Exploring the Potential Effectiveness of Music Listening on Reducing Overstimulation in Adults with an Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

This thesis aims to explore the potential of music listening to reduce or prevent overstimulation in adults with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While autism spectrum disorders may be associated with special skills (e.g., absolute pitch), individuals with an ASD frequently experience a variety of limitations, including sensory issues and overstimulation. Music listening deems to be an interesting approach for reducing such limitations, as several studies have suggested musical training as a tool to enhance various cognitive functions. Due to a significant lack of research in the field of autism, however, a literature review will not be sufficient for studying the effectiveness of music listening on overstimulation in adults with autism. Therefore, this thesis encompasses a combination of a literature review and survey research, including an experiment to test the effectiveness of different sound fragments on the levels of calmness and overstimulation. The experiment results suggest that, of all conditions (i.e., background noise, simple music, complex music, and music of choice), the ‘music of choice’ condition has yielded the most positive outcomes, implying a correlation between musical preference, calmness, and overstimulation. When looking into the optimal conditions for minimizing overstimulation in adults with an ASD, it appears that this cannot be predetermined, as this mainly depends on variable components (e.g., musical preference, level and cause of overstimulation, sensitivity to stimuli, emotional state of mind). Nevertheless, several patterns have been identified, indicating that listening to loud, familiar, and repetitive music may be beneficial for reducing overstimulation in adults with autism. Further research is essential in order to achieve optimal results.