Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation Theory and Practice ›› 2025, Vol. 31 ›› Issue (4): 423-430.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1006-9771.2025.04.007

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Effect of music therapy on children with autism spectrum disorder: a meta-analysis

ZHANG Yong1, CAI Zeng1, XU Fengping2(), LIU Dan3, CHANG Hongjuan3   

  1. 1. Art Therapy and Mental Health Research Center, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430065, China
    2. School of Music Education, Wuhan Conservatory of Music, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, China
    3. Advanced Technology Research Institute of Neuroscience, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430065, China
  • Received:2024-09-20 Revised:2024-12-09 Published:2025-04-25 Online:2025-04-25
  • Contact: XU Fengping, E-mail: 15448090@qq.com
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China (General)(71774127);Humanities and Social Sciences Planning Fund Project of Ministry of Education(23YJA760097);Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences in Higher Education Institutions in Hubei Province-Key Project of Hubei Non-profit Organization Research Center(HBNPO202302)

Abstract:

Objective To explore the effect of music therapy on children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Methods A systematic search was conducted in databases including CNKI, Wanfang data, VIP, PubMed, Elsevier Science Direct and Google Scholar for randomized controlled trials (RCT) on the effect of music therapy on children with ASD. The search period was from database inception to April, 2024. The control group received non-music therapy interventions, including medication, educational therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and structured treatment. The observation group received music therapy. Studies were systematically reviewed following the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews, with two researchers independently screening literatures, extracting data, and assessing the risk of bias in the included studies. Statistic analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4.
Results Nine RCTs were included, involving 828 patients from France, China, Norway, Iran, the United States and Australia. The intervention types mainly included music therapy, parent-child cooperative music therapy, Orff music therapy, group music therapy, improvisational music therapy, Orff-Schulwerk-based music therapy, music intervention and family-centered music therapy. The overall outcomes (SMD = -0.30, 95%CI -0.55 to -0.04, P = 0.02), language function (MD = -2.09, 95%CI -2.89 to -1.30, P < 0.001) and physical behavior (SMD = -0.27, 95%CI -0.53 to -0.01, P = 0.040) improved better in the observation group.
Conclusion Music therapy can improve the overall outcome of children with ASD, especially in language function and physical behavior.

Key words: autism spectrum disorder, children, music therapy, meta analysis

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