Sensory sensitivity and anxiety are often experienced by neurodivergent children. Repetitive physical actions are a common way to self-regulate and reduce anxiety, yet stigma attached to these actions can discourage people with sensory sensitivities from participating in public events such as concerts. Children with sensory sensitivities therefore often miss out on the social benefits of attending live concerts. This paper reports the results of two studies (for each = 20) investigating whether the predictability/level of internal repetition in classical music can be calming for Australian children aged 5–14 with sensory sensitivities. Study 1 utilized a one-on-one laboratory setting with live piano performance (two low repetition pieces, two high repetition pieces), whereas Study 2 used a group performance setting with a live cello performance (one low repetition piece, one high repetition piece). Proxy measures of anxiety and engagement were completed by parents/carers in both studies, and facial expressions and finger oximeter measures were also captured in Study 1. Across the two studies both music types had a calming effect compared to baseline, with Study 2 also indicating significantly higher interest, involvement, and enjoyment levels for high repetition music. These findings have implications for the use of music for children with sensory sensitivities in arts programming and therapeutic contexts.

中文翻译：

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音乐重复对感官敏感的儿童的镇静作用：两项实验研究的结果

神经分歧的儿童经常会经历感觉敏感和焦虑。重复的身体动作是自我调节和减少焦虑的常见方法，但这些动作所带来的耻辱可能会阻碍感官敏感的人参加音乐会等公共活动。因此，感官敏感的孩子常常错过参加现场音乐会的社交好处。本文报告了两项研究的结果（每项 = 20），调查古典音乐内部重复的可预测性/水平是否可以让 5-14 岁感官敏感的澳大利亚儿童平静下来。研究 1 采用一对一的实验室环境，现场钢琴演奏（两首低重复曲目，两首高重复曲目），而研究 2 采用团体表演环境，现场大提琴演奏（一首低重复曲目，一首高重复曲目） ）。在这两项研究中，焦虑和参与度的代理测量均由父母/照顾者完成，研究 1 中还捕获了面部表情和手指血氧计测量值。在这两项研究中，与基线相比，两种音乐类型都具有镇静作用，研究 2 也表明对高重复音乐的兴趣、参与度和享受程度显着提高。这些发现对于在艺术节目和治疗环境中对感官敏感的儿童使用音乐具有影响。