A means of using technology to provide music therapy to autistic children is being developed by students entered in the Esat Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition.
Carolan Goggin (15) and Diarmuid Early (15), fourth-year students in Newtown School in Waterford, aim to develop the technology which will allow all teachers of autistic children to give them music therapy.
Existing music therapists, who use music to enhance physical and mental well-being, will then be able to work with more students, as individual teachers should be able to do some groundwork.
"This is not cutting out the need for music therapists completely, but it will mean they can handle a lot more work," explains Diarmuid.
The students say music therapy, which needs to be regular and structured towards certain goals, can be used as an effective means of self-expression for autistic children. It could also improve their sense of communication, as well as calming them.
The project is still in its theoretical stages, but the students hope to develop a website with online resources to help teachers who are learning the techniques of music therapy.
The link between music and intelligence was explored by three Transition students with strong musical backgrounds from Dominican College, Wicklow.
Martina Sexton (15), who plays the clarinet, Kim Bolger (15) and Seona Breslin (16), both piano-players, wanted to see if there was a connection between music and performance in mathematics.
In their review of related literature, they found research showing musical and spatial abilities share the same electrical route in the brain, which demonstrates a link between the two.
The girls believe their study verified this finding, as they discovered that students who study music achieved high results in mathematics.
They also looked at the effects of music on concentration. Music chosen by the students and played during a test has a calming effect, helping them to do better. When there was silence, students became more stressful and cheating increased.
When music the students hated was played, irritation and tension increased, making the students perform more poorly.
The girls hope to develop this topic further, because they say there is a lack of research in the State in this area.