Cochrane · systematic review · CD004381
Music therapy for autistic people
Geretsegger, M, Fusar-Poli, L, Elefant, C, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2022 · Cochrane Library
SoF tableOnly the outcomes this review put in its Summary of Findings table are listed (the Cochrane Handbook caps them at about seven per comparison). Its other analyses are not shown here.
Questions
7
current version
GRADE rated
7
No studies
0
Included studies
NR
No studies 0 · 0%Ungraded 0 · 0%Very low 1 · 14.3%Low 2 · 28.6%Moderate 4 · 57.1%High 0 · 0%
Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.
Questions and results
Current version onlyMusic therapy compared with placebo therapy or standard care for autistic people
Population: individuals with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Global improvement Music therapy vs placebo therapy or standard care | RR 1.22 [1.06, 1.4] | 8 studies · 583 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias |
Social interaction Music therapy vs placebo therapy or standard care | no estimate extracted | 12 studies · 603 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Non‐verbal communication Music therapy vs placebo therapy or standard care | no estimate extracted | 7 studies · 192 participants | Low Downgraded: imprecision |
Verbal communication Music therapy vs placebo therapy or standard care | no estimate extracted | 8 studies · 276 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Quality of life Music therapy vs placebo therapy or standard care | no estimate extracted | 3 studies · 340 participants | Moderate Downgraded: imprecision |
Total autism symptom severity Music therapy vs placebo therapy or standard care | no estimate extracted | 9 studies · 575 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias |
Adverse events Any serious or non‐serious adverse event Music therapy vs placebo therapy or standard care | RR 1.52 [0.39, 5.94] | 2 studies · 326 participants | Moderate Downgraded: imprecision |
Music therapy compared to 'placebo' therapy or standard care for autism spectrum disorder
Population: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Social interaction ‐ Generalised (outside sessions, daily life) CARS, PDDBI, Vineland SEEC, SRS Music therapy vs 'placebo' therapy or standard care | no estimate extracted | 3 studies · 57 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias |
Communicative skills: non‐verbal ‐ Generalised (outside sessions, daily life) CARS, ESCS, MBCDI‐W&G Music therapy vs 'placebo' therapy or standard care | no estimate extracted | 3 studies · 57 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Communicative skills: verbal ‐ Generalised (outside sessions, daily life) CARS, MBCDI‐W&G Music therapy vs 'placebo' therapy or standard care | no estimate extracted | 2 studies · 47 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Initiating behaviour ‐ Non‐generalised Requesting (initiating joint attention), imitation of engagement frequency, requesting behaviour Music therapy vs 'placebo' therapy or standard care | no estimate extracted | 3 studies · 22 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias |
Social‐emotional reciprocity ‐ Non‐generalised Emotional and musical synchronicity, frequency, and duration Music therapy vs 'placebo' therapy or standard care | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 10 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Social adaptation ‐ Non‐generalised Interaction (engaging in joint attention), compliant or non‐compliant response frequency, no response frequency, on‐task behaviour Music therapy vs 'placebo' therapy or standard care | no estimate extracted | 3 studies · 22 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias |
Quality of parent‐child relationship MPIP, PCRI Music therapy vs 'placebo' therapy or standard care | no estimate extracted | 2 studies · 33 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
CI: Confidence interval Music therapy vs 'placebo' therapy or standard care | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |