I recently started working with a number of children on the Autism Spectrum (ASD – Autism Spectrum Disorder). I also have a son who is 39, diagnosed years ago with the same diagnosis. I hear more and more individuals say, “I have a _________ (relative – nephew, cousin, niece, etc.) with ASD.” What does this mean? How is that more and more individuals are being diagnosed with this disorder? I also hear parents say, my child is “neuro-divergent.” In the medical community, what are they finding?
Back in the late 80’s, my husband and I went through a series of tests with our son to find out that he was “developmentally delayed.” At that time, the term “Autism Spectrum Disorder” was not used on children that could walk, talk, etc., like our son was doing. What we did see, especially in a group setting, was a significant difference in his interaction with others. That is still true today. Most children are somewhere in the range of 3 ½ years – 4 before they are diagnosed with ASD. Researchers are finding that there are markers in children’s brains that would allow us to reach that diagnosis (or not) earlier than 3 – 4.
Ten researchers want to develop testing when children are much younger to determine if there are changes in their brain stem, specifically, “auditory brainstem responses (ABR) …to produce the earliest known digital screening biomarker to flag neurodevelopmental derailment…” (p. 1). Their idea is to create a system by which much earlier detection would provide an opportunity to “catch” the changes in signaling at the brain stem long before the child reaches preschool or even early elementary school age.
While this study is not about how music would play a role in treatment, researchers are exploring what happens when sound is heard and processed at the brain stem level and how it is processed in those with the ASD diagnosis. While the technology is complicated, it could bring about a significant change in early detection of “challenges.” Early intervention is always the key, but making sure children with these sound delays could bring about vast changes for those working with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
For more information on music therapy, visit our website at www.centralohiomusictherapy.com or the American Music Therapy Association’s website at www.musictherapy.org.
Torres, E. B., Varkey, H., Vero, J., London, E., Phan, H., Kittler, P., Gordon, A., Delgado, R. E., Delgado, C. F., Simpson, E. A. ((2023). Sensing echoes: temporal misalignment in auditory brainstem response as the earliest marker of neurodevelopmental derailment. PNAS Nexus (2), 1 – 10. https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac315
Stephanie H. Morris, MM, MT-BC
Neurologic Music Therapy Fellow
Central Ohio Music Therapy, LLC