(Catherine, et al. 2010) 自閉症と歌

The Therapeutic Effects of Singing in Neurological Disorders

Catherine Y. Wan, Theodor Rüber, Anja Hohmann, and Gottfried Schlaug
Music Percept. 2010 April 1; 27(4): 287–295.

Autism

Another condition whose symptoms can potentially be helped by singing is autism. It has been estimated that this condition affects about 1% of the population (Williams, Higgins, & Brayne, 2006). Autism is characterized by impairments in expressive language and communication, with some affected individuals completely lacking functional speech (Tager-Flusberg, 1997). Individuals with autism have superior auditory processing abilities (e.g., Heaton, 2003; Heaton, Hermelin, & Pring, 1998) and often exhibit strong interests in learning and making music (e.g., Hairston, 1990; Trevarthen, Aitken, Paoudi, & Robarts, 1996).
To date, only two case studies have described the positive effects of singing on the development of speech in children with autism. One study used an adapted version of MIT involving intoned questions and statements (Miller & Toca, 1979). Another study reported using pitch matching and singing to encourage vocalizations, which eventually led to the articulation of words (Hoelzley, 1993). Although the results of these single case studies are encouraging, the efficacy of these methods have to be tested in a controlled design that would allow us to determine whether these approaches can be generalized to a broader population of affected individuals, and whether effects in the trained words/phrases transfer to untrained items. Further research testing the efficacy of singing in autism is therefore warranted.
An intervention that is specifically designed to help children with autism to develop expressive language is currently being tested (Wan et al., 2009; Wan, Demaine, Zipse, Norton, & Schlaug, 2010). Known as auditory-motor mapping training (AMMT), this intervention involves three main components―singing, motor activity, and imitation―that engage a presumed dysfunctional human mirror neuron system that is believed to underlie some of the communication deficits in autism (Wan et al., 2010). First, singing engages a bilateral fronto-temporal network more prominently than speaking does, and this network contains some components of the mirror neuron system (Brown, Martinez, Hodges, Fox, & Parsons, 2004; Ozdemir et al., 2006). Second, motor activity through playing a percussion instrument not only captures the child's interest, but also engages a sensorimotor network that controls oro-facial and articulatory movements (Meister et al., 2003; Meister, Buelte, Staedtgen, Borooierdi, & Sparing, 2009). Moreover, the sound produced by the percussion instrument may facilitate the auditory-motor mapping that is critical to meaningful vocal communication (Lahav, Saltzman, & Schlaug, 2007). Finally, imitation through repetitive training facilitates learning and alters the responses in the mirror neuron system (Catmur, Walsh, & Heyes, 2007). Because AMMT enhances interactions between the auditory and motor systems, it may represent an effective therapeutic strategy through which individuals with autism can develop their communication skills.
The Therapeutic Effects of Singing in Neurological Disorders

神経疾患における歌の治療効果
自閉症児の会話能力の発達に対して歌うことの有効性を示した研究は、今日までに二つしか無い。限られた研究しか無いため、より一般化された研究が必要である。