Abstract
Many children on the autism spectrum have difficulty developing prelinguistic skills
such as joint attention, purposeful vocalization, and gesture, which are strongly
related to later expressive and receptive language development. This systematic
review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of music-based interventions in
supporting the development of these foundational prelinguistic skills in young
children on the autism spectrum. Five databases were searched, yielding a total of
332 results. Five articles ultimately met criteria for inclusion. Results of these studies
were mixed, with studies in which the intervention was delivered by a professional
rather than a caregiver yielding more positive results. Additional research with larger,
more representative samples and more robust experimental designs is needed
before strong conclusions about the effectiveness of music-based interventions can
be drawn.
Faculty Advisor
Dr. Qiang Li
Department/Program
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Submission Type
online only poster
Date
4-12-2026
Rights
Copyright the Author(s)
Recommended Citation
Serrano, Blythe
(2026)
"Can Music-Based Interventions Improve the Prelinguistic Skills of Young Children on the Autism Spectrum? A Systematic Review,"
SACAD: Scholarly Activities: Vol. 2026, Article 96.
Available at:
https://scholars.fhsu.edu/sacad/vol2026/iss2026/96
