Table 1. Baseline Characteristics of the Sample.
| Characteristics | Enhanced Standard Care | Improvisational Music Therapy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Intensity | Low Intensity | |||||
| No. | Value | No. | Value | No. | Value | |
| Age, mean (SD), y | 182 | 5.4 (0.9) | 90 | 5.4 (0.9) | 92 | 5.5 (0.8) |
| Boys, No. (%) | 182 | 149 (81.9) | 90 | 78 (86.7) | 92 | 71 (77.2) |
| Native speaker of the country’s main language, No. (%) | 182 | 152 (83.5) | 90 | 78 (86.7) | 92 | 74 (80.4) |
| Maternal education, No. (%) | 180 | 89 | 89 | |||
| <12 y (less than high school) | 17 (9.4) | 9 (10.1) | 10 (11.2) | |||
| ≥12 y (equivalent to high school) | 64 (35.6) | 37 (41.6) | 31 (34.8) | |||
| University | 84 (46.7) | 38 (42.7) | 42 (47.2) | |||
| Unknown | 15 (8.3) | 5 (5.6) | 6 (6.7) | |||
| Paternal education, No. (%) | 178 | 87 | 89 | |||
| <12 y (less than high school) | 27 (15.2) | 11 (12.6) | 12 (13.5) | |||
| ≥12 y (equivalent to high school) | 54 (30.3) | 33 (37.9) | 28 (31.5) | |||
| University | 77 (43.3) | 34 (39.1) | 40 (44.9) | |||
| Unknown | 20 (11.2) | 9 (10.3) | 9 (10.1) | |||
| Maternal employment, No. (%) | 180 | 89 | 89 | |||
| Unemployed or social support | 29 (16.1) | 10 (11.2) | 9 (10.1) | |||
| Working part time | 41 (22.8) | 29 (32.6) | 22 (24.7) | |||
| Working full time | 36 (20.0) | 13 (14.6) | 18 (20.2) | |||
| Homemaker | 61 (33.9) | 30 (33.7) | 32 (36) | |||
| Other | 2 (1.1) | 3 (3.4) | 2 (2.2) | |||
| Unknown | 11 (6.1) | 4 (4.5) | 6 (6.7) | |||
| Paternal employment, No. (%) | 179 | 88 | 89 | |||
| Unemployed or social support | 7 (3.9) | 9 (10.2) | 3 (3.4) | |||
| Working part time | 11 (6.1) | 5 (5.7) | 2 (2.2) | |||
| Working full time | 136 (76.0) | 58 (65.9) | 70 (78.7) | |||
| Homemaker | 2 (1.1) | 0 | 3 (3.4) | |||
| Other | 5 (2.8) | 4 (4.5) | 2 (2.2) | |||
| Unknown | 18 (10.1) | 12 (13.6) | 9 (10.1) | |||
| Adults in household, No. (%) | 174 | 87 | 84 | |||
| 1 | 21 (12.1) | 17 (19.5) | 9 (10.7) | |||
| 2 | 137 (78.7) | 62 (71.3) | 72 (85.7) | |||
| >2 | 16 (9.2) | 8 (9.2) | 3 (3.6) | |||
| Siblings in family, No. (%) | 172 | 87 | 83 | |||
| None | 56 (32.6) | 16 (18.4) | 18 (21.7) | |||
| 1 | 77 (44.8) | 43 (49.4) | 43 (51.8) | |||
| >1 | 39 (22.7) | 28 (32.2) | 22 (26.5) | |||
| Diagnosis, No. (%) | 182 | 90 | 92 | |||
| Childhood autism (ICD-10 code F84.0) | 151 (83.0) | 78 (86.7) | 72 (78.3) | |||
| Atypical autism (ICD-10 code F84.1) | 3 (1.6) | 0 | 0 | |||
| Asperger syndrome (ICD-10 code F84.5) | 8 (4.4) | 2 (2.2) | 4 (4.3) | |||
| PDD (ICD-10 code F84.9) | 20 (11.0) | 10 (11.1) | 16 (17.4) | |||
| Previous music therapy, No. (%) | 177 | 8 (4.5) | 89 | 7 (7.9) | 90 | 1 (1.1) |
| ADOSa | ||||||
| Module, No. (%) | 182 | 90 | 92 | |||
| 1 | 103 (56.6) | 65 (72.2) | 56 (60.9) | |||
| 2 | 73 (40.1) | 25 (27.8) | 31 (33.7) | |||
| 3 | 6 (3.3) | 0 | 5 (5.4) | |||
| Score, mean (SD) | ||||||
| Total | 181 | 17.4 (5.2) | 90 | 18.3 (5.1) | 92 | 17.7 (5.7) |
| Social affect | 182 | 13.5 (4.3) | 90 | 14.4 (4.5) | 92 | 13.8 (4.5) |
| Language and communication | 182 | 3.3 (1.4) | 90 | 3.4 (1.5) | 92 | 3.3 (1.6) |
| Reciprocal social interaction | 182 | 10.2 (3.5) | 90 | 11.0 (3.5) | 92 | 10.4 (3.7) |
| Restricted and repetitive behavior | 181 | 3.9 (2.0) | 90 | 3.9 (2.0) | 92 | 3.9 (2.2) |
| SRS score, mean (SD)b | ||||||
| Total | 179 | 96.1 (29.5) | 89 | 95.5 (26.1) | 91 | 96.5 (28.5) |
| Social awareness | 181 | 12.4 (4.1) | 90 | 12.2 (3.6) | 92 | 12 (4.1) |
| Social cognition | 182 | 18.7 (5.9) | 90 | 18 (5.3) | 92 | 18.4 (6.5) |
| Social communication | 182 | 32.1 (10.1) | 90 | 31.9 (9.8) | 92 | 32.4 (10.6) |
| Social motivation | 182 | 15 (6.2) | 90 | 15 (5.0) | 92 | 14.6 (5.7) |
| Autistic mannerisms | 182 | 17.6 (7.1) | 90 | 18.1 (7.3) | 92 | 18.7 (6.9) |
| Quality of life, mean (SD)c | ||||||
| Participant | 181 | 71.1 (18.7) | 88 | 72.3 (18.5) | 88 | 71.9 (18.5) |
| Family | 181 | 68 (19.4) | 87 | 68.7 (21.2) | 89 | 67.8 (19.6) |
| Parent working reduced hours due to the child’s needs (in percent of full-time work), mean (SD) | 101 | 69.1 (31.1) | 42 | 67.9 (29.6) | 38 | 69.5 (30.5) |
| IQ source, No. (%)d | 182 | 90 | 92 | |||
| KABC | 3 (1.6) | 3 (3.3) | 2 (2.2) | |||
| Other standardized test | 107 (58.8) | 50 (55.6) | 53 (57.6) | |||
| Clinical judgment | 72 (39.6) | 37 (41.1) | 37 (40.2) | |||
| IQ, standardized test, mean (SD)e | 108 | 76.1 (27.4) | 50 | 73.4 (27.5) | 53 | 75.9 (22.7) |
| Mental retardation (IQ <70), No. (%) | 180 | 84 (46.7) | 87 | 44 (50.6) | 89 | 40 (44.9) |
| ADI-R score, mean (SD)f | ||||||
| Reciprocal social interaction | 182 | 18.2 (5.8) | 90 | 18.8 (5.6) | 92 | 18.0 (5.9) |
| Language and communication | 182 | 13.1 (4.3) | 90 | 13.3 (4.2) | 92 | 12.5 (4.0) |
| Repetitive behaviors and interests | 182 | 5.9 (2.5) | 90 | 5.9 (2.4) | 92 | 5.8 (2.1) |
| Early onset | 182 | 3.9 (1.1) | 90 | 4.1 (1.0) | 92 | 4 (1.1) |
| Child care, No. (%) | 182 | 90 | 92 | |||
| Attends school | 112 (61.5) | 56 (62.2) | 61 (66.3) | |||
| Full-time care (≥7 h/d) | 40 (22.0) | 19 (21.1) | 21 (22.8) | |||
| Part-time care (<7 h/d) | 19 (10.4) | 13 (14.4) | 6 (6.5) | |||
| None of the above | 11 (6.0) | 2 (2.2) | 4 (4.3) | |||
Abbreviations: ADI-R, Autism Diagnostic Interview–Revised; ADOS, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule; ICD-10, International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision; KABC, Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children; SRS, Social Responsiveness Scale; PDD, pervasive developmental disorder unspecified.
Higher scores indicate greater severity (ranges of possible scores: total, 0-37; social affect, 0-27; language and communication, 0-9; reciprocal social interaction, 0-19; restricted and repetitive behavior, 0-10).
Higher scores indicate greater severity (ranges of possible scores: total, 0-195; social awareness, 0-24; social cognition, 0-36; social communication, 0-66; social motivation, 0-33; autistic mannerisms, 0-36).
Assessed using visual analog scale. Higher scores indicate better quality of life (range of possible scores, 0-100; 0 indicates worst possible and 100 best possible quality of life).
IQ was assessed with standardized scales. If the child was unable to complete a standardized test, no quantitative IQ assessment was made, but only a categorical clinical judgment whether mental retardation (ie, IQ <70) was present.
Higher scores indicate greater cognitive ability. Scores around 100 indicate normal intelligence; scores below 70 indicate mental retardation.
Higher scores indicate greater severity (ranges of possible scores: reciprocal social interaction, 0-30; language and communication, 0-26; repetitive behaviors and interests, 0-12; early onset, 0-5).