Case Study: Nancy, 12 year-old with Autism, Anxiety and Aggressive behavior
Anxiety is a common issue among people with autism. This anxiety can manifest in many ways, including self-stimulation, tantrums, aggression, and social withdrawal, to name a few. The purpose of this study is to explore further if REI rhythms can have calming effects for children in a school setting with generalized anxiety and anxiety-based behaviors.
This case study is part of a larger formal study that was conducted with ten children between 8 and 12 years old over a eight-week period at a public school. Each subject listened to a single custom-made REI recording once a day in the school setting according to a schedule that we determined best for them. Most of the children had their recording played at times when their anxiety and anxiety-based behaviors were at their worst.
Since 1994, thousands of people have used an REI recording and no observances of long-term negative reactions have been demonstrated. Any transient negative responses to the recordings have been alleviated by withdrawing the recording for two or three days or by turning the volume down to a barely audible level.
Nancy: Age 12; Female; Aggressive and non-compliant, extroverted, highly verbal.
Nancy was a highly verbal, though often inappropriate, extroverted, non-compliant and somewhat physically aggressive 12 year-old. Nancy was quite a force. She entered the room singing a Disney movie song. She engaged with me to the extent that she sang and danced around me, so I just jumped in playing. I started with basic calming rhythms, which had no impact initially as she kept on singing and tried