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. 2024 May 7:15:1336421.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1336421. eCollection 2024.

The effect of music therapy on language communication and social skills in children with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Zijuan Shi #  1 , Si Wang #  1 , Maoqing Chen  1 , Aimin Hu  1 , Qingwen Long  1 , Yujun Lee  1   2
Affiliations

The effect of music therapy on language communication and social skills in children with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Zijuan Shi et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Background: Studies have shown that music therapy can be used as a therapeutic aid for clinical disorders. To evaluate the effects of music therapy (MT) on language communication and social skills in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a meta-analysis was performed on eligible studies in this field.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted in eight databases: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library databases, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data, the Chinese Biomedical Literature (CBM) Database, and the VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodicals Database. The standard mean difference (SMD) values were used to evaluate outcomes, and the pooled proportions and SMD with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were also calculated.

Results: Eighteen randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies were included, with a total of 1,457 children with ASD. This meta-analysis revealed that music therapy improved their language communication [SMD = -1.20; 95%CI -1.45, -0.94; χ2 (17) = 84.17, I2 = 80%, p < 0.001] and social skills [SMD = -1. 13; 95%CI -1.49, -0.78; χ2 (17) = 162.53, I2 = 90%, p < 0.001]. In addition, behavior [SMD = -1.92; 94%CI -2.56, -1.28; χ2 (13) = 235.08, I2 = 95%, p < 0.001], sensory perception [SMD = -1.62; 95%CI -2.17, -1.08; χ2 (16) = 303.80, I2 = 95%, p < 0.001], self-help [SMD = -2. 14; 95%CI -3.17, -1.10; χ2 (6) = 173.07, I2 = 97%, p < 0.001] were all improved.

Conclusion: Music therapy has a positive effect on the improvement of symptoms in children with ASD.

Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/.

Keywords: autism spectrum disorder; children; language communication; music therapy; social skill.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of study selection.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Risks of bias assessment of the included articles by each domain.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest map of the combined effective size for language communication.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Forest map of the combined effective size for social skills.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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