The issue of autism spectrum disorders is very topical. Autism spectrum disorders often include a new disorder: virtual autism [1].
When children under the age of three are exposed to the Internet for more than four hours a day, their verbal skills are severely affected, their behaviour is disruptive and their ability to concentrate is extremely poor.
Therefore, the question should be answered by focusing on the actual autism spectrum disorder, which is a condition that requires a great deal of support to try to integrate the child socially, and leaving aside ‘virtual autism’, which is a disorder that resolves when the child is no longer exposed to the digital world.
What is autism or ASD?
Autism spectrum disorder affects the child's development to a greater or lesser extent in several aspects [2] :
- Communication and play activities,
- sensory regulation or motor skills,
- attention and sleep.
Autism is not a disease in the strict sense, but a neurological disorder. According to current knowledge, it cannot be cured. However, an accompaniment is necessary. This is exactly what music offers.
Accompanying the autistic child through music
It has been proven that music can help autistic children of school age to develop the ability to communicate with their environment and improve the child's motor activity [3].
The study reveals perhaps an even more important aspect. The prominent role of parents who experience great stress in caring for and accompanying their child. This situation is likely to negatively influence their efforts to improve their child's well-being.
Moreover, although music therapy promotes the child's social interactions with parents and confidants, it does not help the child to develop language and social skills in general [4].
Therefore, every effort should be made to accompany the parents of autistic children by facilitating their access to music. That is to say, by providing them with simple and appropriate instruments, such as the tongue drum.
That is, an easy-to-use instrument that produces a soft and harmonious sound in any situation.
Tongue drum : the perfect instrument
The tongue drum is a diatonic percussion instrument, i.e. it has no semitones. It is tuned from the beginning and does not need to be worked to produce the right sound.
Therefore, it does not prevent music from being produced, but only noise, which is all the more unbearable because the parents of autistic children are often physically and emotionally exhausted. Incidentally, the health crisis has not improved anything [5].
The tongue drum makes it possible to produce relaxing music that is used especially in meditation sessions. Autistic children have no difficulty in acquiring this instrument, as it does not require any special skills.
Above all, the Tongue Drum is ideal for parents who are not at all familiar with music, but who nevertheless know very well that music therapy would be interesting and even healing to help their children develop.
The Tongue drum is a robust instrument
The risk of an autistic child breaking a musical instrument that is provided or that he can pick up himself is great. One would think twice before playing the violin in front of an autistic child.
This is not the case with the Tongue Drum. The Tongue Drum consists of two pieces of metal welded together to form a resonant body and is not afraid of children.
As it is not only stable but also lightweight, it is an ideal instrument for parents who want to make music with their autistic child.
Shared moments between autistic parents and children are rare, if they exist at all. Trying to create such moments with music can be another attempt, which this time usually succeeds after some time.
Therefore, music is a good treatment method for autism. Carrying out a music therapy that enables parents and autistic children to handle a musical instrument and produce harmonious music is now possible thanks to the Tongue Drum.
Order our Tongue Drum now by clicking here.
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[1] L''autisme virtuel", lié aux écrans, existe-t-il?, Libération, 30. Septiembre de 2018.
Enlace externo: https://www.liberation.fr/checknews/2019/01/18/l-autisme-virtuel-lie-aux-ecrans-existe-t-il_1684701/
[2] Allgemeine Definition, Autismus-Spektrum-Störungen, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, Montréal, 05. November 2020.
Externer Link: https://www.chusj.org/fr/soins-services/T/Trouble-du-spectre-de-l-autisme/Le-TSA-c-est-quoi#:~:text=Le%20trouble%20du%20spectre%20de,du%20d%C3%A9veloppement%20de%20l'enfant.
[3] La música mejora la comunicación social y la conectividad auditivo-motora en niños con autismo, Sharda, Tuerk y otros, Translational Psychiatry, 23. Oktober 2018.
[4] Terapia musical centrada en la familia para promover el compromiso social en niños pequeños con trastorno del espectro autista grave: un estudio controlado aleatorio, Thompson, McFerran y aure, 22. Noviembre 2013, doi: 10.1111/cch.12121.
Externer Link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/cch.12121
[5] Wenn die Erschöpfung einsetzt, 09. Dezember 2020.
Externer Link: https://www.journalexpress.ca/2020/12/09/quand-lepuisement-sinstalle/#:~:text=Die%20Eltern%20autistischer%20Kinder,sagen%20C3%A9s%20in%20unseren%20Familien.