Public Health Grant Proposal: Music Intervention for ADHD in Australia

This grant proposal outlines a music intervention program designed to treat children aged 4-17 with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Australia. The project aims to improve attention, cognitive skills, and reduce hypersensitivity using music therapy. The proposal includes a comprehensive literature review on ADHD, its prevalence, causes, and the effectiveness of music therapy. It details the target population, the selection of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) as a funding source, and the program's structure, which involves a focus group receiving music and video interventions alongside academic sessions and a control group. The research will be conducted over eight weeks, with surveys administered to evaluate the intervention's impact on impulsivity, classroom behavior, and academic performance. A detailed budget breakdown is provided, including personnel and non-personnel costs. The project anticipates sustainable outcomes, potentially improving the quality of life for children with ADHD and fostering collaboration with relevant departments and schools.

Running head- PUBLIC HEALTH
Grant proposal for music intervention to treat children with ADHD
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Proposal topic
Application of music intervention for the treatment of Attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder among 14-17 year aged children in Australia.
Background
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder, primary
found in children, characterised by inattention and impulsivity or hyperactivity that interferes
with their development and functioning. It was initially known as Hyper Kinetic Disorder. The
most common characteristic features of HKD were overactivity, restlessness, distractibility and
short attention span while completing a particular task Cahill et al., 2012. ADHD was
specifically characterised by the DSM-R criteria during the late 1980s and considered
hyperactivity as the most consistent feature (Polanczyk et al., 2014). ADHD can be categorised
into three types that are mentioned below:
 Predominantly inattentive type
 Combined type
 Predominantly hyperactivity and impulsive type
The common symptoms of ADHD create subsequent difficulties for children to learn,
socialise, maintain interpersonal relationships and manage behaviour. Disagreements exist
regarding the number of people who are affected. Globally, ADHD is reported to be present
among 4.6 million children, belonging to the age group of 4-17 years (Efron, Davies &
Sciberras, 2013). It is thought to be prevalent among 6.8% children in the Australian community
(Al-Yagon et al., 2013). Furthermore, data from the National Survey of Mental Health and
Wellbeing suggest an 11% prevalence of ADHD among adolescents in Australia. Approximately

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0.5% children belonging to that age group had been prescribed stimulant medications during
2006-2007, for treatment of the disorder (Whitely, 2012). Repeated manifestation of aggressive
behaviour reduces self-esteem, increases chances of academic failure and school dropouts among
such children. Recent studies provide evidences that suggest the effectiveness of music therapy
in increasing attention, focus, strengthening of social skills and reducing hyperactivity among
ADHD children (Moffitt et al., 2015).
Recent data suggests that volume and musical distractions exhibit enhancing effects on
development of cognitive skills among those children (Smith et al., 2013). The studies suggest
that music therapy leads to an increase in the dopamine levels of the brain owing to shared
networks with essential cognitive processes (Jang et al., 2013). This results in enhancement of
attention, memory, and executive functioning. Therefore, it can be deduced that music therapy
affects the physical, mental, emotional, social, spiritual and aesthetical aspects of a person and
helps in improving their mental health.
Goal of the project
The purpose of the grant proposal is to support children and adolescents with ADHD,
who face behavioural and mental issues at home settings or schools that impacts their self-
confidence and learning capabilities. The proposal intends to increase attention, improve
cognitive skills and reduce hypersensitivity with the use of musical therapy among children aged
4-17 years, suffering from ADHD in Australia.
Literature review
This review of literature will discuss about the prevalence, cause and symptoms of
ADHD along with the effectiveness of the proposed intervention to reduce the symptoms and

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bring about positive behavioural changes among children. Numerous studies have been
conducted on ADHD in order to understand the effects of music on the cognitive performance of
hyperactive children. Several randomised controlled trials have found music therapy to be an
effective intervention for ADHD. An RCT recruited 235 children of whom 114 were subjected to
music therapy and 121 formed the control group. An analysis of the Complier Average Causal
Effect estimation method (CACE), showed promising effects among the sample in regards to rate
of reading correct words per minute, phonological awareness and secondary outcomes (Cogo-
Moreira et al., 2013).
Another study randomly assigned 29 children, aged 4 years to visual art and music
classes and determined the effects of music education on development of cognitive skills. A
partial replication attempt that compared no-treatment control to groups where music training
had been conducted showed no significant improvements in cognitive skills (Mehr et al., 2013).
The positive effects of music therapy on social interaction improvements were supported by
another study that recruited 23 children with severe cognitive disabilities of whom, 12 children
received family-centered music therapy. An improvement in social interaction was observed
among the children who were subjected to the therapy.
However, there was lack of improvement in general social responsiveness or language
skills (Thompson, McFerran, & Gold, 2014). Another systematic review also investigated the
impact of musical experiences on the neural structures associated with emotional regulation and
found that activation patterns in the brain when subjects listened to preferred and familiar music
(Moore, 2013). Thus, it can be stated that several evidences exist that confirms the effectiveness
of musical intervention. This forms the basis of the grant proposal.

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Research gaps
The research conducted by Cogo-Moreira et al., (2013) used a randomized control trial to
evaluate the effectiveness of music intervention on development of cognitive skills among
ADHD children. However, the research gaps are associated with the fact that some children who
formed the sample population had been enrolled in music sessions from early childhood.
Therefore, the effects of cognitive improvement could not be contributed to the intervention. The
research conducted by Mehr et al., (2013) had gaps in the observation of cognitive benefits due
to music classes that had been conducted for a longer period of time. The absence of general IQ
measure and the lack of direct effect assessment were other gaps associated with the study.
The most important limitation of the study conducted by Thompson, McFerran, & Gold,
(2014) was a small sample size and utilization of parent-report assessments. The parents were
non-blinded, which could have resulted in biased outcomes. The lack of specific information on
the type of music intervention included in the systematic review was a major research gap. Other
gaps lie in the inclusion criteria and use of western music as the stimulus (Moore, 2013).
Therefore, further investigation is required to assess the effects of music intervention on
improvement of cognitive skills and behavior among children with ADHD.
Target population
The target population that this grant proposal will aim to serve is children aged 4-17
years who attend school in the Australian Capital Territory (Canberra). There are more than
50,000 children belonging to that age group. All children who have been diagnosed with ADHD
(according to the DSM-IV criteria) will be considered as eligible participants for the program
(Fayyad et al., 2017). Around 50 participants will be selected across 10 schools from the region.

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Strategies used to select a funding source
The funding source was selected by researching online sources. Key search terms
included ‘children’, ‘ADHD’, ‘funding’, ‘disability research’, and ‘mental health grants for
children’. The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was selected as the funding option
owing to the fact that its mission was congruent with the purpose of the research proposal
(Ndis.gov.au, 2017). Although, the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and
Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) initially controlled funding of research studies for disabled
children, it is now controlled by the Department of Social Services (DSS). Funding is required in
order to ensure effective functioning of the operations. Locating proper funding is a tedious task.
Therefore, it was essential to have a well-defined idea about the research proposal.
Program summary
After selection of the prospective participants from 10 schools, they will be randomly
divided into 2 groups, each containing 25 students. The students in the focus group as well as the
control group will attend a 1 hour academic session, conducted by the teacher. The focus group
will be subjected to music and videos as distracters or interventions. On the other hand, there will
be no distraction in the control group. The children and staff will get adapted to the program in
the first week.
The music and video sessions will be introduced in the second week and will be
continued through the remaining weeks of the program. The General Radio Sound Level Meter
will be utilized to make the teacher turn on the video or the music when the children will be
instructed to begin their class work. The distracter will be turned off at the end of the work
period.

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The study will be conducted throughout by using behavioral intervention strategies. The
program will encompass several aspects such as, point systems with response coast components
and rewards, social reinforcement, classroom rules, time out, contingency privileges, and home-
based regular report programs. The participants in the control group will not be subjected to any
musical intervention therapy and they will continue the prescribed medications for ADHD
throughout the study. The academic performance and behavioral patterns will be assessed based
on the same test that will be employed in the focus group. This will help the research to ascertain
the effectiveness of music therapy on cognitive skill development of ADHD patients.
Evaluation
The research process will be based on a survey and the participants (focus and control
group) will be made to fill up the survey questionnaires thrice during the entire duration of the
research. The initial survey will be conducted before commencing the intervention in order to
evaluate the initial cognitive skills and behavioral ability of the participants. They will be made
to respond to the questions in between the intervention in order to evaluate the short-term effects
of music and video therapy on their cognitive development.
A final survey questionnaire will be distributed at the end of the research that will assist
in analyzing the attention paying skills, cognitive functions, general intelligence and behavioral
improvements among the participants. The evaluation will also consider feedbacks form the
teachers who used the intervention strategy and that of the parents of the respective participants.
On comparing the feedback with other cohorts, changes will be accordingly made in the
presentation.

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Time frame
The research will be carried out over a time period of 8 weeks. The surveys will be
conducted during the first, fourth and eight week of the intervention program.
Outcomes
The proposal aims to measure the following outcomes:
 Is music therapy associated with low impulsivity among children with ADHD?
 Does music intervention improve classroom behaviour?
 Does music intervention improve class performance?
Sustainability
This is a short term project as it will be conducted for a period of 8 weeks during which
the effectiveness of music therapy on cognitive skill improvement among ADHD children will
be evaluated. This project will be sustainable as a positive research outcome will help in
implementing music therapy as an effective intervention to improve the quality of life of ADHD
patients (Hahn & Kühnen, 2013). Thus, it would greatly benefit the mentally disabled children.
Collaboration with the Department of Social Services and the schools will help to continue
outreach and informational services for Australian children suffering from hyperactivity
disorder.
Proposed budget range and categories
Personnel Amount ($) Non-personnel Amount ($)
Program Director 8640 Office supplies 700
Social worker 6720 Office equipments 1500

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(Behavioural
therapist)
Administrative
Assistant
4320 Gas reimbursement
costs
600
Teachers (4) 19200 Training 1000
Independent
evaluators
1000 Miscellaneous 1000
Total cost 39880 4800
Overall expense $44680
The program director, a part-time employee will be paid $90 per hour, for 8 weeks (12
hours per week). He will hold a graduate certificate in social work and will have minimum 5
years of experience in the field. He will implement the daily management and operations of the
research program. The behavioural therapist will be a full-time social worker who will have
experience in working with children who suffer from ADHD. He will help in the presentations
and feedback evaluations, and will be paid $70 per hour. The administrative assistant will help to
conduct the screenings, telephonic interviews, surveys, and data entry (Chen, Lin & Zhou, 2013).
Each of the 4 teachers, who will implement the therapy on the selected students, will be paid $50
per hour for 8 weeks.
Office supplies would include pens, papers, notebooks, paper clips, folders, tape and
markers. The budget for office equipment will be fixed for laptops, projectors and copy
machines. Gas mileage reimbursements will help the social workers to reach the different
schools in order to conduct the interventions. Miscellaneous costs would include unexpected

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expenses such as, snacks, shipping, postage, and presentation materials during the 8 week period.
The total costs would approximately be around $44680. Therefore, the budget would be
approximately fixed at $49000.
Lessons learned
The initial step was writing the grant proposal to identify the needs of the target
population. This was done by consulting with the teachers, students and their parents. An online
search helped to identify the funding agencies available in the community. The literature review
further helped to determine the effects of music therapy, which was the proposed intervention.
Challenges
The initial challenge was identifying the social need and developing a program to address
the need. Challenges were faced in searching for funding organisations and locating them. In
addition, developing an economically fair budget was difficult.
Implications for social work
This grant proposal will benefit the wellbeing of the community and will enhance the
quality of life among children suffering from ADHD. This will eventually work towards
facilitating changes once the funding gets approved by the agency (Larkin, Felitti & Anda,
2014). It is essential to identify the indicators of ADHD and develop early intervention strategies
that facilitate positive outcomes among the children.

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References
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Margalit, M. (2013). The proposed changes for DSM-5 for SLD and ADHD:
International perspectives—Australia, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Spain,
Taiwan, United Kingdom, and United States. Journal of learning disabilities, 46(1), 58-
72.
Cahill, B. S., Coolidge, F. L., Segal, D. L., Klebe, K. J., Marle, P. D., & Overmann, K. A.
(2012). Prevalence of ADHD and its subtypes in male and female adult prison
inmates. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 30(2), 154-166.
Chen, X., Lin, Q., & Zhou, D. (2013, February). Optimistic knowledge gradient policy for
optimal budget allocation in crowdsourcing. In International Conference on Machine
Learning (pp. 64-72).
Cogo-Moreira, H., de Avila, C. R. B., Ploubidis, G. B., & de Jesus Mari, J. (2013). Effectiveness
of music education for the improvement of reading skills and academic achievement in
young poor readers: a pragmatic cluster-randomized, controlled clinical trial. PloS
one, 8(3), e59984.
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