>
At least it BEATS math! Drumming should be taught in schools to help children cope with dyslexia and autism, scientists say
- Children with autism show reduced symptoms after 8 weeks of drumming
- Children also show fewer signs of hyperactivity and better control of emotions
Drumming should be taught in schools to help children cope with dyslexia and autism, new research suggests.
A scientific research project, supported by the drummer of the 1980s hit parade Blondie, Clem Burke, found that children with autism showed fewer symptoms after eight weeks of drumming lessons.
The researchers found that students who took two drumming lessons a week for eight weeks showed fewer signs of hyperactivity, inattention and repetitive behavior and showed better control of their emotions.
Burke, 69, was in the UK after playing Glastonbury and the Isle of Wight Festival.
He said drumming was a “very positive lifestyle” – despite evidence to the contrary from the deaths of famous drummers such as The Who’s Keith Moon and Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham.
Drumming should be taught in schools to help children cope with dyslexia and autism, new research suggests (stock image)
Describing the research project at the Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition in London, he said: ‘We found that the physical and mental properties of drumming are a very positive lifestyle.
“And it only gets better as you get older, as long as you can keep doing it.”
‘And we also notice that children with autism, for example, can handle simple drum exercises very well.’
He recommended that schools in the United Kingdom give drum lessons to pupils with autism.
For parents who might balk at a child saying they want a drum kit for Christmas, Burke said, “If a kid is motivated to do something like drumming, you don’t really want to stop the creative process.”
And modern drums can use electronics to minimize annoyance to neighbors, he said, muffling the loudest sounds so they can be heard through headphones.
The scientists, who published their research in PNAS last year, wrote: ‘Our study provides strong evidence that drumming not only reduces hyperactivity and inattention in autistic adolescents, but also enhances functional connectivity in brain regions responsible for inhibitory control and monitoring action outcomes.’
A scientific research project, supported by the drummer of the 1980s hit parade Blondie, Clem Burke (pictured with Debbie Harry), found that children with autism showed fewer symptoms after eight weeks of drumming lessons
Ruth Lowry, a Lecturer in Exercise at Essex University, who has been involved in drumming research projects, said: ‘We wanted to understand what happened when we taught children to play the drums.
“We saw changes in peer interactions – they became much more positive. There was less hyperactivity, less disruptive behavior, less anxious behavior in the classrooms.’
Brain scans of children learning to play drums showed “changes in brain structure and volume.”
She added: ‘Many more connections are formed in the brain, in areas such as the mirror neuron system, which are associated with pattern observation and repetition, which is usually delayed in autism.
‘It allows them to be absorbed in an activity, to concentrate. And they like to create complex patterns. Some of them have told me it’s about the math of it, which I find very curious. They talk about the idea of it as a language they can understand in terms of complex buildings.
“Others tell me it’s the idea that they can swerve and just focus on that one activity. That’s what Clem was talking about, that idea of getting into a state of flow.’
Studies of Burke playing the drums showed that the activity was also good aerobic exercise.