Music Therapy and Children

In the early eighteenth century, the phonograph has been used to reinforce patients in hospitals to sleep and during surgery and anesthesia process (Barrera et al., 2002, p. 379). In the nineteenth century, there was a desire to use the sounds of music to minimize pain. In the 1980s, the use of music therapy was documented, but it had not proved any effectiveness (Barrera et al., 2002, p.379). Also, Munro et al. (1987) reported that the Greeks used music in psychology treatment (p. 1029). Music therapy was defended by Munro et al. (1987) as “the controlled use of music, its elements and their influences on the human being to aid in the physiologic, psychologic and emotional integration of the individual during the treatment of anilines or disability (p. 1030). Recently, many studies have shown an improvement of that interest of using music therapy, and that significantly proved its useful effects on children with varies medical issues. Nowadays there are other therapies besides medical treatment for children with autism, language skills problems, and dealing with hospitalization due to cancer.

One of the illnesses that music therapy helped to recover is autism. Yates and Professor Couteur (2009) defined autism as “a neurodevelopmental disorder, classified under the umbrella of conditions known as pervasive developmental disorders [...] It is characterized by qualitative behavioural abnormalities in the domains of communication, reciprocal social interaction and interests, and activities that are repetitive, restricted and stereotyped” (p. 55). Autistic children suffer from many symptoms: limitation in social relationships, poor communication skills, or unusual interests; for example, some children stick to one doll or to a spec...

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