Using Percussion to Improve Attention-to-Tasks in Children with Autism

Guzic, Brenda L., Tonkin, Kent, Roberts, Jay B., Demuth, Barbara R., The Exceptional Parent

Imagine having a child who for no apparent reason stops communicating with you and begins to retreat into a world that you do not understand and are not a part of. Envision the confusion and fear your child is feeling as they enter this world. See in your mind's eye the plans you made and the dreams you had for your child forever altered. Such images are the faces of autism.

Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that typically lasts throughout a person's lifetime. Government statistics suggest the prevalent rate of autism is increasing 10 to 17 percent annually. Autism does not discriminate; it occurs in all racial, ethnic, and social groups and is four times more likely to strike boys than girls. It can impair a person's ability to communicate and relate to others, and symptoms can range from very mild to quite severe.

As a result of these dramatic increases, the ASD treatment field is rapidly evolving and there is a need for expanded and improved treatment options. Ways need to be found to assist individuals with ASD to communicate and control their environments for the purpose of improving their quality of life. In response to these needs, the Saint Francis University (SFU) Center of Excellence for Remote and Medically Under-Served Areas (CERMUSA) and the SFU Fine Arts and Occupational Therapy Departments collaborated with Cameo Physical and Occupational Therapy, LLC, a provider of contract rehabilitation services in Western Pennsylvania. Through this collaboration, rural occupational therapy practitioners (OTs) were trained, using live interactive video teleconferencing, on how to use percussion instruments and rhythm in the therapy …

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Publication information: Article title: Using Percussion to Improve Attention-to-Tasks in Children with Autism. Contributors: Guzic, Brenda L. - Author, Tonkin, Kent - Author, Roberts, Jay B. - Author, Demuth, Barbara R. - Author. Magazine title: The Exceptional Parent. Volume: 41. Issue: 3 Publication date: March 2011. Page number: 18+. © 1999 EP Global Communications, Inc. COPYRIGHT 2011 Gale Group.

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