The music-based social skills training manual, "Mind Program," has been published. This program is a clinical manual for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, primarily authored by Professor Geun-Ah Cheon, an authority in pediatric psychiatry at Severance Hospital.

MIND stands for Music-Interaction-Network-Diversity. Unlike existing social skills training programs designed based on language comprehension and cognitive abilities, this program focuses on naturally promoting peer interaction through the process of children selecting instruments and participating in ensemble performances.

The program consists of a total of 12 sessions, gradually expanding from basic interaction experiences to emotion recognition, information exchange, and collaborative music project execution. It also includes intervention methods for problem situations based on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), providing materials that can be immediately utilized in clinical settings.

Pre- and post-evaluation results of seven children and adolescents who participated in the pilot program conducted by the Severance Hospital research team showed significant improvements in social adaptation skills, nonverbal cue recognition abilities, and motivation for social participation. The program's effectiveness was also demonstrated at the inaugural concert held on December 9 last year at Yonsei University Auditorium. At this event, the "Severance Mind Band," composed of children from the first cohort of the Mind Program, performed for an audience of 1,600.

In addition to Professor Cheon, Sugar (real name Min Yoongi) of BTS participated as a co-author in the development of the program. Their connection dates back to the fall of 2024. Based on his ongoing interest in child and adolescent mental health issues, Sugar engaged with Professor Cheon and came to share the need for long-term treatment support for children with autism spectrum disorder. This led them to unite their efforts in developing a music-based therapy program.

Sugar contributed to the opening of the Min Yoongi Treatment Center at Severance Hospital last September through personal sponsorship and talent donation. Professor Cheon, as the inaugural director, began full-scale program operations, while Sugar provided ideas from the planning stage and directly participated as a music volunteer instructor in the pilot program, observing the changes in the children.

In the foreword of the manual, Professor Cheon stated, "This book cannot be told without mentioning Min Yoongi, and his contribution was decisive in realizing the program," adding, "Through this manual, I hope that experts and therapists both domestically and internationally will share the program's philosophy and specific procedures and apply them in actual clinical practice."

The Mind Program presents the potential to contribute to the social independence and artistic growth of children and is gaining attention as a new approach to improving social skills in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.