Dr. Kaplan’s Thoughts: Music and the Brain

Hi Everyone,

I was speaking with Dr. Kaplan this week about our @USAutism featured video on music and its potential effects on the brain and he wanted to share with us a section from his soon-to-be-published new book. The following excerpt offers an interesting and added perspective about the potential effects that music can have on the brains of individuals across the autism spectrum. Thank you Dr. Kaplan for contributing!

Daniel J. Levitin, New York Times best-selling author of This is Your Brain on Music, had written about individuals with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders), in his book, I Heard There Was A Secret Chord (2024). “About half of the musicians I know are on the spectrum, and they found that a music career is away for them to channel their neurodiversity into an acceptable form: the compulsions, the repetitive actions (like playing scales over and over again), the attention to minute details, the desire to be alone. Uncomfortable around people, they can perform for a couple of hours and then retreat into the solitary life they seem to prefer…Although they themselves may face difficulty in reading and understanding the emotions of others, music, and songwriting give them a way to explore and express emotion in a public and socially sanctioned way…Many people on the spectrum tell us they find comfort in music… many people with developmental disorders, never learned to understand sarcasm – individuals with autism spectrum disorders, and Down syndrome can't always process the difference between literal meaning and intended meeting.” My son has always loved music. If he gets upset, we start singing, and he relaxes, laughs, and calms himself down. There are daily routines that include reading books to him, as well as a variety of songs that we sing that include songs he listens to on his iPad.

(Written by Dr. Lawrence P. Kaplan, Ph.D. and shared with his permission.)