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BACKGROUND	Limited capacity for social engagement is a core feature of autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) , often evident early in the child 's development .
BACKGROUND	While these skills are difficult to train , there is some evidence that active involvement in music-making provides unique opportunities for social interaction between participants .
BACKGROUND	Family-centred music therapy ( FCMT ) endeavours to support social engagement between child and parent within active music-making , yet the extent of benefits provided is unknown .
OBJECTIVE	This study investigated the impacts of FCMT on social engagement abilities .
METHODS	Twenty-three children ( 36-60 months ) with severe ASD received either 16 weeks of FCMT in addition to their early intervention programmes ( n = 12 ) , or their early intervention programme only ( n = 11 ) .
METHODS	Change in social engagement was measured with standardized parent-report assessments , parent interviews and clinician observation .
RESULTS	Intention-to-treat analysis for the Vineland Social Emotional Early Childhood Scale indicated a significant effect in favour of FCMT .
RESULTS	Thematic qualitative analysis of the parent interviews showed that the parent-child relationship grew stronger .
CONCLUSIONS	FCMT improves social interactions in the home and community and the parent-child relationship , but not language skills or general social responsiveness .
CONCLUSIONS	This study provides preliminary support for the use of FCMT to promote social engagement in children with severe ASD .

