The Role of Music Therapy in Supporting Intellectually Disabled Youth in Senegal

Introduction: Music therapy is a practice for helping and supporting people with intellectual and relational difficulties. This study illustrated the benefits of music therapy for young people living with intellectual disabilities (YLID) in an African context. Methodology: This study investigated six young individuals with intellectual disabilities who had undergone three years of music therapy. They were participants in the inclusive non-academic training program at the National School of Arts in Dakar from 2017 to 2019. Data collection utilized individual interviews with the youths, evaluation grids from teachers and psychiatrists. Guardians provided informed consent along with the assent of the young participants. Results: The six young were aged between 18 and 30 years old, with an average age of 24.6 years. Four of the YLID were male. Three young people with intellectual disabilities had delayed psychomotor development. Observations revealed the beneficial influence of music therapy on the health and well-being of young individuals. Music played a role in alleviating stress and anxiety among youth with intellectual disabilities (YLID), enhancing their mood and mental health. It assisted in navigating challenging situations and heightened alertness among YLID. Additionally, music therapy contributed to improvements in dyslexia, fine and gross motor skills, and memory development among intellectually disabled youth, ultimately facilitating their integration into society. Conclusion: In light of our results, music therapy makes a major contribution to the empowerment of YLID. Engaging in musical activities helps young people connect with others through instrumental expression and a sense of accomplishment. By facilitating music therapy, it becomes possible to combat discrimination and stigmatization, thus promoting the social inclusion of intellectually disabled youth. Therefore, it is important to promote music therapy in Senegal to meet the needs of YLID.

The Application and Development of Music Therapy in Rehabilitation Medicine

Music therapy,as an ancient and continually evolving therapeutic approach,has demonstrated unique effects and extensive potential applications in the field of rehabilitation medicine.This paper first explores the physiological and psychological impacts of music and theoretical models of its therapeutic mechanisms.It further details the specific applications of music therapy in neurological rehabilitation,motor function recovery,psychological and emotional adjustment,and chronic disease and pain management.The article also investigates the prospects of integrating music therapy with modern technologies such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence and emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and policy support in advancing this field.Through comprehensive analysis,the paper identifies future development directions and research needs for music therapy in rehabilitation medicine.

Effect of music therapy on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in gastrointestinal cancer:A systematic review and metaanalysis

BACKGROUND Chemotherapy is the primary treatment for patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer,but it has many adverse reactions,particularly nausea and vomiting.Music therapy can reduce anxiety symptoms,avoid the response to the human body under various stress conditions through psychological adjustment,and improve the adverse reactions of chemotherapy.AIM To investigate the impact of music therapy on relieving gastrointestinal adverse reactions in chemotherapy for patients with digestive tract cancer by metaanalysis.METHODS EMBASE,PubMed,OVID,WoS,CNKI,CBM,and VIP database were all used for searching relevant literature,and the efficacy after treatment was combined for analysis and evaluation.RESULTS This study included seven articles.The results of meta-analysis indicated that music therapy could reduce the nausea symptom score of patients after chemotherapy[mean difference(MD)=-3.15,95%confidence interval(CI):-4.62 to-1.68,Z=-4.20,P<0.0001].Music therapy could reduce the vomiting symptom score of patients after chemotherapy(MD=-2.28,95%CI:-2.46 to-2.11,Z=-25.15,P<0.0001).Furthermore,music therapy could minimize the incidence of grade I and above nausea or vomiting in patients after chemotherapy(odds ratio=0.38,95%CI:0.26-0.56,Z=-4.88,P<0.0001).Meta-regression analysis found that publication year was not a specific factor affecting the combined results.There was no significant publication bias(P>0.05).CONCLUSION Music therapy can significantly improve the scores of nausea and vomiting symptoms in patients with digestive system cancer during chemotherapy and reduce the incidence of grade I and above nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy,making it an effective psychological intervention method worthy of clinical promotion.

Significance of music therapy in treating depression and anxiety disorders among people with cancer

Globally,cancer cases and mortality have recently escalated and have attracted global concern.The clinical diagnosis and manifestation of cancer can result in significant mental health issues like depression and anxiety disorders.The tendency of people with cancer to suffer from psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression is usually high.A significant number of deaths related to cancer may likely not be from the killer disease but from psychological disorders associated with the illness.The utilization of music as a remedial approach to healing mental disorders cannot be overstated.Thus,identifying the impacts of music therapy in dealing with depression and anxiety disorders among people with cancer is relevant,as the majority of methods used in treating cancer have some side effects which may trigger psychological disorders in cancer patients.Ultimately,this study explored the significance of music therapy in treating depression and anxiety disorders among people with cancer.To achieve the aim of this study,the authors employed a narrative literature review to investigate the significance of music therapy in addressing depression and anxiety disorders among people with cancer.The type of literature review employed in this study is to provide an understanding of the selected research papers.The review found that music therapy significantly reduces depression and anxiety disorders among breast cancer,lung cancer,prostate cancer,and colorectal cancer patients.It is needful for healthcare providers to incorporate music therapy interventions while treating people with cancer.This will help reduce cancer deaths resulting from psychological disorders rather than the killer disease,cancer.However,the standardized procedures and evaluation criteria for applying music-based intervention strategies in oncology medicine still need to be further established and improved.

Enhancing the awakening to family engagement bundle with music therapy

Survivors of prolonged intensive care unit(ICU)admissions may present undesirable long-term outcomes.In particular,physical impairment and cognitive dysfunction have both been described in patients surviving episodes requiring mechanical ventilation and sedation.One of the strategies to prevent the aforementioned outcomes involves the implementation of a bundle composed by:(1)Spontaneous awakening trial;(2)Spontaneous breathing trial;(3)Choosing proper sedation strategies;(4)Delirium detection and management;(5)Early ICU mobility;and(6)Family engagement(ABCDEF bundle).The components of this bundle contribute in shortening length of stay on mechanical ventilation and reducing incidence of delirium.Since the first description of the ABCDEF bundle,other relevant therapeutic factors have been proposed,such as introducing music therapy.This mini-review describes the current evidence supporting the use of the ABCDEF bundle,as well as current knowledge on the implementation of music therapy.

Application Research of Music Therapy in Mental Health of Special Children

A healthy psychological state is the premise for children to carry out various activities.Previous surveys have shown that children with special needs are affected by their own obstacles and are more prone to psychological problems such as sensitivity,low self-esteem,and impulsiveness.Therefore,it is necessary to provide more sys-tematic mental health education support for special children.Mental health education programs are an efficient form of maintaining children’s mental health.However,in thefield of special education,the number of mental health education courses developed according to the physical and mental characteristics and developmental needs of special children is relatively small,and there are many difficulties in the implementation process.Autism dis-order(ASD)is a kind of pervasive developmental dysfunction that is relatively common and representative in clinical practice.In recent years,the number of autistic children has continued to surge,and has gradually expanded from a family problem to a serious social problem.At present,the evaluation of the effect of autism intervention mainly relies on various behavioral scales,which are subjective to a certain extent.At the same time,due to the unclear pathogenesis of autism,the treatment of autism cannot be predicated on the right medicine,and can only be intervened in various ways.The purpose of this paper is to explore the difference between the EEG signals of autistic children and typically developing control(TD)children through the analysis method of EEG signals,and based on the analysis of EEG signals from an objective point of view,to study whether the music therapy method of Chinese Zither playing training can effectively Improving the brain functional status of chil-dren with autism yields positive therapeutic outcomes.The experimental results show that the complexity of brain electrical signals of ASD children is much lower than that of TD children,and there is a significant difference in the brain functional state between the two.The music therapy method based on Chinese zither playing training can improve the brain function of autistic patients,and there is a positive therapeutic effect.And with the exten-sion of the training period,the effect may be more significant.Chinese zither playing training can provide a new direction for the intervention of autism.

Effects of Physical Exercise and Music Therapy on Cognitive Aspects in Tunisian Patients with Mild Alzheimer’s Type Dementia

Aim: The objective of this research is to highlight the effectiveness of physical exercise and music therapy in older patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods: Patients with a mild level of AD were included in this study, divided into the therapy group (TG;N = 30, aged 68 ± 3.2 years) and the control group (CG;N=30, aged 65 ± 2.6 years). The therapy group was enrolled in an exercise-training program (walking, resistance and balance exercises) combined with musical therapy for 10 weeks (three sessions of 60 minutes per week). The Control group was instructed to follow their daily rhythm of life (e.g., rest, reading) under the same conditions. The intervention program was enrolled under the supervision of;one psychologist;a neurologist;two music therapists, and two physiotherapists, all belonging to the same hospital unit. After 10 weeks of participation in the combined program, cognitive parameters were improved in the therapy group measured with the Behavior Pathology in Alzheimer Disease (BEHAVE-AD), (p < 0.05) for activity disturbance, diurnal rhythm disturbances, anxieties and phobias, affective disturbance. The percentage range of improvements is 1.07% to 2.96%. Results: Our results demonstrate that physical exercise combined with music therapy improves cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Conclusions: Physical exercise and music therapy are beneficial combined treatments for improving life quality in older patients. This approach may be useful to help patients with a mild level of Alzheimer’s disease improve their behavioral and psychological parameters.

Effectiveness of Music-Based Therapeutic Intervention on People with Dementia: A Rapid Review

Background: Dementia is a condition with progressive cognitive dysfunction and manifestation of both behavioral and psychosocial symptoms. Non-pharmacological measures such as music therapy are gaining importance since efficacy and safety of people with dementia have been questionable for pharmacological measures. Patient’s response to music is persistent even in the later stage of dementia. Aim: This rapid review aims to identify, analyze, evaluate, and summarize the best available evidence on the effectiveness of music-based therapeutic interventions among people with dementia. Method: CINAHL Cochrane Library, internet websites of rapid review producers, and reference lists were searched to identify articles for inclusion. Two reviewers independently screened the literature search results. Effectiveness, music-based therapeutic intervention, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, systematic review and systematic review with meta-analysis terms were used to abstract data from included studies. Main Findings: 11 SRs and SRs with meta-analysis were reviewed which revealed positive effect of music therapy on five major outcomes with 9 studies effect on behavioral outcome, 6 studies with positive effect on psychosocial outcome reducing anxiety, 6 with improved cognition, 1 study revealed with improved quality of life and 1 study revealed effect on physiological outcomes. Conclusion: Music therapy has positive effect on treatment of dementia but further studies with larger sample size and specified to single intervention should be conducted to provide generalisable and precise results on this topic.

Effects of music and music therapy on mood in neurological patients

Mood disorder and depressive syndromes represent a common comorbid condition in neurological disorders witha prevalence rate that ranges between 20% and 50% of patients with stroke, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease. Notwithstanding, these conditions are often under-diagnosed and under-treated in the clinical practice and negatively affect the functional recovery, the adherence to treatment, the quality of life, and even the mortality risk. In addition, a bidirectional association between depression and neurological disorders may be possible being that depressive syndromes may be considered as a risk factor for certain neurological diseases. Despite the large amount of evidence regarding the effects of music therapy(MT) and other musical interventions on different aspects of neurological disorders, no updated article reviewing outcomes such as mood, emotions, depression, activity of daily living and so on is actually available; for this reason, little is known about the effectiveness of music and MT on these important outcomes in neurological patients. The aim of this article is to provide a narrative review of the current literature on musical interventions and their effects on mood and depression in patients with neurological disorders. Searching on Pub Med and Psyc Info databases, 25 studies corresponding to the inclusion criteria have been selected; 11 of them assess the effects of music or MT in Dementia, 9 explore the efficacy on patients with Stroke, and 5 regard other neurological diseases like Multiple Sclerosis, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/motor neuron disease, Chronic quadriplegia, Parkinson's Disease, and Acquired Brain dysfunctions. Selected studies are based on relational and rehabilitative music therapy approaches or concern music listening interventions. Most of the studies support the efficacy of MT and other musical interventions on mood, depressive syndromes, and quality of life on neurological patients.

Combined treatment using acupuncture and music therapy on children with cerebral palsy Gross motor function measure comparison in 60 cases

BACKGROUND： The use of acupuncture has received recognition to effectively treat cerebral palsy. Moreover, music therapy can be used to modify treatment of cerebral palsy. OBJECTIVE： To study the effects of combined treatment using acupuncture and music therapy on gross motor function measure （GMFM） of children with cerebral palsy, compared with acupuncture treatment alone. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： Randomized, controlled, clinical study. The experiment was conducted in Shenzhen Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine between January 2007 and September 2007. PARTICIPANTS： All children with cerebral palsy in the trial were from the outpatient department of Shenzhen Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The children were randomly divided into two groups： 30 children in Group B received acupuncture and music therapy, while 30 children in Group A received only acupuncture therapy. METHODS： Subjects in Groups A and B received acupuncture based on syndrome differentiation. The main acupoints were necessary for all participants. At first, flash needling was applied to the acupoints. For the remaining acupoints, the technique of transverse needling was applied to the head acupoints, and perpendicular needling was used for the other points. The inserted needles were twirled and then maintained for 30 minutes. The needle was twirled for one second every other 10 minutes, without reinforcing-reducing techniques. The therapy was performed every other day. The trial consisted of three periods each, and lasted for 84 days. Subjects in Group B received music therapy. They listened to music that they preferred while acupuncture was being performed. Following acupuncture, they were allowed to perform musical activities, such as percussion, singing, and dancing. The music therapy was scheduled for one hour, including listening to music for 30 minutes and music activities for 30 minutes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： The comprehensive functional evaluation scale of cerebral palsy and the GMFM were applied to test symptoms before and after respective treatment. RESULTS： All 60 children were included in final analysis. The general function of all children with cerebral palsy improved, but the general efficiency in Group B was obviously higher than in Group A （93% and 73%, Х^2 = 4.32, P 〈 0.05）. GMFM evaluation showed that the function of crawling and kneeling, standing, and walking improved more significantly in Group B than in Group A （P 〈 0.05）, while the function of lying down, rolling, and sitting remained similar between the two groups （P 〉 0.05）. CONCLUSION： The combination of acupuncture and music therapy on the treatment of cerebral palsy is more effective than acupuncture alone. The various activities in music therapy may affect treatment of cerebral palsy.

Impact of group music therapy on the depression mood of college students

The goal of this study was to examine the effects of group music therapy on depression and mental health among college students. 80 students participated in this study, with 40 assigned to control group and other 40 assigned to experimental group. The results showed that after the group music therapy, for the experimental group, the depression scores have reduced significantly and the mental health scores have improved, while for the control group, no significant difference was obtained on the de-pression and mental health scores. This indicates that group music therapy can effectively reduce depression and improve mental health.

Positive effects of music therapist's selected auditory stimulation on the autonomic nervous system of patients with disorder of consciousness: a randomized controlled trial

The current randomized controlled trial was performed at the China Rehabilitation Science Institute, China to test the hypothesis that musical auditory stimulation has positive effects on the autonomic nervous system of patients with disorder of consciousness.Although past studies have recommended that patients with disorder of consciousness listen to patient-preferred music, this practice is not universally accepted by researchers.Twenty patients with severe disorder of consciousness listened to either therapist-selected(n = 10, 6 males and 4 females;43.33 ± 18.76 years old) or patient-preferred(n = 10, 5 males and 5 females, 48.83 ± 18.79 years old) musical therapy, 30 minutes/day, 5 times/week for 6 weeks.The results showed no obvious differences in heart rate variability-related parameters including heart rate, standard deviation of normal-to-normal R-R intervals, and the root-mean-square of successive heartbeat interval differences of successive heartbeat intervals between the two groups of patients.However, percentage of differences exceeding 50 ms between adjacent normal number of intervals, low-frequency power/high-frequency power, high-frequency power norm, low-frequency power norm, and total power were higher in patients receiving therapist-selected music than in patients receiving their own preferred music.In contrast, this relationship was reversed for the high-frequency power and very-low-frequency band.These results suggest that compared with preferred musical stimulation, therapist-selected musical stimulation resulted in higher interactive activity of the autonomic nervous system.Therefore, therapist-selected musical stimulation should be used to arouse the autonomic nervous system of patients with disorder of consciousness.This study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of China Rehabilitation Research Center, China(approval No.2018-022-1) on March 12, 2018 and registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry(registration number Chi CTR1800017809) on August 15, 2018.

Effect of moxibustion combined with five‑element music therapy on postoperative pain relief after mixed hemorrhoid operation

Objective:To investigate the effect of moxibustion combined with five‑element music therapy on the postoperative pain relief of patients undergoing surgical operation for mixed hemorrhoid with damp‑heat syndrome.Methods:Totally,159 patients meeting the inclusion criteria were assigned to the control group,study group 1,and study group 2,with 53 cases in each group.All patients received routine care after surgical treatment,including acupoint application and Chinese herbal fumigation.In addition,patients in the study group 1 received moxibustion,and those in the study group 2 were given moxibustion combined with five‑element music therapy.The degree of postoperative pain was evaluated using visual analog scale(VAS).Results:There was no significant difference in VAS score on pain during dressing changes among three groups(P>0.05).After 3,5,and 7 days of intervention,there was a significant difference in VAS score on pain at rest among three groups(P<0.001),and VAS score in the study group 2 was lower than that in the study group 1 and the control group after 3 and 5 days of intervention,respectively(P<0.05).Conclusion:Moxibustion combined with five‑element music therapy is effective to relieve the postoperative pain of patients undergoing a surgical operation for mixed hemorrhoids with damp‑heat syndrome.

EEG Analysis of the Contribution of Music Therapy and Virtual Reality to the Improvement of Cognition in Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting nearly 9.9 million new people every year. The disease provokes important memory and cognitive impairment, eventually causing individuals to forget their loved ones and rendering them completely dependent on their caretakers. Alzheimer’s patients typically experience more negative emotions, such as frustration and apathy, than healthy older adults. There is currently no cure for the disease. Our research group explores how the integration of virtual reality (VR) and an EEG-based intelligent agent in music therapy can alleviate psychological and cognitive symptoms of the disease. We propose a theory explaining how, through activation of the brain reward system, music can reduce negative emotions, increase positive emotions and as a result increase performance on cognitive tasks. The results of our experimental study concord with our theory: emotional states of participants are improved, as per recorded through EEG, and performances on memory tasks show improvement following the intervention. We believe that the combination of EEG brain assessment, VR and music therapy is a promising method for emotional states and cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

Application of five-element music therapy in pain coping skills training in patients with knee osteoarthritis

Objective:The objective of this study is to assess the application effect of five elements music therapy introduced in the pain coping skills training of knee osteoarthritis(KOA).Materials and Methods:Totally,80 patients with KOA were selected and randomly divided into the experimental group(39 cases)and the control group(41 cases).The control group was only given routine nursing measures,and the experimental group was additionally treated with five-element music therapy on the basis of the control group,twice a day,28 days in total.The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index(WOMAC)was used to evaluate the functional status of the knee joint of the two groups.The clinical efficacy of the two groups was evaluated by Guiding Principles for Clinical Research of New Chinese Medicine in the Treatment of Osteoarthritis.Results:WOMAC score statistically significantly decreased in the experimental group(35.92±9.48 vs.16.17±5.43,P<0.01)and the control group(36.73±6.42 vs.22.53±7.51,P<0.01)after 28 days of intervention when compared with that before intervention;WOMAC score in the experimental group was lower than that of the control group after 28 days of intervention(16.17±5.43 vs.22.53±7.51,P<0.01).The total effective rate of the experimental group was statistically higher than that of the control group(82.0%vs.51.2%,χ2=11.97,P=0.003).Conclusion:The combination of five-element music therapy and routine nursing measures has better effect in relieving pain and bad emotions of patients with KOA when compared with routine nursing measures alone.

The effect of music therapy on rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy: a meta-analysis

Objective: To evaluate the ctinicat efficacy of music therapy in the treatment of children with cerebrat patsy by systematic review and meta-anatysis. Methods: A comprehensive search of China Knowledge Network, Wan fang, VIP database and foreign databases PubMed and Cochrane Library was conducted from the setup of database to March 2019. After reading and screening them carefully, 14 qualified literates were got. Then extracted relevant data, and evaluated the quality and risk bias with Revman5.3.3 software. Results: There is no significant difference between music therapy in improving ctinostatism and the ability of rowing over (P > 0.05). However, music therapy has significant difference in improving sitting, running, and jumping movements, and it can atso relieve muscte spasm, improve muscte tension and stabilize children's emotions in the course of treatment and the P values of which were att tess than 0.05. Conclusion: The music therapy has a certain effect for the treatment of pediatric cerebrat patsy, especiatty in improving children's gross and fine motor abilities, which has a certain ctinicat guiding significance for rehabilitation of children with cerebrat patsy. Key words: Pediatric cerebrat patsy, Music therapy, Meta-anatysisy Ctinicat efficacyObjective: To evaluate the ctinicat efficacy of music therapy in the treatment of children with cerebrat patsy by systematic review and meta-anatysis. Methods: A comprehensive search of China Knowledge Network, Wan fang, VIP database and foreign databases PubMed and Cochrane Library was conducted from the setup of database to March 2019. After reading and screening them carefuLy, 14 qualified [iterates were got. Then extracted relevant data, and evaluated the quality and risk bias with Revman5.3.3 software. Results: There is no significant difference between music therapy in improving ctinostatism and the ability of rowing over (P > 0.05). However, music therapy has significant difference in improving sitting, running, and jumping movements, and it can atso relieve muscte spasm, improve muscte tension and stabilize children's emotions in the course of treatment and the P values of which were att tess than 0.05. Conclusion: The music therapy has a certain effect for the treatment of pediatric cerebrat patsy, especiatty in improving children's gross and fine motor abilities, which has a certain ctinicat guiding significance for rehabilitation of children with cerebrat patsy.

The application of improvisational music therapy in autism

This article presents the model of improvisational music therapy and its use with people with autism. Firstly, the author provides a brief definition of some theoretical ideas and the clinical characteristics of improvisational music therapy, a relatively new treatment which is becoming more wide-spread on a global level. Particular reference is made to the possibilities which music offers in the creation of relational experiences, and the role of time, rhythm and repetition as regulatory elements both in music and in intersubjective relationships. Following this, the efficacy of improvisational music therapy with people with autism is discussed, with regard to research in the field of neuroscience (specifically, the Mirror Neuron System) and the impact of a multimodal stimulus such as music making. The final section outlines the results of the international research project RCT TIME-A, in which improvisational music therapy was used with children with autism. The literature analysis shows that music therapy has significant effects and contributes to improvements in several aspects of the autistic disorder, such as autistic mannerisms, social awareness and social affect. We can consider these results as the beginning of a pathway towards validating improvisation music therapy as a treatment for children with autism.

Effects of music therapy in depression and anxiety disorder

Mental disorders are considerate "the evil of the century" by renowned researchers, because a large part of the population in many countries is a diagnosticated, and currently afect youth and children. Among the numerous therapeutic interventions, the music therapy is a non-invasive approach. However, there are very few people who are professionally engaged in research and studies on the subject. Therefore, this article is a literature to talk about the benefits of music therapy sessions for people with stress, depression and anxiety disorders.

Music Therapy and Music Selection--a Case Study of Music Intervention during Pregnancy

“Music Therapy”is an emerging interdisciplinary subject based on social development,which has merged together with psychology,medicine,neuroscience and musicology.Music therapy abandons the traditional diagnostic model,which only focuses on patients’pathological changes.It simultaneously heals patients’body and mind,hence to achieve a better therapeutic effect.Music therapy has analgesic effect,which has been clinically applied to puerperia and used to divert puerperia’s attention from pain during labor.Applying music therapy during pregnancy to relieve tension and prevent negative emotions that may cause harmful effect to pregnant woman and the fetus.

Effects of music therapy on mood,language,behavior,and social skills in children with autism：A meta-analysis

Objective：To investigate the effects of music therapy on mood,language,behavior,and social skills in children with autism.Methods：A literature search was conducted using the following Chinese databases：the China National Knowledge Infrastructure（CNKI）,Wanfang Data,the Chinese Biomedical Literature（CBM） Database,and the VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodicals Database.The search terms were ＂autistic children＂ or ＂children with autism＂ and ＂music therapy＂ or ＂music treatment.＂ Studies of randomized controlled trials（RCTs） were included,and each publication included was assessed for quality.A meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.1.Results：Publications were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria.Six research articles describing RCTs were included;the total sample size was 300 patients.The results of meta-analysis showed that music therapy improved mood[Risk ratio（RR） = 3.02,95%confidence interval（CI）=1.93-4.11,Z=5.45,P〈 0.000 01]and behavior（RR=7.36,95%CI=4.28-10.44,Z=4.69,P=0.00001） in children with autism.Additionally,music therapy improved language（RR=4.05,95%CI=3.38-4.73,Z=11.71,P=0.000 01）,sensory perception（RR=4.62,95%CI=1.55-7.69,Z=2.95,P=0.003）,and social skills（RR=4.66,95%CI=1.90-7.42,Z=3.31,P=0.000 9） in children with autism.Conclusions：Music therapy can improve mood,language,sensory perception,behavior,and social skills in children with autism.