Autism and Alternative Music therapy (Part one)

As a relatively new practicing music therapist, I have primarily taken on clients with diagnoses of Autism Spectrum 'Disorders'/ P.D.D (pervasive developmental disorders)

The reason I put the term 'disorders' in quotes, is because I am of the mindset that view autism and related diagnoses as forms of 'neurodiversity'.

Find the above image on a T-shirt Here

This is a term I have become more and more fond of through my work, and though the idea of embracing the functions of the autistic brain may be controversial to many (society often seems obsessed with finding a 'cure' for autism when what I believe is that we need to find a way of making society WORK FOR autism and autistic individuals, but clearly that is an entirely different can-of-worms!) I believe that, particularly in music, these neurological differences can be not only positive for the individuals who possess them, but for music therapists to embrace and learn from also.

Let me explain;
clearly there are serious issues with the way society works and the way the brain of a person with autism causes one to react/interact in society. Primarily these are social deficits, but there are also issues with processing of sensory information in many cases. I have found the most compelling and inspirational ideas when working with clients who process auditory stimuli in a vastly different way than a 'normal' individual might. This is a difficult theory to develop with anyone, obviously, because there is no way to really 'know' if someone is processing auditory information differently from yourself or another person. I should clarify that my conclusions in this area are based on my observations of clients and their responses to various musical and non-musical (which is subjective, but again, this analysis is for another post!) stimuli. Think of the implications here! Just the thought of it makes me feel as though I will NEVER be able to completely explore the whole spectrum (no pun intended) of possibilities that may develop.

To start somewhere:
imagine yourself walking through the streets of New York City. If you've never been, picture yourself in a crowded city anywhere, but I choose New York because it strikes me as 'extreme' in terms of auditory stimuli (not to mention visual, proprioceptive and virtually all other sensory stimuli!). Anyway, imagine you're traveling down the street, completely bombarded with sounds. Cabs honking, people yelling, selling this or that, bicyclists tires on the pavement, screeching busses, the rumble of the subway underfoot, music from the open doors of buildings, street vendors food carts sizzling, police or fire engine sirens, airplanes overhead (and so on!).

What is the likelihood that you are able to process all of these sounds individually? Slim to none, if you are a 'neurotypical' individual, but if you're autistic, these sounds may possibly send you into extreme sensory overload, because your brain will be attempting to process these sounds all at once, and with appropriate auditory 'tagging' by your brain. The reason this happens (based on my best understanding of the study of the autistic brain) is because auditory processing differences can cause the brain to be unable to distinguish between sounds that need to be immediately addressed by the brain, paid attention to, and reacted to, and sounds that may be largely ignored.
Okay so that is an extremely brief analysis of what I am trying to explain, but I am sure I will elaborate more on it later...
The implications for this kind of processing and music making/music listening most largely involve the use of various instruments/sounds and the ability of the brain to meld these sounds. That is essentially what makes most of us able to perceive any array of sounds as 'music', but what if your definition of music were expanded to include any pleasurable, likely but not necessarily, rhythmic sound! What if the simple jumbled metallic ding, ding of a triangle were all you required to feel the ecstasy of listening to a favorite song on repeat? What if the combination of this triangle and the humming of the overhead flourescent lights created a completely overwhelming musical experience for you?
What if more people could embrace this idea and music was once again boiled down to its simplest aspects, taken apart, and reassembled keeping in mind the musical 'needs' of ALL individuals, not only the 'neurotypical?'
These are some of the ideas I keep in mind when practicing with the autistic clients with whom I work. I believe that the idea of 'music' needs to be disassembled if clinicians are to really connect with students who are 'severely' autistic or have auditory processing deficits of any kind (since not ONLY autistic individuals have these diagnoses). Of course I am not referring to any or all autistic individuals, many of whom do create music in the widely accepted sense, and may of whom create music that is not only widely accepted but widely appreciated/loved! By no means am I attempting to prescribe a method that is overarching, I just desperately want to share my ideas and experiences.

This image reminds me of the internal sounds that occur within us at all times and the melding of those with music/sound we hear externally. This is another aspect I want to explore further. (how many of us are conscious of the sound of our hearts beating/our breathing, digestion or other internal auditory stimuli, and what are the implications there?)

Some of my posts will be like this one, mostly analytical and perhaps a little dense for the average reader, but others may include anecdotes from sessions or music I have used and would like to share.

Thanks for reading!
(more to come on this, probably always!)