WHATS NEW

AT NASET ...

NASET’s Autism Spectrum Disorder Series

Education Through Music: Teaching Music to Students with Severe Autism Spectrum Disorder in Public Elementary Schools (Part 1)

By Aygul Hecht, Ph.D.

This issue of NASET’s Autism Spectrum Disorder Series was written by Aygul Hecht, Ph.D. In the US public school system, some students attend the general education classes, while others may receive instructions designed for students with special needs. Today, public school educators must adapt to educate students with disabilities (SWDs) in the least restricted environment settings. “Federal law requires that SWDs be educated in separate settings only when the nature or severity of their disabilities is such that the regular educational environment is not practical, even with the use of supplementary aids and services.” (Overview of Special Education in California, 2013). The special education teachers are trained and educated to teach students with different disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but meanwhile some other teachers, like music or art teachers, face a lot of problems due to lack of training and knowledge of teaching students with special needs. In this article Dr. Hecht will briefly describe what kind of problems faced when teaching students with severe ASD who were not qualified to be mainstreamed and why Dr. Hecht created and established the methodology to successfully teach music to exceptional students. This article will highlight only one aspect of the music lessons where it focused on teaching steady beats and rhythm to students with severe ASD.