American Music Therapy Association

About this AMTA Strategic Priority

The Strategic Priority on Music Therapy and ASD focuses its efforts on three areas:

1. Awareness and Recognition: This strategic area concerns itself with public education on the role and contributions of Board Certified Music Therapists in the treatment of persons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This includes education and awareness of the music therapist’s role in collaborative interdisciplinary teams treating persons with ASD.
2. Training and Professional Development: This strategic area focuses on advancing tools and resources regarding training qualified music therapists for the planning and delivery of effective, valid, and reliable music therapy interventions.
3. Evidence-Based Practice and Research: This strategic area focuses on advancement, dissemination, and translation to practice of the best available evidence from the research literature on music therapy and music-based interventions for persons with ASD.

These strategic focus areas emerged following a strategic analysis by an ad hoc workgroup charged by the Board of Directors of the American Music Therapy Association. The workgroup, established in 2008  and originally called the Autism Task Force/Think Tank, has evolved to consist of a formalized leadership team under the direction of recognized subject matter experts. The activities of the Strategic Priority on Music Therapy and ASD are led by a steering committee directed by Co-Chairs, Todd Schwartzberg and Dr. Jennifer Whipple. An Advisory Team of music therapy clinicians, educators, and researchers who represent various perspectives, approaches, client age range, and geographic areas contribute with their specific areas of expertise.

This website area offers AMTA members and the general public a variety of resources. Stay tuned as we develop more valuable resources for you. Follow us on Facebook (AMTA Strategic Priority on MT and ASD) and Twitter (#MTASD) for updates.

Fact Sheets/Research/Bibliographies

• Abstract: Whipple, J. (2015) Music therapy intervention across the lifespan of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A meta-analysis.  Charleston Southern University, Charleston, SC
• Annotated Bibliography of Articles from the Journals of the American Music Therapy Association that Pertain to Music Therapy and ASD, 2000-2015
• Annotated Bibliography of Articles from Outside Music Therapy Journals that Pertain to Music Therapy and ASD, 2006-2015 (AMTA member only access)

• Music Therapy and ASD: An Annotated Bibliography of Unpublished Dissertations and Theses 1993 – ­2014 (AMTA member only access)

• Music Therapy & Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (October 2015)
• Autism Spectrum Disorder: Music Therapy Research and Evidence Based Practice Support (2010)

Reports and Resources

• Music Therapy and ASD - We Have the Scoop and Tools for You!  (This may be accessed by current AMTA members in the Member Toolkit. Simply scroll down to the "Music Therapy Practice" section.)
• Research-based Knowledge from Related Fields  (This may be accessed by current AMTA members in the Member Toolkit. Simply scroll down to the "Music Therapy Practice" section.)
• Music Therapy and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Educator’s Tool Kit  (This may be accessed by current AMTA members in the Member Toolkit. Simply scroll down to the "Music Therapy Practice" section.)
• ASD Evidenced-Based Practices Incorporated in Music Therapy Interventions, to be used with Autism Spectrum Disorder Survey Study Outcomes below (AMTA member only access)
• Music Therapy and Persons with ASD. A brochure for clients and their parents.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Survey Study Outcomes (2015)
• Reprint: Music Therapy: Personalized Interventions for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder - Executive Summary.   (This may be accessed by current AMTA members in the Member Toolkit. Simply scroll down to the "Music Therapy Practice" section.)
• Online Resources for Music Therapists  (This may be accessed by current AMTA members in the Member Toolkit. Simply scroll down to the "Music Therapy Practice" section.)
• Try it Out: EBP Strategies that Matter for Individuals with ASD - for Students (This may be accessed by current AMTA members in the Member Toolkit. Simply scroll down to the "Music Therapy Practice" section.)

Announcements

Read a selection of articles from Journal of Music Therapy and Music Therapy Perspectives assembled into a virtual issue in recognition of National Autism Awareness Month in the United States.

• Virtual issue: http://oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/jmt/autism_vi.html

• Stay updated! Sign up for e-alerts from Journal of Music Therapy and Music Therapy Perspectives delivered when new content is available online.
  http://www.oxfordjournals.org/en/connect/email-alerts.html

• Don’t have access? Recommend these journal titles to your library by completing an online form.
  http://www.oxfordjournals.org/help/library_recommendation.html

Music Therapy Perspectives and Journal of Music Therapy are official publications of the American Music Therapy Association and published in cooperation with Oxford University Press.