(ADED) Effect of Music on Driving Performance in Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder Compared With Neurotypical Individuals

Abstract

Date Presented 4/20/2018

Music may influence the environment to maximize performance in the instrumental activity of daily living of driving. Interestingly, preliminary results of an ongoing pilot study found no significant differences among classical, self-selected, and control conditions. Background music may be a tool to facilitate optimal driving performance in young adults with autism spectrum disorder.

Primary Author and Speaker: Brittany Goehmann

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Driving is an important step in attaining independence and developing work and social relationships because it provides people with an independent mode of transportation to do as they please and go where they please (Monahan, 2012). If it is known how to best control the vehicle environment to allow for safe driving, then people will be able to demonstrate safer driving and thus achieve independence through successfully performing the instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) of driving and community mobility (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2014).

The environment inherently provides sensory input, which may cause overresponsivity or underresponsivity in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and can negatively affect their behavioral response to a situation (Rodger & Ziviani, 2012). Sudden or abrupt changes in behavior as a result of sensory processing impairment can create dangerous driving situations, so it is important to modulate the environment to facilitate the IADL of driving and community mobility for individuals with ASD. The purpose of this ongoing pilot study was to investigate the effects of background music on the driving performance of individuals with ASD compared with neurotypical individuals.

METHOD: A quasi-experimental 2 (ASD/not ASD) × 3 (music condition: no music, light classical, and self-selected) factorial design was used. Ten participants were recruited through convenience sampling. Criteria for inclusion were diagnosis of ASD and either completion of driver’s education or 8–10 hr of driving simulator experience. Exclusion criteria were uncorrected vision impairments, age >30, history of motion sickness, and for the control group, no diagnosis of neurological or developmental disorder.

The dependent variable of driving performance was measured by a quantitative score from a standardized observational tool for driving, the Performance Analysis of Driving Ability (P-Drive). P-Drive scores are based on a four-point scale for the content areas of maneuvering, orientation, ability to follow regulations, and attending and responding to stimuli (Patomella, 2014). Participants were observed under the three conditions on a driving simulator route with critical events that were relatively the same. The learning curve was considered a covariate.

RESULTS: Repeated measures analysis of variance showed no difference in driving performance among young drivers with ASD when compared across music conditions (p = .272). Data collection is ongoing for the control group, with plans to compare the two groups. Limitations include a small sample size and not using actual on-road performance, although simulator driving is linked to on-road performance.

CONCLUSION: Although there were no differences in driving performance among the three music conditions for the ASD group, there are still key implications for practice. Findings suggest that background music may not hinder driving performance, providing contesting evidence against the common assumption that music is a distraction while driving. The final pilot study will compare driving performance among participants with ASD and a control group.

IMPACT STATEMENT: Identifying the effects of classical and self-selected music on driving performance provides practitioners with evidence-based knowledge of specific auditory sensory strategies that can be used to modulate the environment for individuals with ASD to create optimal occupational performance and to provide guidance for parents of teens with ASD as they start driving.

References

American Occupational Therapy Association. (2014). Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain and process (3rd ed.). American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 68(Suppl. 1), S1–S48. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2014.682006

Monahan, M. (2012). Assessing, treating, and preparing youth with special needs for driving and community mobility. In M. J. McGuire & E. S. Davis (Eds.), Driving and community mobility (pp. 383–391). Bethesda, MD: AOTA Press.

Patomella, A.-H. (2014). P-Drive manual and guidelines.

Rodger, S., & Ziviani, J. (2012). Autism spectrum disorders. In S. J. Lane & A. C. Bundy (Eds.), Kids can be kids (pp. 483–506). Philadelphia: F. A. Davis.