A case study using adapted activities from the proactive domain of the Sounds of Intent (SoI) framework, was conducted at a private autism centre in Malaysia. Four male students with Autism aged 5 to 7 were selected to be participants in this study. Music in the form of singing nursery rhymes accompanied by percussion instruments was employed. The purpose of this study was to observe how the use of percussion instruments impacted proactive musical engagement of the participants. Five types of percussion instruments were used namely bells, egg shakers, tambourines, small drums with drumstick and the maracas; and nursery rhymes were sung in English and Malay Language. Descriptors from the SoI framework’s proactive domain level 1 were used as the observation criteria. This study found that participants engaged in proactive musical engagements with the percussion instruments in their own ways. Observations found links to positive use in scaffolding and prompting techniques. The implication of this study is that the SoI framework is appropriate to be used in class with adaptations guided by recommended strategies to enhance the engagement of the children with Autism.
KeywordsAutismMusicZygonic TheorySounds of IntentSpecial Education
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