Music Therapy for ADHD: Benefits & How to Get Started

What Is ADHD?

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that usually begins in childhood and lasts throughout adolescence. While some people have high functioning ADHD, other individuals may find their ADHD symptoms debilitating. Symptoms include restlessness, inability to focus, impulsive behavior, and difficulty maintaining emotional stability. Treatment options include medication, behavioral therapy and lifestyle changes.

What Is Music Therapy?

Music therapy is a form of treatment that uses music within therapeutic interactions to increase physical and mental well-being. It is beneficial to a variety of people including those with Alzheimer’s, autism and ADHD. An early reference to music therapy was found in a magazine article from 1789.¹ It began to gain more support in the 1900’s and is currently an established form of therapy.

Does Music Therapy Help ADHD?

Research studies suggest that music therapy can help people with ADHD to improve concentration, increase communication skills, and reduce mood swings.² It can also reduce co-occurring ADHD disorders, like anxiety and depression.² Music therapy has been gaining popularity as an alternative ADHD treatment because it is effective, non-invasive and easily administered at home.

8 Benefits of Music Therapy for ADHD

Music therapy provides many benefits to those with ADHD, because it helps to address both ADHD symptoms, and co-occurring ADHD disorders. One advantage of music therapy is that it can be incorporated into everyday activities to reduce ADHD symptoms that impair a person’s daily functioning. It can improve time management, mood swings and motor skills, while reducing anxiety and depression.

Here are eight benefits of music therapy for those with ADHD:

1. Improves Social Communication & Interaction

Music therapy integrates various techniques such as singing, creating music, instrument playing, and dancing, all of which requires a person to interact with others. Through these interactions, a person will begin to improve their communication skills. Additionally, by creating positive experiences of collaboration,  music therapy can help those struggling with ADHD and social anxiety.

2. Decreases Anxiety

Anxiety and ADHD are one of the most common comorbid disorders. Anxiety can exacerbate the symptoms of some people with ADHD and can decrease their ability to function daily. Relaxing music reduces sympathetic arousal and increases parasympathetic activity in the brain, which helps decrease symptoms of anxiety.³ For a person with ADHD, a reduction in anxiety can create a domino effect, resulting in a reduction of many of their ADHD symptoms.

3. Provides Routine

People with ADHD often struggle with time blindness and hyperfixation which can make it hard to see the big picture. On average, songs last for around three minutes, and can help a person to understand how much time is passing based on one song shifting into another.

4. Boosts Dopamine

Enjoying music gives the brain a boost of dopamine³ Some people with ADHD are neurodivergent, and produce less dopamine. Music therapy can give a person with ADHD a dopamine boost, which will increase their motivation and help them with ADHD-related mood swings.

5. Improves Memory

Music therapy improves memory and helps people with ADHD because it engages the brain in activities that stimulate short-and long-term memory, attention and focus, sequencing, problem-solving and planning.⁴ Music helps organize sound sequences, which in turn can improve concentration, sequencing and sequencing of letters, numbers or shapes to increase math skills.

6. Improves Sleep Quality

Music Therapy can improve ADHD related sleep problems and help to reduce insomnia. Sleep enhances cognitive function, which can help to reduce ADHD executive dysfunction, and help a person with ADHD to focus. Sleep greatly impacts mental health, and when a person gets the proper sleep they may see a reduction in their ADHD induced mood swings, as well as their comorbid symptoms, such as anxiety and depression.

7. Improves Self-Esteem

Music therapy involves a lot of musical assignments and projects, such as writing lyrics, and directing dances. When a person begins to see successes in their assignments and projects, they may begin to improve their self-esteem. Music therapy can also help to reverse low self esteem that they may have developed because of their ADHD related struggles at school or work

8. Promotes Calm

Music tempo physiologically impacts a person’s heart rate, blood pressure and breathing. Music therapy teaches a person what types of music would calm them, and when to take advantage of these physiological changes to calm down their nervous system when they are feeling stressed or anxious.

How to Find a Music Therapist

The first step would be to work with your insurance provider and see if music therapy can be affordable for you. Typically your provider will also be able to recommend clinicians within the network that accept your insurance. Next, music therapy comes in many different forms, and it is important to learn what form works for you. Do you prefer in-person or online therapy options? Do you work better one-on-one or in a group therapy setting? Finding the right therapist is a key part of ensuring therapeutic success, and so take your time in the search process.

What Does a Music Therapy Session for ADHD Look Like?

Music therapy sessions may include structured assignments or special projects, such as dancing, writing songs, or artistic expression. These sessions can run anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the client’s needs.

A typical music therapy session for ADHD may include some of the following exercises:

• Listening to personal playlists while completing a task
• Working on social skills with sound
• Developing auditory processing skills

ADHD Music Therapy Exercises to Try at Home

When your music therapy sessions come to an end, you may be asking yourself: “What else can I do at home to improve my ADHD?” One of the many benefits of music therapy is how portable some of the techniques are. Take the skills you have learnt, and begin to incorporate them throughout the week. The more you practice, the better you will feel.

Music therapy exercises to try at home include:

• Make a playlist: Playlists can help you tap into different moods to engage in different experiences. For example, a high energy playlist can help you get ready clean your home, while a mellow playlist can help you to focus or unwind from the day.
• Learn to play an instrument: Learning to play an instrument can encourage motivation and can help lengthen your attention span.
• Sing a favorite song: Singing engages your senses, which can help you regulate your emotions and serve as a grounding technique in the current moment. You can tap into your creativity to develop your own tunes or sing along to tunes you love!
• Write music: Writing music can help you process your emotions and have an outlet to organize your thoughts and feelings.

Final Thoughts

Music can be an effective strategy for improving your attention span and enhancing your mood by making it easier for you to manage stress and anxiety. For some, it may be the preferred primary treatment. For others, it may only be helpful in conjunction with behavioral therapy or medication. Finding what works best for you to help manage your ADHD symptoms is key.