A systematic review of the role of group music therapy for enhancing prosocial behaviour in children with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) tend to experience core deficits in prosocial skills, which can have a lifelong impact on socialisation, communication and forming meaningful relationships with others. While early childhood interventions for ASD are recommended, opportunities for children of primary school age with ASD to learn and practice social skills are also crucial. Since individual music therapy has been widely recognised as an effective intervention for ASD, the aim of this integrative literature review was to investigate the role of music therapy in a group setting for enhancing the prosocial behaviour of children (age five to 14) with ASD. Although the term “prosocial” is generally linked to social competency, it lacks conclusive definition in ASD research and thus needed to be addressed within this review. Eight studies met the eligibility criteria, of which five were quantitative and three were qualitative. Findings from all eight studies suggested that group music therapy provides benefits for the development of prosocial skills in children with ASD because of the type of proximity to peers that is facilitated in sessions that provides opportunities for interaction, communication and shared play. What also emerged was that the music therapist plays an important role in facilitating the subsequent processes of interaction with other group members. Some evidence for how music therapy functions in offering opportunities for learning and practicing prosocial skills are also presented. Recommendations are made for further research into the precise function of specific music therapy techniques and standardised assessment measures for prosocial skills in relation to children with ASD.