A Scholarly Review of Research on Enhancing Social Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Through Music Education

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show ongoing problems with social communication and interaction, plus limited repeated behavior patterns (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). These social skill issues make it hard to them to fit into schools and society. While common treatments like social skills training, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), and speech therapy are often used worldwide research suggests that music education could help boost social interaction in ASD children. But in Vietnam, this idea is pretty new, without many thorough reviews or practical how-to guides. Studies show that music education activities lead to better social skills in autistic children. Music helps improve eye contact taking turns, copying others, and starting social interactions. Most studies find that groups using music show much better results than those that do not. But how well music works depends on things like how it is done how long it lasts, if parents are involved, and each child's unique traits. Some big controlled studies have shown mixed results, which means we need more research to figure out the best way to use music. This review backs up the idea that music education could help develop social skills in autistic children. It suggests that teachers and experts should mix music into special education programs to boost social interaction and inclusion. The study also points out current research limits and suggests future research topics stressing the need for Vietnam-specific studies and the creation of special music programs for ASD children.