Autism and how rhythm is the key

Most people are familiar with some of the common symptoms of autism including hypersensitivity, echolalia, repetitive movements and behaviours, but that is barely the tip of the iceberg. Many people think that people with autism are emotionally flat and have little interest in social interactions. However, if you re-read some of my blogs, the clear answer for me is that, no, that is not the case. For me, any difficulty in displaying a lack of emotion is generally caused by a difficulty in planning the motor movements to show emotion, to smile, to frown, to speak, to touch gently. Most people may have once thought that I was once clumsy and uncoordinated. Yet, if you think about what is really happening inside my brain, what is actually happening is a really scary experience having to navigate my surroundings.

From reviewing childhood videos it was clear to see that my cerebellum was significantly smaller. For those who don't know, the cerebellum is the general purpose part of the brain that communicates with other neural systems (i.e. other peoples brains) and prepares for movement. Thus, deficits in my cerebellum have in the past impeded on my ability to plan some of my movements - to smoothly and quickly target an object with the appropriate force and direction or to calculate the path of the stimulus. Other things I noticed about my childhood is that I had a significantly larger head than most of my childhood friends which was most likely caused by inefficient pruning of unnecessary synapses. Lastly, connectivity with the brain is often different in people with autism and this is also apparent by my motor delays, difficulties with motor sequencing, planning, motor inhibition, and motor execution. On the other hand there have been situations where overconnectivity has resulted in static that makes communication between various brain structures. I've found in life that some movements are easy to execute whereas others are very difficult. It's not that I don't care or don't understand the world around me - it's like I'm trapped in my own body, trying to get the necessary words out.

I've found that music therapy has been a unique tool to help with my motor planning. Understanding rhythm provides me with a framework for planning my motor movements.. It tells me how long it should take for me to move my hands from position A to position B, and most importantly how to pace the movement that comes in between. Other musical elements which I have picked up include the dynamics - the loudness or softness of a sound - can cue the force of a movement. Of course, the style of the song I am playing increases my motivation to execute the movement.

Remembering how rhythm, dynamics, range, and style can affect motor coordination will be essential in helping you understand how best you can help me. Additionally, the use of live music will help you adapt musically to my needs in the moment.

Finally, life is short - be kind.