The impact of auditory rhythmic cueing on gross motor skills in children with autism.
Samah Attia El Shemy, Mohamed Salah El-Sayed
PMID 30154601WHAT IT FOUND
In 30 children with autism, a physical therapy program plus rhythmic auditory cueing showed better gross motor scores after 3 months than the same program without cueing.
Both groups improved, so cueing was part of a broader therapy plan.
Key findings
01Adding gait training with rhythmic auditory cueing to a physical therapy program produced better post-treatment gross motor scores than the same physical therapy program without cueing.
02Both groups showed significant improvement in all gross motor subtests and composites after treatment, with p=0.01 in the control group and p=0.001 in the study group.
03The study group received the full physical therapy program plus rhythmic auditory cueing, so the result does not isolate the effect of rhythmic auditory cueing alone.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The sample was small, with 30 children, so the results may not apply broadly to children with autism. All children could walk independently for at least 10 m without a walking aid, so the study says little about children with autism who need more assistance to walk. Children had borderline IQ and were able to follow verbal instructions, so the result may not apply to children who cannot follow instructions. The study group received the full physical therapy program plus rhythmic auditory cueing, so the result does not show the effect of rhythmic auditory cueing alone. Only gross motor outcomes were measured, so the paper does not show effects on communication, social interaction, or fine motor skills. Follow-up was 3 months after completion of the intervention, so longer-term effects are not reported.
Declared interests
No funding was received for this study, and the authors declare no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that rhythmic auditory cueing alone improves gross motor skills. The children who received cueing also received the same physical therapy program as controls, including strengthening, balance, gait, and stair training, so the result applies to cueing added to that program.