Frontiers in psychiatry
Music therapy and music-based support for autistic children: a neurodiversity-informed systematic review and meta-analysis
By Lu S, Feng H and Wang Z.
Abstract
Background
Music-based interventions, including music therapy, are widely used to support autistic children, but reductions on autism-related scales do not fully represent communication, participation, quality of life, or autonomy. We retained clinically interpretable outcomes while using a neurodiversity-informed framework to organize intervention goals and interpretation.
Methods
Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Wiley Online Library, EBSCOhost, and Google Scholar were searched from inception to August 5, 2026. Randomized, quasi-randomized, crossover, and controlled studies involving autistic participants younger than 18 years were eligible. Outcomes were grouped as social communication/interaction, language, adaptive function/participation, quality of life/well-being, and autism-related characteristics and support needs. Positive Hedges' g values favored the music-based condition. Random-effects models used restricted maximum likelihood estimation and modified Hartung-Knapp inference. Comparator intensity, technique, duration, and parent involvement were examined as exploratory moderators.