Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT06110884

Music Therapy for Language and Social Skills in Autistic Children

This research is a single-blind randomized controlled trial, where the investigators plan to recruit 40 children with autism, randomly divided into two groups. The music therapy intervention group will receive an hour of group music therapy in addition to traditional language therapy. The control group will receive only traditional language therapy. The trial will last for 8 weeks, and participants in both groups will be assessed before and after the trial.

During the study, the investigators will assess the language abilities autism trait performance, adaptive function, emotional behavior, and parent-child stress levels.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Autism Autism Spectrum Disorder Autistic Disorder Child Development Disorders, Pervasive Communication Disorders Language Delay Language Development Disorders Language Disorders Mental Disorders Nervous System Diseases Neurobehavioral Manifestations Neurodevelopmental Disorders Neurologic Manifestations Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms Speech Disorders in Children

Age range

3 year–5 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-chu branch

Hsinchu, 300, Taiwan

About this study

This research is a single-blind randomized controlled trial, where the investigators plan to recruit 40 children with autism, randomly divided into two groups. The music therapy intervention group will receive an hour of group music therapy in addition to traditional language therapy. The control group will receive only traditional language therapy. The trial will last for 8 weeks, and participants in both groups will be assessed before and after the trial.

During the study, the investigators will assess the language abilities, autism trait performance, adaptive function, emotional behavior, and parent-child stress levels.

The study hypothesizes that music therapy can contribute to improving language development delays in children with autism and may enhance their language development. The investigators hope that this research can propose more diversified therapeutic methods for language development in children with autism.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • children with autism
  • aged 3-5 y/o
  • children with speech delay (T-score of Preschool Language Scale < 40)
  • Mandarin as first language

Exclusion criteria

  • children with other neurological diseases
  • children without verbal output
  • children with articulation or voice disorder

Treatment and study plan

music therapy, speech therapy

Behavioral

receive group music therapy in addition to traditional language therapy

Speech Therapy

Behavioral

receive only traditional language therapy

Primary outcomes

  1. Chinese version of the Preschool Language Scale (PLS)

    Time frame: 8 weeks

    assess the language abilities of children, minimum value 0, maximum value 83, higher scores means a better outcome

Secondary outcomes

  1. Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 1½-5 (CBCL 1½-5)

    Time frame: 8 weeks

    evaluate emotional behavior

  2. Parenting Stress Index

    Time frame: 8 weeks

    evaluate parent-child stress levels, minimum value 36, maximum value 180, higher scores means a worse outcome

  3. Checklist for Autism Spectrum Disorder-Chinese Version (CASD-C)

    Time frame: 8 weeks

    evaluate autism trait performance

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

National Taiwan University Hospital

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Effectiveness of Music Therapy for Speech Delay and Social Skills in Children With Autism

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Nov 1, 2023
Registry last updated
Jun 24, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.