Autism Spectrum Disorder: Autistic Brains vs Non-Autistic Brains (psycom.net)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-018-0287-3

Sounds and the Spectrum: The Benefits of Music for Autistic Children – Percussion Play

The structure of the brain of someone with autism differs from that of someone without autism. Perhaps the most striking difference is that some regions of the autistic brain are not as strongly connected, causing those with autism to often struggle with tasks that require the simultaneous functioning of multiple parts of the brain (ie: communication.) A study shows that playing musical instruments helps strengthen those connections of the brain, which in turn can improve communication skills. I believe that the reason why drumming stimulates the connections within the brain is because drumming requires so many different skills, such as visual and auditory perception, following directions, and the coordination of the left and right hands.