Does music therapy improve linguistic skills of children with dyslexia? a greek study

It is supported that intervention programs based on music therapy can enhance the linguistic skills of students with learning difficulties, and especially children with dyslexia. This is based on the assumption that there is an association between language and music skills. The present study aims at examining whether such a program can result in an improvement in linguistic skills of children with dyslexia, through the effect of music therapy on their Distinction of Graphs, Synthesis of Sounds and Distinction of sounds linguistic skills. For the purposes of this study, quantitative research method was chosen, using the methodological instrument ATHENA Test. The sample of the study consisted of 24 Greek elementary school children, aged between 5 and 8 years old, who have a diagnosis of dyslexia and have no prior musical training. These children formed two groups of students, the experimental and the control group. The results of the present study indicated that music therapy can help children with dyslexia concerning their ability in recalling words, but it may not be so efficient in their written - phonemic awareness. Overall, however, it was found that intervention programs based on music therapy can have a positive effect on improving the linguistic skills of children with dyslexia.