liu, F. (2024). Using music to assist language learning in autistic children with minimal verbal language: The MAP feasibility RCT. Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, 28(10), 2515–2533. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613241233804

Ke, X., Song, W., Yang, M., Li, J., & Liu, W. (2022). Effectiveness of music therapy in children with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.905113

Zhou, Z., Zhao, X., Yang, Q., Zhou, T., Feng, Y., Chen, Y., Chen, Z., & Deng, C. (2025). A randomized controlled trial of the efficacy of music therapy on the social skills of children with autism spectrum disorder. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 158, 104942. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2025.104942

Shi, Z., Wang, S., Chen, M., Hu, A., Long, Q., & Lee, Y. (2024). The effect of music therapy on language communication and social skills in children with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1336421

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