An Unsuspecting Method Of Improving Communication Skills...

An unsuspecting method of improving communication skills for people with PPD. Section 1. How can music therapy help improve communication skills in children diagnosed with Autism, or other Pervasive Development Disorders not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS?) Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder, which is characterized by impaired social interaction, restricted and repetitive behavior, and the lacking in both verbal and nonverbal communication skills. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4th edition (DSM-IV,) characterizes children with PDD-NOS to have severe and pervasive impairment in the development of reciprocal social interaction or verbal and nonverbal communication skills, or when stereotyped behavior, interests, and activities are present, but the criteria are not met for a specific PDD. This disease is one of three on the Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) scale—along with Autism, and Asperger,-- is often referred to as atypical autism, and is differentiated only by not meeting the specific symptoms of the other two ASD’s. When engaging in a social in teraction, we must gauge the emotional state of the other person, in order to respond appropriately; we rely on auditory cues to do this. The communicative detriment found in ASD can partly be attributed to the ASD patient’s inability to interpret and/or recognize vocal intonation and gauge the attached emotion appropriately. The physiological processing and the ability to understand/interpret language are nearly