Effectiveness of Music Therapy on Sensitivity, Memory, and Auditory Sequence of 7 to 9-Year-Old Girls with Reading Disorder

Majid Akhshabi; Fariborz Dortaj

doi:10.18502/jimc.v6i3.12849

Majid Akhshabi Department of Educational Psychology, Allameh Tabatabai University, Tehran, Iran
Fariborz Dortaj Department of Educational Psychology, Allameh Tabatabai University, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jimc.v6i3.12849

Keywords: Auditory memory, Auditory sensitivity, Auditory sequence, Music therapy, Reading disorder

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of music therapy on the components of sensitivity, memory, and auditory sequence of 7 to 9-year-old girls with reading disorders.

Methods: The selected method for the present study was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design and a control group. The statistical population of the present study comprised 30 volunteer girls aged 7 to 9 (Persian speaking) with reading disorders who were randomly placed in experimental and control groups (15 people each). The experimental group participated in music therapy sessions for 30 minutes twice a week for four months. First, to increase their proportion of focusing on music little by little; second, to increase the speed of the music gradually during the sessions; and third, to replace the active method slowly with the passive approach and move the tendency of the selected melodies from monophonic and vocal-less texture to polyphonic and vocal orchestral texture.

Results: The data were analyzed using paired t-test. The results showed that the experimental group’s sensitivity, memory, and auditory sequence were significantly higher than those in the control group post-test (p<0.001).

Conclusion: Music as an applied method can effectively improve the auditory symptoms of children with reading disorders.