A Case Study: Indian Ragas Adjunct to Floor Time Therapy for of a Child with Autism

Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder characterized by abnormal functioning in social interaction, communication, and restricted, repetitive behaviors. Efforts have been made to meet the rising demands for innovative therapeutic services that can give autistic children to develop intellectually, socially and to discover their talents & cope with their challenges. One such therapeutic module is “Floor time therapy”. It is a component of the comprehensive Developmental, Individual-difference, Relationship-based intervention and assumes that language, cognition, emotional and social skills, are learned through relationships that involve emotionally meaningful exchanges, children vary in their underlying motor and sensory processing capacities, and progress in all areas of development is interrelated. The tools were used Developmental Screening Test, Indian adaptation of Vineland Social Maturing Scale and Indian Scale for Assessment of Autism. The therapeutic potential of Indian ragas has been well documented in the treatment of various psychological problems. Ragas are believed to affect specific chakras or energy centers and create an atmosphere of harmony in the body. The result shows that the potential ragas were played in a pre-planned sequence during the Floor time therapy sessions. Integration of these two therapeutic techniques showed positive results.