RUNNING HEADER: EFFECTS OF MUSIC ON THE BEHAVIOR OF STUDENTS WITH

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Action Research Project

The effects of music on the behavior of students with Autism

Connor Stevenson

Emory & Henry College

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AUTISM
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Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of music on the behavior of

students with Autism. Over the course of two academic weeks, students were introduced to the

concept of music intervention, however the first week was a control week that involved no music

in order to establish a baseline behavior for each student. Each part of the study was

implemented in order to acquire quantitative data that could be measured in order to prove the

effects of music on the behavior students with Autism because qualitative data leaves room for

inconsistent interpretation. The results of the study revealed that music in fact did have a positive

impact on the behavior of students with Autism as a result of the methods in place. This study

came about through the desire to find a new approach to special education that could propel

academic breakthroughs that would also allow students surpass expected expectations.
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Introduction & Rationale

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of music on the behavior of

students with Autism. Within Autism, the study focused primarily on the ability of music to

curve unacceptable behavior. Throughout the course of the study, the instructor implemented

various behavioral strategies and or techniques to begin the process of incorporating them into

the students’ daily schedule. The implementation of these strategies were crucial to the success

of the study as a result of students with Autism and other disabilities being schedule driven.

When evaluating the potential impact of music intervention, consideration of student

preference in terms of what genre of music was also important. The developments made

throughout the course of this study have the potential to alter the way special educators approach

teaching students with Autism now and in the future. I predict that the effect of music on

students with Autism will have a positive impact on curving any unacceptable behavior they may

possess.

Per the Virginia Department of Education, the number of students in special education

has grown by over three thousand students since 2016. Within those three thousand students,

over thirteen hundred are students with Autism (Eisenburg, 2017). The premise of this research

was to attempt to alter the way educators approach special education in a way that creates

maximal academic retention, while also making the learning process memorable. A study has

shown that “music is a motivating factor and helps concentration,” therefore, allowing for longer

periods of focus (Constantin, 2015, p. 180). According to a study conducted by the University of

Transylvania at Brasov, “listening to music stimulates the neural network - the dopaminergic

regions of the brain (responsible for learning, memory and reward), as well as the limbic system
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(responsible for emotional expression)” (Constantin, 2015, p.179). In essence, this study

addressed how to curve unwanted behavior of students with Autism.

Literature Review

Emphasis of Special Education in Schools

Special education is a growing element within public schools today, especially in the

state of Virginia. In 2017, the Assistant Superintendent of Special education for the state of

Virginia compiled a presentation regarding the basics of special education and the current trends.

To emphasize the amount of students in special education in schools, according to the Virginia

Department of Education there are approximately 1.3 million public school students in the state

of Virginia and within that 1.3 million there are roughly one hundred seventy thousand with

disabilities (Eisenburg, 2017). That is, thirteen percent of the public-school students in the state

of Virginia have a diagnosed disability of some form as of 2017 (Eisenburg, 2017). Not to

mention, the amount of students diagnosed with Autism has grown by over thirteen hundred

students in a two year span ranging from 2015 to 2017 (Eisenburg, 2017).

As a result of the growth of special education, education as a whole has to ensure that

these students are still able to learn like other general education students. In order to do that,

students within the special education system have an Individualized Education Program (IEP)

(Eisenburg, 2017). An Individualized Education Program is a written document that is

constructed by various professionals in the field of education to determine the specific needs of

the student that allows them to be successful in school despite their disability (Eisenburg, 2017).

These specific needs could range from something as easy as additional time on assessments to

therapeutic day treatment, which is a counseling service. However, before the school can

implement the Individualized Education Program each parent must consent to every goal,
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objective, and or service that will be provided to their student (Eisenburg, 2017). All the

information previously mentioned is crucial when dealing with students with Autism because

these Individualized Education Programs, therapeutic day treatment counselors, and other

therapies are methods that will ensure the success of these students.

How Music Benefits Education

To reiterate, there has been a significant increase in students in special education in

Virginia under the fourteen diagnosed disorders under the Individuals with Disabilities Act. In

fact, per the Virginia Department of Education, special education is growing at a rapid pace of

around three thousand students every two years (Eisenburg, 2017). With that said, alternative

approaches to learning such as incorporating music, are becoming more prevalent, as result of

music catering to a variety of diverse needs amongst students in today’s schools (Vaiouli &

Friesen, 2016). According to a recent study by the National Autism Center, they classified music

as an emerging evidence-based practice (Vaiouli & Friesen, 2016). In addition to the National

Autism Center, Macquairie University conducted a study that showed twelve percent of musical

therapists are working in school settings in special education and that over a third of schools with

special education in the United Kingdom have a music therapist on site (Stephenson, 2006).

In regards to the educational benefit of music within the classroom, multiple studies show

that music has the innate ability to appeal to different cognitive learning needs and abilities. For

instance, a study by the University of Transylvania of Brasov determined that the left side of the

brain coincides with language and logic acquisition, meaning the left side of the brain processes

what it is heard (2015). The use of music in any form whether it be singing, playing or listening

activates that area of the brain, therefore enhancing one’s ability to process information more
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effectively (Constantin, 2015). The ability for music to allow a student to think and process

information only enhances that student academically.

Together with activating the left side of the brain dealing with language and logic

acquisition, music also increases sensory learning abilities. That is, music can increase the

comprehension capabilities of students (Vaiouli & Friesen, 2016). The study goes on to say how

when music creates a positive learning environment within the classroom, it allows for students

to have positive engagements with not only the material, but with their peers and teachers as well

(Vaiouli & Friesen, 2016).

The Correlation between Music, Social Interaction, and Behavior

Music is considered a unifying method within special education because every child,

despite their background or upbringing, has music available to them (Vaiouli & Friesen, 2016).

Whether a person realizes or not, music creates an emotional response whether that response be

an emotion, a thought, or facial expression (Constantin, 2015). There are characteristics

associated with music that open the door for communication and emotion such as tempo, melody

intensity, or even sound quality (Constantin, 2015). One deficit that students with Autism or any

other cognitive disability is that they have difficulty outwardly expressing and or verbalizing

their emotions (Constantin, 2015).

Like previously stated, music is used to create a positive environment or experience

(Vaiouli & Friesen, 2016). By creating a positive environment, it allows for students to not only

enhance their learning, but increase their self-esteem in social situations with others (Constantin,

2015). With increased self-esteem and positive interactions comes positive behavior in response.

Logically, if students are constantly surrounded by positivity whether that be in the classroom,

with material, or in social situations, then the probability for a positive, appropriate response is
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very high. With that said, the study goes on to state that music breeds positivity which feeds into

social interactions and relationships, therefore creating an environment of appropriate, modeled

emotional behavior (Constantin, 2015).

The Gaps in Research regarding Effects of Music in Special Education

Although there is a plethora of research out in the world of education regarding the

benefits of music in special education, there are still numerous gaps within the research that has

yet to be alluded to. To start, under the Individuals with Disabilities Act, there are fourteen

diagnosed disorders that Virginia can identify a child with, yet there is no research specifically

regarding intellectual disabilities and the effect music has on their behavior (Eisenburg, 2017).

For example, the previously referenced study by the University of Transylvania of Brosov,

included one child with down syndrome which is considered an intellectual disability. However,

in the data comparison and conclusion, the study mentioned every child expect for the child with

down syndrome (Constantin, 2015).

Despite the claim that there is insufficient research regarding the effects of music on the

behavior of students with intellectual disabilities, a study conducted by Niagra University

believes differently. They are under the impression that there is a lack of research in multiple

categories of special education such as Autism, Attention Deficit Disorders (ADHD), and other

learning disabilities (Sze & Yu, 2004). To clarify, Niagra University is saying that there is

sufficient research regarding intellectual disabilities and the effect music has, but there

insufficient evidence regarding research on other disorders not included under the umbrella of

intellectual disabilities.

In addition, a study conducted by researchers at Macquarie University alludes to the

questionable validation of music being considered an effective method of instruction or

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intervention due to the lack of empirical research, meaning research by observation or realistic

experiences (Stephenson, 2006). The most recent research is not discrediting music (therapy) as

an educational tool, but questioning the use of music as an educational intervention tool due to

insufficient research evidence. However, the study goes on to say that there is sufficient

researchical evidence showing that music (therapy) sessions when planned in accordance with

educators has education benefits such as communication and comprehension skills (Stephenson,

2006). In spite of the previous claims, if music is in fact an experimental instructional method,

then why does the educational system allow for music to be a part of students’ Individualized

Education Plans (IEPs)? One could ponder the thought of why higher education would allow

goals to be set for students that are dependent upon experimental instructional methods.

Research Site Description

The quality and demographic of public schools were determined by the area in which

they were located and where students reside. Those external factors were important when

looking into the education of a specific demographic within the school itself, like special

education. According to the Virginia Department of Education, there were 168,469 students in

Virginia and 19,566 of those students are in fact students with Autism (DataUSA, n.d.). The

intended area of research, Southwest Virginia is a very rural area that is economically based

around the farming, oil, and mining industry (DataUSA, n.d.). This region battles poverty and

opioid addiction due to the region’s dying mining industry and proximity to major interstates.

Southwest Virginia includes the nineteen counties according to Radford University: Bland,

Buchanan, Carroll, Craig, Dickenson, Floyd, Giles, Grayson, Lee, Montgomery, Pulaski,

Russell, Roanoke, Scott, Smyth, Tazwell, Washington, Wise, and Wythe counties (Woolley,

n.d.). Amongst all nineteen counties, there is a special education population of 12,559 of which
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939 are students with Autism (VDOE Special Education Child Count, n.d.). That is 7.5 percent

of students in Southwest Virginia take part in some form of special education (VDOE Special

Education Child Count, n.d.).

In order to maintain privacy, the county of study in Southwest Virginia will be referred to

as County A. With that said, County A is close knit, rural community in the Southwest region of

Virginia that includes a population of 54,562. The ethnic breakdown of County A’s population is

made up of 95.5 percent Caucasian residents, 1.41 percent Hispanic, and 1.27 percent African

American (DataUSA, n.d.). This county has an unemployment rate of 4.1 percent and 14.3

percent live in poverty, which is slightly above the national average (BLS, n.d.).

In regards to education, Country A is made up of fifteen schools ranging from

elementary, middle, and secondary levels, not to mention the career and technical center that is

available to students who reside in the county as well (District Profile, n.d.). The student

population in Washington county is seven thousand three hundred students and that number is

spread amongst all three levels of schooling: elementary, middle, secondary, and the career and

technical center (District Profile, n.d.). Like stated previously, the ethnic makeup of the schools

in Washington are predominantly Caucasian, with a small population that includes African

Americans and Hispanics.

This study more specifically is based out of one school in particular in County A that will

be referred to as Stephens City Middle School. Stephens City Middle School has approximately

650 students according School Quality Virginia (Stephens City Middle, n.d.). Within the 650

students, 317 students are eligible for free and reduced meals while 333 students are deemed not

eligible for the reduced meals (Stephens City Middle, n.d.). In fact, the free and reduced meals

are broken down into two separate meals categories: breakfast and lunch. Of the students that are
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eligible for the free and reduced breakfast program, only 35.7 percent actually utilize the service

(Stephens City Middle, n.d.). The other 64.3 percent do not partake in the service (Stephens City

Middle, n.d.). Together with breakfast is the free and reduced lunch program where 52.8 percent

of eligible students utilize the service and 47.2 percent of eligible students do not (Stephens City

Middle, n.d.).

Taking a more intentional look into the academics of Stephens City Middle School shows

an upward progression in accreditation scores dating back to 2014. For the entire student

population, English scores have increased eleven percent, math scores have had a nineteen

percent increase. cience scores have decreased three percent since 2014, but still remains above

the minimum standard (Stephens City Middle, n.d.). In regards to scores based on ethnicity,

African American students score well below the minimum standard in English, yet surpass the

requirement in Math (Stephens City Middle, n.d.). On the contrary, Caucasian students surpass

all the required levels in Math and English (Stephens City Middle, n.d.). Unlike the previous

two, Hispanics tend to score below average in both Math and English, however one should take

into consideration that the majority of these Hispanic students cannot speak English. (Stephens

City Middle, n.d.).

Research Design and Instruments

This study focused on a self-contained special education classroom at Stephens City

Middle School that contains eight students. Amongst those eight students, six are boys and two

are girls. The demographics of the class are seven Caucasian students and one African American

student which aligns with the information previously stated on the demographics of County A. In

fact, the class was chosen based on the geographic location in southwest Virginia and due to the

fact that the class is located in County A. Unlike general education classes, this self-contained
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class does not affiliate with the Virginia Standards of Learning, but rather the Individualized

Education Programs (IEPs) of each student in the class.

With every method of instruction there is a method of implementation. For the sake of

this project, music will be implemented into the daily routine in order to test if music in fact has

an effect on the behavior of students with Autism. The reasoning behind playing the music the

moment the students walk in the door is simple; the goal is for the music to set the mood or tone

for their day. For instance, if one of the students did not sleep well, got in trouble with their

parents, or are just not in a good mood, the music is intended to alter that mood, so that in turn

the student’s behavior changes to positive rather than negative.

In order to implement the music intervention effectively and acquire valid data, the first

week of the study was the control week where the class operated as usual without the music

intervention. The following week, the music intervention took place. The music began in the

morning when the students arrive to the room at approximately eight o’clock in the morning

depending on when their bus arrived. With that said, the music continued to play through

breakfast time which ended at nine thirty in the morning. To clarify, the music started at eight

o’clock in the morning and stopped at nine thirty in the morning, therefore totaling ninety

minutes worth of music intervention per day. With that said, the collection of data began

following the ninety minutes of music when the students start began their first subject of the day.

The goal was that the music would alter their mood to positive, therefore resulting in proper

behavior and longer periods of engagement academically.

However, due to the fact that there was no way to directly acquire quantitative data with

music and behavior, the data came from the behavior monitoring system in place within the

classroom called Zones of Regulation (Appendix A) which was published by Social Thinking
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publishing company. This method of behavioral regulation was directed toward keeping students

on task while in the classroom and served as a quick self-monitoring tool if they get off task

(Appendix B) . There were four colors associated with the Zones of Regulation. The first being

the color green which was the ideal color to be on because if a student was on green, that means

they were happy, calm, feeling okay, focused, and ready to learn. Yellow was another color on

the regulation scale that described when a student was frustrated, worried, silly, excited, or had

some loss of control. The next color zone was blue which was associated with the being sad,

sick, tired, bored, or just simply moving slowly. A common characteristic of a student in the blue

regulation zone was a student who was not misbehaving, but just seemed off and not themselves.

Lastly, was the red zone which describes a student who was angry, terrified, yelling, hitting, or

just out of control.

The data was pulled from the Zones of Regulation system by tracking the movement of

each color for each student. That is, the study monitored how many times each student got put

onto a particular color which revealed the effectiveness of the music intervention or the lack

thereof. For instance, if Student One during the control week was constantly on the color yellow

or blue, but after the week of music intervention the student stayed on the color green, that shows

that the music intervention was effective for that student.

The data was organized into a chart that divided each student into a row with each Zone

of Regulation color following (Figures 4 & 5). If or when the student changed zones, then a tally

mark will be added to the corresponding color column. This process was followed for each of the

six autistic students within the class. The other two students in the class, although important,

were not relevant to the research since they did not have autism. After collecting the total of each
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color zone for each student, the data was presented in the form of illustrated graphs such as bar

graphs and pie charts.

Findings and Implications

As previously stated, the study took place in the self-contained classroom at Stephens

City Middle School in County A that had a total of eight students, six being students diagnosed

with Autism. Although all six had Autism, each student was different, especially when referring

to the various levels of Autism. For the sake of confidentiality, each student was referred to as

Student one, Student two, Student three, and so on. Keep in mind, due to the confidentiality of

Individualized Education Programs and other personal information, the levels of Autism at

which the students are referred to is solely based on personal observation.

Student one had a mild level of Autism, meaning they required support and were

restricted when it came to behaviors, especially repetitive ones. However, student one was

primarily non-verbal other than five to seven words and or phrases that have been developed

over years. Student two, unlike student one, had a moderate level of Autism as a result of an

orthopedic impairment that made the student wheelchair bound, yet student two had full range of

motion from the waist up with some fine motor disabilities. Not to mention, this student also had

cerebral palsy and was more non-verbal than student one. However, student two was very vibrant

and friendly. The next was student three who had a very mild level of Autism, meaning that

some behaviors were very repetitive in nature and restrict the student socially. In other words,

the student was functional in every aspect of life except when it came to picking up basic social

cues and due to the lack of understanding, some behavioral issues came to the surface. Together

with students one through three, student four was much like student two in having an orthopedic

impairment that made the student wheelchair bound. Along with being bound to a wheelchair,
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student four also had cerebral palsy, but is verbal. However, with the case of cerebral palsy, the

speech was segmented and sometimes unclear, but enough to function as a general student. At

this point, one could have come to the realization that although each student with Autism was

different, they also had a lot of similarities. Similar to students two and four, student five had

cerebral palsy, but not as severe a case as the others. Student five did however had frequent

seizures along with some muscle dystrophy that inverted the student’s legs which made walking

a little more difficult than usual. With all that said, student five was verbal to an extent, but was

primarily non-verbal. Lastly, was student six who had severe Autism, in addition to being

partially non-verbal. To clarify, student six had various words and phrases that could be clearly

articulated. However, some of those phrases were personal to the student, meaning the phrase

was specific to home and would only be understood after getting to know the student personally.

Also, student six had severe behavioral issues that resulted in violent outburst to where the

student was almost uncontrollable.

After the conclusion of the study, results showed an overall positive effect on the group

of students with Autism (Figures 1 & 2). Unlike most, student one showed no changes in

behavior over the course of the study, however student one had all green behavior prior to the

intervention so the behavior did not need to change. Student two prior to the music intervention

was on the color green for four of the five days of the week and had one day on yellow. As a

result of the music intervention, the student was able to maintain a green behavior standard all

five days of the week, thus showing the first sign of positive results. Similar to student two,

student three maintained a green behavior for three of five days and spent two days on yellow

per the Zones of Regulation chart.

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Following the music intervention, student three improved by maintaining a green

behavior for four days rather than three days like before. Like student one, student four’s

behavior did not change over the course of the study, but they had preserved their green behavior

habits all week showing no negative repercussions of the study. Coincidentally, student five’s

data mirrors that of student three in that they both gained one more day of green behavior while

dropping a day of the color which in this student’s sense would be the blue behavior. Despite the

progress made by each of the six students, student six showed the most improvement by not only

gaining another day of green behavior, but also eliminating a day of red behavior which means

out of control behaviors were occurring.

Due to the results of the research, other educators in the field of special education should

conduct similar research on the effect of music on the behavior of students with other disabilities

such as intellectual disabilities where research lacks. Despite the fact that music has been proven

as a positive intervention technique, but not necessarily an educational technique, justifies the

need for more research. According to the data, each student that did not already have all five

days on green prior to the intervention, spent one more additional day on the color green than the

week before the intervention or the student spent one less day on the color red, meaning out of

control.

The study is believed to have resulted in positive outcomes because based on the research

design and the data, no student showed any decline in their behavior as a result of the music

intervention. With that being said, the fact that no student showed a decline re-emphasizes the

point that music is in fact an effective intervention tool, just not a proven education tool. As a

result of the positive outcome of the study, it allows for educators to begin to open their

classrooms to music intervention when dealing with students that stem from unacceptable
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behavior. Not to mention that since the music actually altered the mood of the student, the

student feels empowered because they have the sense that they are responsible for the correction

of their behavior.

Graphic to Display Data Analysis / Findings

Figure 1: Control Week Data [No Music]

Figure 2: Week of Music Intervention Data

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Figure 3: Male to Female ratio within Stephens City Middle School’s self-contained classroom.

Figure 4: Daily tallies of the students within the Zones of Regulation (Control Week)

Students Green Yellow Blue Red

1 5 0 0 0

2 4 1 0 0

3 3 2 0 0

4 5 0 0 0

5 3 0 2 0

6 2 0 0 3

Figure 5: Daily tallies of the students within the Zones of Regulation (Music Intervention Week)

Students Green Yellow Blue Red

1 5 0 0 0

2 5 0 0 0

3 4 1 0 0

4 5 0 0 0

5 4 0 1 0
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6 3 0 1 1

Segment H: Limitations of Study

Although further research is recommended before making music intervention a

widespread implementation across education because of the lack of research on other disorders

and music. That is, the lack of research on the effects of music on the behavior of students with

other disorders does not give an accurate picture of the impact of music in special education.

Like the previous limitation, this study was conducted on one specific class at a specific school,

therefore halting the number of students involved. Like mentioned before, this study took place

in a school in southwest Virginia which is a primarily rural area. With that said, this research was

confined to students from rural area which excluded the effects of music intervention on students

from more urban or metropolitan areas. Not to mention, that rural communities typically have

minimal diversity within the population, therefore the current study has no data to support the

effects of music on the remaining ethnic populations.

Suggestions for Future Study

When referencing this topic, future research studies should look into the effects of music

on the behavior of students with disorder other than Autism. More importantly, disorders

associated with the fourteen disorders recognized by the Virginia Department of Education. In

order to maximize the number of students involved in a study as influential as this one, future

studies should span over multiple grade levels, thus acquiring more data that allows for

researchers to get a more accurate depiction of the impact of the music intervention. Also,

research in regards to music intervention should be conducted in a similar classroom setting, but

targeting students that come from a more urban or metropolitan population. Studies including

those populations would be beneficial in order to determine whether students in special

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education have varying responses to music dependent on where they come from. Due to the

study being conducted solely in southwest Virginia which has a minimal diversity within the

population, future studies should conduct similar research, but in areas that has a more diverse

population, meaning areas that possess more ethnicities.

Appendices

Appendix A: This is a picture of the criteria for the Zones of Regulation chart.

Appendix B: This figure is an example of the Zones of Regulation chart that is on the desk of

each student as a visual reminder of what color they are.

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