This study describes and evaluates the possible stress experience of a child in his/her middle–childhood years during an social work interview in forensic practice. The possible use of a music intervention was investigated in order to alleviate the stress levels of a child while being interviewed. The function of a social worker in forensic practice is to gain information from the alledged victim about the alleged abuse during two to at the most three interviews. Various factors may influence this process. Children undergoing a forensic assessment are possibly experiencing residual stress as a result of the trauma he/she has experienced, his/her cognitive appraisal of the event, or the interview itself. Furthermore, the cognitive development of a child in the middle–childhood years also influences his/her statement. The research was aimed at determining: – the presence of stress in a child while being interviewed in forensic practice – whether the introduction of a music intervention during the interview in forensic practice can alleviate the stress levels of a child – whether a lower stress level in a child results in a more complete and applicable statement The experimental and the control group consisted of six participants each. They were obtained from the case load of the researcher. Participants were allocated to the experimental and control group alternatively in the order in which they were referred for assessment. The participants of the experimental group were exposed to Mozart’s serenade, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (Serenata no 13 in G major). The participants of the control group were not exposed to a music intervention. The data collection included: – Pulse and blood pressure measurement – A self–developed stress scale to evaluate the participants' bodily experience of stress – A self–developed rating scale to determine the participants' non–verbal stress–related behaviour – A self–developed rating scale to measure the qualitative aspect of the participants' statements The research results cannot be generalised due to the small test sample group. However, certain tendencies could be identified. According to the research results a child in his/her middle–childhood years does not experience excessive stress during interviews in forensic practice. This finding is based on the fact that the pulse and blood pressure measurements were within normal limits. However, the pulse rate of the experimental group was lower during the post–measurement. This could indicate that, to a certain extent, the experimental group's participants felt more relaxed. In addition, the presence of a music intervention had a positive effect on the behaviour of the experimental group's participants during the interviews, in that their behaviour was less disruptive. This may indicate that they felt more relaxed during the interview. The presence of a music intervention during interviews in forensic practice also appears to lead to a slightly better quality of statements. If a better quality statement can be obtained from the child it will result in better service to the courts and, indirectly, to the child. Further studies should follow up on these tendencies. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Un nombre croissant d’études indique que les interventions musicales (IMs) ont des effets bénéfiques sur les enfants et adolescents atteints d’un trouble du spectre de l’autisme (TSA). À ce jour, aucune revue systématique utilisant une approche méta-analytique n’a investigué l’efficacité des IMs sur trois des symptômes prédominants du TSA, soit le fonctionnement social, les comportements mal-adaptés et le langage. Dans ce mémoire, tous les 17 articles scientifiques comparant les IMs à des interventions non-musicales (INMs) ont été décrits systématiquement et évalués selon les lignes directrices de CONSORT. Onze études répondaient aux critères d’inclusion des présentes méta-analyses, chacune rapportant des mesures d’évaluations longitudinales ou d’évaluations pendant les sessions. Les résultats des méta-analyses ont démontré un bénéfice des IMs chez le TSA, particulièrement pour les mesures des comportements sociaux mal-adaptés. Une comparaison entre les IMs et les INMs indiquait un avantage pour les IMs comparément aux INMs en ce qui concerne les comportements sociaux, mais aucun avantage pour les comportements mal-adaptés non-sociaux et le langage. La revue systématique a révélé des lacunes méthodologiques des études évaluées, telles que des tailles d’échantillons restreintes, des durées et intensités d’interventions limitées, un manque d’information à propos des échantillons et des critères d’appariement, puis le biais d’attrition. La combinaison de cette revue systématique et des méta-analyses a permis une mise à jour de l’évaluation des preuves de l’efficacité des IMs pour les jeunes ayant un TSA, ainsi que de donner des recommandations aux chercheurs et cliniciens afin d’améliorer la pratique dans ce domaine. / There is considerable interest in using music interventions (MIs) to address core impairments present in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). An increasing number of studies suggest that MIs have positive outcomes in this population, but no systematic review employing meta-analysis to date has investigated the efficacy of MIs across three of the predominant symptoms in ASD, specifically social functioning, maladaptive behaviors and language impairments. In this thesis, all available peer-reviewed studies (n = 17) comparing active MIs to non-music interventions (NMIs) were systematically summarized and evaluated using quality assessment based on the CONSORT statement. Eleven studies fulfilled inclusion criteria for meta-analysis, which differentiated between within-session and longitudinal outcomes. The quantitative analyses results supported the effectiveness of MI in ASD, and particularly for measures sensitive to social maladaptive behaviors. Comparing between MI and NMI, the results were generally suggestive of benefits of MI over NMI for social outcomes, but did not find benefits for non-social maladaptive behaviors or language outcomes. The systematic review revealed important methodological issues present in these studies, such as small sample sizes, restricted durations and intensities of interventions, missing sample information and matching criteria, and attrition bias. Together, the combined systematic review and meta-analyses provided an up-to-date evaluation of the evidence for MI’s benefits in ASD children and provide key recommendations for future clinical interventions and research about best practice in the domain.