Music therapists believe that music and dance help a child build his sense of self.

One of the goals in music therapy is to find a way to quantify what would normally be recorded as clinical observations. The ability to quantify a child's response to music therapy would make it easier to determine if children with autism truly respond to music therapy, and, if so, what types of music therapy are most useful for them. The authors created such a quantification system based upon their knowledge of psychoanalysis and music therapy. The Music Therapy Coding Scheme can be used to record whether children become more interactive as a result of music therapy. Unfortunately, the coding scheme is complex and time-consuming, and the authors are currently working to develop a more streamlined check-list.