A Thai quasi-experimental outpatient study found that a manualised music-therapy protocol could be delivered alongside speech-language therapy. Both groups improved within group; the augmented group showed numerically larger language gains, but between-group differences were not significant. Because it also received more total therapy time, modality-specific effectiveness cannot be inferred.
Key findings
- Intervention delivery and assessment were completed, supporting feasibility. Both groups improved in language within group. Gains were numerically larger with music augmentation, but between-group differences were not significant. Anxiety fell in both groups without significant differences.
Why this matters globally
Music-based rehabilitation may offer engaging, meaningful options in routine care. The study informs a dose-matched pragmatic trial rather than changing treatment guidance.
Thai researcher contribution
Music therapy, otorhinolaryngology, nursing, and fine-arts researchers at Khon Kaen University collaborated with a speech therapist at Khon Kaen Hospital to test a protocol in Thai outpatient practice.
Limitations to consider
The study was non-randomised; sample size and numeric outcomes are not reported in the abstract. Extra contact time creates dose confounding, analyses were exploratory, and a trait-anxiety measure may be insensitive to short-term change.