Utjecaj glazboterapije na socijalnu komunikaciju u osoba s poremećajima iz spektra autizma

The main characteristic of people with autism spectrum disorder are social communication difficulties that arises because of their inability to understand their environment and any interaction with it causes a sense of fear and anxiety, the consequence of which is withdrawal and development of antisocial patterns of behavior such as stereotypical and obsessive actions. The main task of all practitioners working with people with autism spectrum disorder is to discover the way in which a client perceives the world around him and help him bridge the gap between his own world and the outside world. Music therapy is the use of music and its elements as interventions in health, education and everyday conditions with individuals, groups, families or social groups to improve physical, social, communicative, emotional, intellectual and spiritual health and well-being. It is based on a clear structure that consists of assessment, treatment and evaluation and is conducted by a licensed music therapist. In music therapy, we differentiate several models and techniques used by the music therapist with the aim of developing a therapeutic relationship with the client. Numerous empirical studies have shown that people with autism spectrum disorder exhibit an unusual interest in music, with often intact or even superior hearing ability, melody memory and understanding of the rules of music, melody and rhythm structure. Music therapy, especially improvisational models of music therapy, stimulate social communication and can be a pleasant, safe and motivating environment for developing interactions with people with autism spectrum disorders. The aim of this paper is to examine the complex interplay of music therapy and social communication in people with autism spectrum disorder. For this purpose, an overview of the current research in this area is provided by using web portals such as Hrcak, Google Scholar, EBSCO, Scopus etc. The results of scientific research and case studies have been dealt with descriptively with a special emphasis on improvisation as a method of music therapy most commonly used working with people with autism spectrum disorder which represents the means of achieving communicational exchange which can stimulate further development of social communication in this population. An overview of the results of the studies available in this problem area has shown that most of the music therapy interventions have had a positive impact on the elements of social communication such as: joint attention, eye contact, concentration, vocalization, verbal and nonverbal communication and greater co-operation and interactive behavior of children and adults with autism spectrum disorder. There is a great lack of randomized, controlled studies on a larger sample of subjects that will follow the generalization of the change outside of the therapeutic context itself and their retention after the end of the therapy. Regardless of the above-mentioned limitations of previous research, the positive impact of the use of music therapy interventions at the various levels of social communication can be observed and the need to carry out further research in order to conceive suitable therapeutic programs, methodological approaches and standardized assessment system is emphasized. The findings thus obtained would be a valuable contribution to the inclusion of music therapy as a complementary therapy in the field of holistic support for people with autism spectrum disorder.