The Effect of a Music Therapy-based Social Skills Training Program on Social Competence in Children and Adolescents with Social Skills Deficits
Author | : Lori F. Gooding |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : |
Release | : 2010 |
Genre | : Music therapy |
ISBN | : |
Download The Effect of a Music Therapy-based Social Skills Training Program on Social Competence in Children and Adolescents with Social Skills Deficits Book in PDF, ePub and Kindle
The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the effect of a music therapy-based intervention program on improving social skills competence in children and adolescents with social skills deficits. Three separate studies were conducted in educational, residential and after-school care settings to test the effectiveness of a five session social skills training curriculum. Music-based interventions, which were primarily active in nature, were presented in a cognitive-behavioral group format. Specific deficits in the areas of peer relations and self-management skills were targeted. Interventions included a variety of techniques such as music performance, movement to music and improvisation. Data were collected from the participants, from appropriate adult personnel and via behavioral observations before, during and after music therapy intervention. Benefits of the music therapy-based social skills training program were found in all three settings, suggesting that the program was effective in combating impaired social functioning for children and adolescents with a wide range of deficits and/or disabilities. The fact that significant results were found in all three settings also suggests that the program may be applicable to a wide range of settings. Additionally, it appears that the active music therapy interventions used in a cognitive-behavioral group format were effective in combating social skill deficits. Finally, the fact that behavioral observations were consistently significant could indicate that observations of on-task social behaviors may be the most reliable way to evaluate social functioning. Based on these results, it appears the program has the potential to be an effective vehicle for addressing social skills deficits in children and adolescents.