Analyses of Responses of Mentally Retarded Autistic and Mentally Retarded Nonautistic Children to Art Therapy and Music Therapy

Abstract

This study analyzed and evaluated responses to art therapy and music therapy of autistic children who were severely to profoundly retarded and nonautistic children who were severely to profoundly retarded. The Developmental Therapy Objectives Rating Form (DTORF, Wood, 1978) was used to rate the children on four areas of development: behavior, communication, socialization, and preacademics. The Systematic-Who-to-Whom-Analysis Notation (Swan, 1971) was used to obtain subject behavioral ratings in five categories: work, nonunderstandable verbalization/inappropriate work, contact received, observed teacher, and play. Findings indicate few significant differences in measures of behavior and development between the severely to profoundly retarded children who are autistic and the severely to profoundly retarded children who are nonautistic; however, during the experimental period the nonautistic children made greater gains than the autistic children in the four developmental areas. The nonautistic children did not sustain developmental gains accrued by both groups during the experimental period. Findings from the SWAN data, however, did indicate significant changes in behavior in three of the categories used. Findings indicate a significant increase in time spent observing the teacher (OT) from Time 2 (pretest) to Time 4 (post expermental), a significant increase in appropriate play (P) from Time 2 to Time 4, and a significant increase in acceptance of physical contact (CR) between observation Times 2 and 3 (posttest).

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