Teaching Young Children with Autism Graphic Symbols Embedded Within an Interactive Song

In this study, Simpson and Keen use music as a tool for teaching young autistic boys. They showed pictures of animals on PowerPoint slides simultaneously with a song containing the animal names. When tested later, each boy was able to identify which animal was in each slide. The music helped the children recall the images and correlate the name of the animal with its picture. One student was able to identify the animals well without the music, but for the other two they performed far better when the music was played and sung. This study shows that autistic children will benefit from music integration in the classroom. Simpson and Keen are excited by the prospects of this study, and want to expand and continue studies such as these with larger groups of students.

Simpson, K. and Keen, D. (2010).Teaching Young Children with Autism Graphic

Symbols Embedded Within an Interactive Song. Retrieved from

http://springerlink.metapress.com.libproxy.chapman.edu:2048/content/a6826u73282278p4/fulltext.pdf

• Autistic students are more apt to recall information when music is involved in teaching
• Music is a powerful tool for memorization and recall

This study is a fabulous example of how teachers can use music in their classrooms. Especially with the number of autistic students growing by the year, music is needed more than ever in our curriculum.