47
Conclusion
Language retardation involves far more than a failure
to speak. Language is based on a set of organizing principles
and words must be coded and categorized in order to be under
stood and used. Music, which must be organized in a similar
manner, provides an opportunity for the autistic child to
bring elements of his being into reality in a significant and
meaningful way, Perhaps the reason for the unresponsiveness
of the au tistic child is because so much of what he hears
is meaningless to him. Music can help him to increase his
attention to verbal stim uli and to provide a basis for under
standing the abstractions involved. Nathan has stated, "if
the right cerebral-hemisphere knows something the left does
not, then where does "I" come in?"'*'
Communication is essential for the person to live in
relationship with others and language is one of our most
human methods of communicating. The longer the au tistic
child stays in a state of non-language, the greater are the
chances that he w ill remain separate from the rest of the
world