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Music-assisted programmes: Developing communication in autism spectrum disorder through music making

Descripción del proyecto

Logopedia musical para niños autistas

Cerca de una tercera parte de los niños con autismo no desarrollan un lenguaje funcional y su fluidez oral sigue siendo mínima incluso años después de consultas de foniatría, logopedia y pedagogía. El objetivo del proyecto financiado con fondos europeos MAP es desarrollar programas asistidos por música (MAP, por sus siglas en inglés) personalizados y de fácil uso y evaluar si aumentarían el lenguaje funcional en niños autistas con poca o ninguna fluidez oral. Para ello, se empleará un procedimiento de formación estructurado para enseñar el lenguaje a través de canciones con actividades interactivas en entornos naturalistas. La eficacia de los MAP se evaluará mediante un ensayo controlado aleatorizado de viabilidad, en el que se comparará el tratamiento con los MAP con el tratamiento habitual. También se desarrollará una aplicación para que los padres reproduzcan las canciones de los MAP en casa. El proyecto podría favorecer mejoras adicionales en el aprendizaje del lenguaje de las personas autistas.

Objetivo

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by atypical social communication and interaction, and repetitive and restricted behaviours, activities and interests, affecting around 1% of the general population worldwide. It is estimated that about 30% of children with ASD do not develop functional speech, and remain non-verbal or minimally verbal even after years of speech, language and educational interventions. Although a wide range of programmes have been developed for treating language impairments in ASD, none has been effective in eliciting functional speech in ASD children.

Building on the research findings of the CAASD project, this proof of concept grant aims to develop a set of multifaceted, individualized, easily implemented, music-assisted intervention programmes (MAP) to increase spoken language ability in 2-4-year-old, nonverbal or minimally verbal children with ASD. Specifically, we will develop a structured training protocol, delivered through naturalistic strategies and interactive activities, to teach language to ASD children through songs and music making. Over a period of 12 weeks, randomised controlled trials will be run on two groups of ASD children, randomly assigned to the treatment (undertaking music-assisted language interventions) or the control group (receiving traditional speech and language therapy). The efficacy of MAP will be assessed through the learning of 36 target words that relate to naturalistic, everyday activities that the children spontaneously engage in. Ultimately, an app will be built and developed for parents or carers of children with ASD to learn the songs and implement the associated activities wherever there is a need.

Addressing the urgent need for language interventions in ASD, MAP has the potential to open the neural pathways to language in the autistic brain and to create genuine and lasting outcomes to resolve the socio-neuro-constructionist issues in ASD.

Régimen de financiación

ERC-POC - Proof of Concept Grant

Institución de acogida

THE UNIVERSITY OF READING
Aportación neta de la UEn
€ 150 000,00
Dirección
WHITEKNIGHTS CAMPUS WHITEKNIGHTS HOUSE
RG6 6AH Reading
Reino Unido

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Región
South East (England) Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Berkshire
Tipo de actividad
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Enlaces
Coste total
€ 150 000,00

Beneficiarios (1)