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Neurodevelopmental
Roa & Ettenberger (2018) Music therapy self-care group for parents of preterm infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
This pilot study found that music therapy self-care groups for parents of preterm infants in the NICU reduced anxiety and stress while improving mood, highlighting the value of family-centred music therapy in supporting parental wellbeing alongside infant care.
Loewy (2015) NICU music therapy: song of kin as critical lullaby in research and practice
This review highlights how music therapy in the NICU supports premature infants and their families by promoting physiological stability, parent–infant bonding and neurodevelopment through evidence-based, family-centred interventions such as live singing and the use of the parents' voices.
Loewy et al. (2021) Assessing & treating trauma: music psychotherapy for parents of neonates
This article highlights how music psychotherapy can help parents of infants in the NICU process trauma, reduce stress and strengthen parent–infant attachment, providing a safe, supportive space through interventions such as the Song of Kin to foster emotional healing and connection.
Yang et al. (2022) The effect of neurologic music therapy in patients with cerebral palsy
This systematic review found that NMT, particularly rhythm-based interventions such as Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS®), shows promising evidence for improving gait, upper limb function and motor skills in people with cerebral palsy.
Janzen & Thaut (2018) Rethinking the role of music in the neurodevelopment of autism spectrum disorder
This review proposes that music engages relatively preserved auditory–motor networks in autistic individuals, providing a strong neuroscientific rationale for using NMT to support motor, communication, social and cognitive development in autism.
Thaut et al. (2015) Neurobiological foundations of neurologic music therapy: rhythmic entrainment and the motor system
This review establishes the neuroscientific foundation of NMT by demonstrating how rhythmic auditory stimulation engages auditory–motor networks to improve movement, speech, language, and cognitive functioning through rhythmic entrainment.