Accommodating Neurodiversity in Early Childhood Music Learning and Development

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Chasar, M. & Bakan, M. B. (2023). Accommodating Neurodiversity in Early Childhood Music Learning and Development. In The Oxford Handbook of Early Childhood Learning and Development in Music (pp. 838-861). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190927523.013.55

Publication date: 20 Nov 2023 Added to AutiHub: 10 Sep 2026 Type: Book chapter Article language: English
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Authors

Publication authors
2
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 2 (50.0%)
  1. Mara Chasar *
  2. Michael B. Bakan

Abstract

Abstract This chapter proposes practical foundations for a new approach to early childhood music learning and development (ECMLD), one that specifically foregrounds accommodating the needs and wants of children with autism spectrum conditions and other expressions of neurodiversity. The work’s coauthors have been collaborators on several neurodiverse music, research, and publication projects since 2009, at which time Mara Chasar was seven years old and a participant in the Music-Play Project, a program for children with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) and their families coordinated by Florida State University applied ethnomusicologist Michael Bakan. The centerpiece of the chapter is a prescriptive, pedagogical list: “Mara’s Ten Ideas for Accommodating Neurodiversity in ECMLD.” Following that list’s presentation, each of Mara’s Ten Ideas is explored individually through a dialogue-based narrative. The narrative follows Mara and Michael as they move progressively toward outlining an innovative pedagogical philosophy that privileges playful, neurodiverse, child-directed, open-ended, and improvisation-oriented group music-making.

Bibliography cited by this reference

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Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 12 Sep 2026 01:05.

Cited references
89
With a DOI
33
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
54
1 / 89 (1.1%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
56 / 89 (62.9%)
References with detected author names
33 / 89 (37.1%)
Without detected author names
56
Without a structured title
20
Without a stable identifier
48
References with raw author names still to review
15
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
50
From DOI or external metadata
50
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
15
16 / 50 (32.0%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 34 / 50 (68.0%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
1 / 50 (2.0%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 1 / 16 (6.2%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 1 / 40 (2.5%).
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