Can music therapy help autistic kids speak better?
NCT ID NCT06110884
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested whether adding group music therapy to standard speech therapy helps autistic children aged 3-5 improve their language and social skills. Forty children were split into two groups: one got music therapy plus usual speech therapy, the other only speech therapy. After 8 weeks, researchers measured language ability, emotional behavior, and parent-child stress.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- music therapy
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, enjoyable way to boost speech and social skills in young autistic children.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 40 children, so results may not apply to everyone. Music therapy may not help all children with autism.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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40 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jan 2024
- Finished
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Aug 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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3 to 5 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * children with autism * aged 3-5 y/o * children with speech delay (T-score of Preschool Language Scale \< 40) * Mandarin as first language Exclusion Criteria: * children with other neurological diseases * children without verbal output * children with articulation or voice disorder
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-chu branch
Hsinchu, 300, Taiwan
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can exercising in a group boost balance in children with autism?
- Can visual cues unlock sentence building in children with language delays?
- Can the pace of speech therapy make a difference for kids with cleft palate?
- Can more frequent speech therapy sessions help children speak clearly faster?
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