Disability Studies Perspectives on Music Therapy and Autism Spectrum Disorders. Reviewing Approach and Outcomes

Music therapy has acquired over the years a gradual process of medicalization generated by the need to provide evidence-based results in the treatment and rehabilitation of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Otherwise, the goal of music as therapy should not be to propose music as a kind of remedy or cure, but to promote relationships between individuals, to acquire a collective awareness thanks to the communicative potential of music. Modern approaches can rely on Disability Studies as a ground to move in this direction, in a humanistic perspective, centering on culture, orienting on resources rather than defects and discussing the roles of power in the therapeutic relationship. [This paper was published in: "Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference of the Journal Scuola Democratica 'Reinventing Education,' Vol. 2, Learning with New Technologies, Equality and Inclusion," 2021, pp. 607-616.]