91原创

Cross-college innovation helps children with autism while providing high-impact learning experience

In an inviting space full of vibrant bold colors, fiber optic curtains, and a vibrating haptic chair, sounds of 鈥淩ow Row Row Your Boat鈥� and other popular children鈥檚 songs fill the air, and children with autism are becoming their own composers, learning to love music. 

This is the scene in the Sensory Room at the , where the music is theirs to alter as they see fit. When children like what they hear, they pause to listen more closely, smile, or dance. Other children focus intently as they explore the many combinations of sound available at their fingertips. Some young listeners take delight in adding a drumbeat or fast countermelody while others seem to prefer a calmer rendition of a familiar tune. As they listen, these children learn what they like to listen to and what they don鈥檛, providing a valuable glimpse into how they respond to musical sounds. 

The children are piloting a listening device developed by 91原创 researchers , a professor of music theory in the  within the , , assistant professor of  in the , and their respective students.

The professors鈥� divergent backgrounds were a complementary match for this innovative project that aims to better the lives of children with developmental disabilities. Together, they applied for and were awarded $50,000 from the Maggie E. Neumann Health Sciences Research Fund to advance their research. The fund specifically targets interdisciplinary research and innovation that aims to improve the lives of people with disabilities.