DIRFloortime® Music Therapy: Individualized Treatment with Preschooler Autistic Children and Their Parents
Giovanni Vizzano, Giusi Burgio, Giulia Campatelli, Barbara Cravero, DIRimè Italia APS
This pilot study evaluates the efficacy of a 6 months parent-mediated, DIRFloortime® music therapy intervention with 4 children on Autism Spectrum aged between 4 and 5 years and their caregivers, into an interdisciplinary teamwork with music therapist, psychologist, educators and neuro-psychomotricists of Centro Autismo BUM in Pinerolo (TO), in collaboration with Association DIRimè Italia. The intervention consisted in weekly sessions with children and direct Parent Coaching with caregivers, and parental video-feedback meetings at the end of the project. Caregivers outcomes has been assessed through PSI-4 questionnaire for parents while children outcome has been collected by CBCL parent questionnaire and blind video-analysis measuring child behaviors related to self-regulation and attention, affective attunement and two-way communication. Results show improvements in child-parent interaction and in parental stress levels. All the children improved in affective attunement and two-way communication; mixed results are shown for self-regulation and attention probably due to individual differences in sensory and motor profiles. Further studies appear needed to better identifying specific intervention responders’ profiles.
Keywords
Music Therapy, DIRFloortime®, Autism, Preschooler, Parent-mediated.
