Understanding awareness of music therapy in parents of children with special needs in India: A survey study

Introduction: Music therapy (MT) services for children with special needs in India are limited. Understanding the current level of parental knowledge of music therapy and their willingness to include it in a child’s habilitation program may ascertain the need for parent education and could help to make music therapy feasible and accessible to Indian parents. Hence, a preliminary survey was undertaken to investigate various aspects of parental awareness about music therapy. Method: Twenty-one item self-report questionnaire was developed and validated. The questionnaire was administered to 80 parents residing in various cities of Maharashtra who had children with special needs who were being administered therapies other than music therapy. The parents had a minimum education of 10th grade with proficiency in English. Results: Statistical analysis revealed that parents had some level of pre-existing knowledge about music therapy and were willing to include music therapy in their child’s treatment. Parents with higher educational levels and annual family income were significantly more aware of the term music therapy. Parents who had heard of music therapy were more likely to include music therapy in their child’s habilitation. Motivations that drew parents’ willingness have been described in detail. Discussion: Parents of children with special needs in urban parts of Maharashtra are positively inclined towards music therapy. They are willing to include music therapy in their child’s habilitation provided the structure of these services to complement their needs. Nevertheless, there remains a need for increasing awareness about the versatility and the scope of music therapy.