Real-Time BCI-Generated Ethnic-Inspired Music Based on Orff Principles: Effects on Relaxation and Potential Support for Language Development in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Real-Time BCI-Generated Ethnic-Inspired Music Based on Orff Principles: Effects on Relaxation and Potential Support for Language Development in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Real-Time BCI-Generated Ethnic-Inspired Music Based on Orff Principles: Effects on Relaxation and Potential Support for Language Development in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Miao Wang, Yucheng Shen, Hsianghoo Steve Ching This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8883336/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study presents a real-time brain-computer interface (BCI) framework for generating culturally resonant music from neural oscillations, tailored for potential therapeutic applications in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). An optimized embedded Runge-Kutta 7(6) pair was developed to efficiently integrate Jansen-Rit neural mass models, achieving approximately 50% fewer function evaluations and latencies below 50 ms compared to standard benchmarks, enabling smooth performance on consumer-grade hardware. Using publicly available resting-state EEG datasets and model simulations, band-specific power estimates (alpha, theta, beta) were mapped to musical parameters inspired by Orff-Schulwerk principles and Chinese ethnic minority children's songs: pentatonic scales, repetitive cyclic phrases, isochronous rhythms (60–90 bpm modulated by alpha power), and prosodic arcs shaped by theta dynamics. The generated melodies exhibited strong perceptual fidelity to reference folk excerpts, as quantified by reduced mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC) distances. The platform's emphasis on predictable, low-arousal, and speech-like structures aligns with evidence-based music therapy mechanisms for promoting relaxation (enhanced alpha activity) and supporting communicative development in ASD. While evaluations were limited to simulations and adult resting-state data, the reproducible design establishes technical feasibility and cultural relevance, laying groundwork for future studies examining relaxation and language-supportive applications in pediatric ASD populations. Physical sciences/Engineering Biological sciences/Neuroscience Biological sciences/Psychology Social science/Psychology Autism Spectrum Disorder Brain-computer Interface Cultural Adaptation Neurofeedback Orff Principles Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files RealTimeBCIGeneratedEthnicInspiredMusicBasedonOrffPrinciplestables.docx RealTimeBCIGeneratedEthnicInspiredMusicBasedonOrffPrinciplesSupplementaryMaterial.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8883336","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":615574997,"identity":"0b0e650a-7596-4db2-ac81-5706d2ee999c","order_by":0,"name":"Miao Wang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shinawatra University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Miao","middleName":"","lastName":"Wang","suffix":""},{"id":615574998,"identity":"fb961316-27d5-4353-bdc6-af993421c963","order_by":1,"name":"Yucheng 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An optimized embedded Runge-Kutta 7(6) pair was developed to efficiently integrate Jansen-Rit neural mass models, achieving approximately 50% fewer function evaluations and latencies below 50 ms compared to standard benchmarks, enabling smooth performance on consumer-grade hardware.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eUsing publicly available resting-state EEG datasets and model simulations, band-specific power estimates (alpha, theta, beta) were mapped to musical parameters inspired by Orff-Schulwerk principles and Chinese ethnic minority children's songs: pentatonic scales, repetitive cyclic phrases, isochronous rhythms (60\u0026ndash;90 bpm modulated by alpha power), and prosodic arcs shaped by theta dynamics. The generated melodies exhibited strong perceptual fidelity to reference folk excerpts, as quantified by reduced mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC) distances.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe platform's emphasis on predictable, low-arousal, and speech-like structures aligns with evidence-based music therapy mechanisms for promoting relaxation (enhanced alpha activity) and supporting communicative development in ASD. 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