ABSTRACT
My introduction to David was indirect. His classroom was across the hallway from the music therapy room in the school for children with autism where I worked as music therapist. In sessions, I would often hear high-pitched squealing from outside and sometimes see a small struggling red-faced boy being held by staff as he kicked and screamed. On speaking with David’s teachers, I found them feeling frustrated and impotent: this five-year-old’s need for control seemed total and the moment he was asked to take part in an activity he didn’t choose, or an interaction with another child thwarted him in some way, he would disrupt the classroom, throwing over the sandpit and water trays, ripping the curtains, screaming continuously in a high-pitched squeal, and hitting and kicking any children or staff around.
