RESEARCH WITHIN REACH:
Recent Studies Related to
Early Childhood Music and Movement Education
Summer 2011
Simpson, K., & Keen, D. (2010). Teaching young children with autism graphic symbols embedded within an interactive song. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 22, 165–177. doi: 10.1007/s10882-009-9173-5
Music can be an effective motivator and stimulator for learners with autism, but little is known about “the use of music as a teaching context for communication” (p. 165). Often, children with autism have difficulty generalizing or transferring skills learned from one context to another and maintaining those skills over time. In this report, three 3- to 4-year-old boys, each diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, were taught to match pictures of animals with animal names embedded in an interactive…