The American Music Therapy Association National Conference Presentations Regarding Autism Spectrum Disoder and Inclusion

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is one of the largest-served populations in the field of music therapy. The purpose of this study was to investigate and analyze presentations given at the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) National Conference regarding autism, 7 preceding and 7 years following the definition change in the DSM (2006-2019). This content analysis looked at the different categories of presentations, as well analyzed the national presentations by key words, looking at how many presentations included (in the title or description) only ASD (n = 199), only inclusion (n = 36), or both ASD and inclusion (n = 7). Overall, presentation sessions had the highest number and Continuing Music Therapy Education courses (CMTEs) had the fewest presentations. Additionally, this content analysis sought to discover any trends in numbers of presentations based on the DSM-5 definition change of autism spectrum disorder, noting no significant trends. The results of this content analysis suggest more research as well as more presentations done at the AMTA national conferences. Approximately 40% of music therapists reported working with individuals with ASD (AMTA, 2018), suggesting that more options be available for music therapists seeking more information about ASD and inclusion.