<p> Autism Spectrum Disorder is a Pervasive Developmental Disorder characterized by deficits in three main areas: social interaction, communication, and an intense resistance to change which could include repetitive, self-stimulatory behaviors according to the American Psychiatric Association (2000). The National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2012) defines a receptive language disorder as exhibited by an inability to understand the words of others, difficulties enacting verbal directives, and deficits in thought organization. These deficits can cause individuals to have difficulties while participating in school, home, and social situations, and may lead to problem behaviors. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2012) has linked receptive language disorders with other disabilities including Autism Spectrum Disorder (Hoch, 2012). Because this is a largely unexplored area, research is needed to find and support therapeutic techniques addressing deficits in receptive language. </p><p> Three young adult males between the ages of 14 and 22 with a primary diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder were recruited by flyer and word-of-mouth from Northern Colorado. This study employed a multiple baseline across participants with repeated measures design. There were a total of 6 experimental observations with each research subject. Behavioral coding was utilized to determine if there were any mean time differences between the sung and verbal directive conditions. </p><p> Because data was coded separately by the researcher and research assistant, Pearson's r was used to test inter-rater correlation through Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software (IBM Corporation, 2012). Pearson's <i> r</i> = + 0.997 signifying a positive correlation between the two coders. A Repeated Measures of Analysis of Variance was applied using SAS software to test for statistical significance between the verbal and sung conditions (SAS Institutue Inc., 2011). The RM ANOVA yielded no statistically significant results. However the <i>p</i> value of the statistic, <i>p </i> = 0.0769, was very close to the p value set for the present study, <i> p</i> &lt; 0.05. A power analysis revealed that if an average of 10.2 seconds with a standard deviation of 6.8 seconds remained constant after recruiting a total of 7 volunteer participants, then statistical significance could be reached. Even though statistical significance was not reached, trends in the data were discussed. </p><p> Overall there was a decrease in time between the verbal and sung conditions for each participant. However, this trend was not clear and variability was seen among the participants throughout the sung observations after separating and plotting the data on bar and line graphs. Future researchers should increase the sample size and eliminate inherent study design flaws to thoroughly test if there is a difference between the verbal and sung directives.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of group songwriting versus poetry writing on the self-efficacy of adults who are homeless. The study was conducted in the day center of an emergency shelter where participants took part in one of two conditions. The treatment condition consisted of a single music therapy songwriting session during which participants (<i> n</i> = 19) collaboratively wrote lyrics and composed the music for an original song. After the group performed the song together, with the use of handheld percussion instruments, the researcher facilitated a closing discussion. The control condition consisted of a single poetry therapy session during which participants (<i>n</i> = 14) collaboratively wrote a free-verse poem, recited it together, and concluded with a facilitated discussion. Results showed increased mean self-efficacy scores for both conditions, though neither group's improvement was significant. While there was also no significant difference in the amount of change exhibited by one condition as compared to the other, the music group did evidence a stronger trend of movement toward higher self-efficacy. Music participants had higher mean change scores on 4 out of 5 pre/posttest questions, as well as a higher overall mean change score (6% change as compared to 2% in the poetry condition). The products created in each session were analyzed for observable differences. Overlapping themes included: love, peace, happiness, unity, goals, change, positive thinking, and overcoming adversity. The songs composed by the two music therapy groups were written in verse-chorus form and produced between 6 and 8 unique, unrepeated lines. The poem written by the poetry therapy group was through-composed and produced 26 unique lines. The poetry group product also contained more themes, more sub-thematic material and greater complexity, as evidenced by more detailed explication of each idea. The unique strengths of songwriting and poetry writing in this setting were illuminated by their use in this study; specific goal areas best suited to each modality are discussed. Literature reviewed strongly suggests the need for additional research regarding the use of music therapy with adults experiencing homelessness. The results of this study suggest that both music therapy and poetry therapy are effective therapeutic approaches for this population and that songwriting specifically, may have distinct advantages in addressing self-efficacy.</p>