Autism in the Music Classroom:
Strategies for Inclusion by Simon Amaya Price
Abstract Genuinely including autistic students in music instruction is a difficult task for any music educator. Discussing the issues currently faced by autistic people, presenting an overview of the characteristics found in autistic people, and synthesizing the needs of autistic students with modern rock and popular music pedagogy, this article will present a set of guidelines and specific pedagogies for the music educator concerned with inclusion of autistic students.
Introduction
Autistic people are one of the largest—and most misunderstood—minorities in the world. About 1 in 54 children are diagnosed with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) in the United States (CDC, 2020). As music educators, we should have knowledge of our students’ perspectives and experiences. No matter where one teaches, autistic students will be part of the classroom demographics as autism is present at the same rate in every racial, national, gender, and socioeconomic group. That said, autistic people face a great amount of difficulty in our modern society: autistic people have a life expectancy of 36 years, half that of the general population, with the leading cause of death being suicide (Guan & Li, 2017; Hirvikoski et al., 2016). Being autistic is neither a blessing nor a curse. Many autistic people have unique talents or abilities, and severe difficulties with basic, everyday tasks. An uneven cognitive profile is one of the specific patterns that psychoanalysts look for when diagnosing autism (Joseph, et al., 2002). For example, an autistic person might be years ahead in math, but have great difficulty when tying their shoes. There is a large variance in linguistic ability among autistic children: some develop high levels of verbosity at a young age, others experience delayed linguistic development, and still others never develop the ability to speak without aid (Lews et al., 2013; Mody & Belliveau, 2013). There is also a high prevalence of selective mutism among autistic children (Steffenburg et al., 2018). By utilizing inclusive pedagogies, music educators can help autistic students overcome alexithymia (the inability to identify and describe one’s own emotions), build social skills, and express themselves (Mayer-Benarous et al., 2021). Group musical instruction can serve as a form of social scaffolding, such that autistic students have clear social expectations, and build confidence in non-verbal communication.
Autobiographical Info
I am a Boston-based multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, producer, music educator, and autism advocate. I have been performing in a professional capacity since 2019. I was diagnosed with ASD when I was 16 years old. That same year, I went to Simon’s Rock at Bard College to start my bachelor’s degree where I founded the country’s first Neurodivergent Student Union. I am now a student at Berklee College of Music where I am pursuing a degree in professional music.
Anxiety and Overstimulation
Two common difficulties among autistic people are anxiety and overstimulation. Due to the high prevalence of alexithymia in autistic people (Kinnaird, et al., 2019), autistic students will likely not notice they are anxious until they have a breakdown or a shutdown. Anxiety and overstimulation are related in a way which is not fully understood yet (Green & Ben-Sasson, 2010), but often move in parallel. The two main contributors to anxiety and overstimulation in a classroom setting are excessive or cacophonous sound and social situations. The autistic mind has both an amplification of sensory input, as well as a greater ability to perceive detail making it difficult to sort through multiple sources of stimulation (Shirinyan et al., 2013). Managing sound in the music classroom can be challenging. A simple way to prevent sensory overload in autistic students is to provide earplugs. In music ensembles that include amplification, percussion, wind, or brass instruments, it is best practice to have students purchase their own ear plugs or provide them to students. Scheduling breaks during a long class period is also a great way to prevent overstimulation and anxiety.
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CMEA Magazine
