Moving on the spectrum: Dance/movement therapy as a potential early intervention tool for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders☆
Section snippets
Autism Spectrum Disorder
ASD is a developmental disorder whose description has continued to evolve, from its original understandings by Kanner (1943) as an autistic disturbance, to the latest criteria of diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V). Currently, ASD is diagnosed according to “persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts” and “restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities” (American
A dance/movement therapy perspective on early treatment of ASDs: a theoretical treatment framework and application
The following treatment framework is based on the research provided, utilizing DMT to address the areas of challenge that are observed early in the life of a child at risk for or diagnosed with ASD. The dance/movement therapy interventions discussed below focus on meeting clients on their terms and levels of functioning, encouraging engagement and relationship, aiding in challenges with body awareness and coordination, and expanding and fostering rhythm and synchronization to help integrate the
Conclusion
By focusing on a child's functioning in the realms of body awareness, motor coordination, rhythm and timing, the dance/movement therapist can begin to address the early correlations and challenges observed in motor and social/communicative functioning of children with ASDs. The importance of addressing the developmental coupling of motor and social/communicative deficits as early as possible cannot be over-emphasized due to the cascading effects they have on continuing development. It is also
References (95)
- et al.
Moving in and out of synchrony: A concept for a new intervention fostering empathy through interactional movement and dance
The Arts in Psychotherapy
(2012) Neuroscience meets dance/movement therapy: Mirror neurons, the therapeutic process and empathy
The Arts in Psychotherapy
(2006)- et al.
Models for understanding the nonverbal process in relationships
The Arts in Psychotherapy
(1996) - et al.
Mirroring in Dance/Movement Therapy: Potential mechanisms behind empathy enhancement
The Arts in Psychotherapy
(2011) Origins of theory of mind, cognition and communication
Journal of Communication Disorders
(1999)- et al.
EEG evidence for mirror neuron dysfunction in autism spectrum disorders
Cognitive Brain Research
(2005) - et al.
Imitation, mirror neurons and autism
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
(2001) - American Dance Therapy Association. (2009). Retrieved from...
Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-III
(1980)Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-V
(2013)
Rhythm and timing in autism: Learning to dance
Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience
Safety and connection: The neurobiology of play
Autism during infancy: A retrospective video analysis of sensory-motor and social behaviors at 9–12 months of age
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Social and pragmatic deficits in autism: Cognitive or affective?
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
The theory of mind deficit in autism: How specific is it?
British Journal of Developmental Psychology
Language in context
Language, gesture, and the developing brain
Developmental Psychobiology
Loneliness and friendship in high-functioning children with autism
Child Development
Visuomotor resonance in autism spectrum disorders
Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience
Social and non-social visual attention patterns and associative learning in infants at risk for autism
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
Current perspectives on motor functioning in infants, children, and adults with autism spectrum disorders
Physical Therapy
Motor anticipation failure in infants with autism: A retrospective analysis of feeding situations
Autism
Autism spectrum disorders
Why is joint attention a pivotal skill in autism?
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences
Infants with autism: An investigation of empathy, pretend play, joint attention, and imitation
Developmental Psychology
The neuroscience of human relationships: Attachment and the developing social brain
Mothers’ use of imitative play for facilitating social responsiveness and toy play in young autistic children
Development and Psychopathology
Self-recognition in autistic children
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Children with autism fail to orient to naturally occurring social stimuli
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Moving into relationships: Dance/movement therapy with children with autism
Rethinking autism: Implications of sensory and movement differences for understanding and support
Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience
Dyspraxia in autism: Association with motor, social, and communicative deficits
Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology
Treating children with autism in a public school setting
Autism, motor dysfunctions and mirror mechanism
Clinical Neuropsychiatry
Infants predict other people's action goals
Nature Neuroscience
Parent–infant synchrony and the construction of shared timing; physiological precursors, developmental outcomes, and risk conditions
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
Children with autism display more social behaviors after repeated imitation sessions
Autism
Motor coordination in autism spectrum disorders: A synthesis and meta-analysis
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Empathy, embodied simulation and the brain
Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association
Motor abstraction: A neuroscientific account of how action goals and intentions are mapped and understood
Psychological Research
Brief report: Early social communication behaviors in the younger siblings of children with autism
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Engaging autism: Helping children relate, communicate and think with the DIR floortime approach
Making connections: Total body integration through Bartenieff fundamentals
Smart moves: Why learning is not all in your head
Social initiations by autistic children to adults and other children
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Imitation and identification in autism
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
Embodied concepts of neurobiology in dance/movement therapy practice
American Journal of Dance Therapy
Cited by (30)
Dancing out for a voice; a narrative review of the literature exploring autism, physical activity, and dance
2023, Journal of Bodywork and Movement TherapiesCitation Excerpt :Therefore, dance seems an excellent form of coordinated movement to enhance social development and improve communication skills for autistic children. Outside of the scientific literature, dance movement therapy therapists have consistently worked with autistic individuals; reporting promising results through the successful use of mirroring, synchronous movement interaction, and rhythm to encourage connection and communication (Martin, 2014; Cozolino, 2014; Tortora, 2005). Before verbal language develops, infants and young children usually communicate through their bodies, using gestures and movements.
The non-fitness-related benefits of exergames for young individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review
2022, Research in Autism Spectrum DisordersCitation Excerpt :The use of dance has been extended to therapeutic practices, where dance movement therapy (DMT) is employed for a variety of clinical populations, including those with depression and anxiety (Adam, Ramli, & Shahar, 2016; Karkou, Aithal, Zubala, & Meekums, 2019), Parkinson’s disease (de Natale et al., 2017; dos Santos Delabary, Komeroski, Monteiro, Costa, & Haas, 2018), and autism (Scharoun, Reinders, Bryden, & Fletcher, 2014; Takahashi, Matsushima, & Kato, 2019). Importantly DMT has been observed to improve communication skills in young autistic individuals, with dance and movement therapists reporting promising results through the successful use of mirroring, synchronous movement interaction, and rhythm (Cozolino, 2014; Devereaux, 2012; Martin, 2014; Tortora, 2005; Field et al., 2001; Koch et al., 2015). The techniques of mirroring and rhythm have consistently been observed to improve communication skills and social development in autistic children (Morris, Hope, Foulsham, & Mills, 2021).
Dance intervention for negative symptoms in individuals with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis
2022, Complementary Therapies in Clinical PracticeEffectiveness of creative arts-based parent training for parents with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
2021, Arts in PsychotherapyCitation Excerpt :There have been continuous efforts to develop caregiver/parent focused intervention (Green & Garg, 2018). Research has found that such practices support parents by actively involving them and engaging them in learning (Bearss et al., 2015) and made significant difference in (a) a treatment’s effectiveness (Bottema-Beutel et al., 2014; Diggle et al., 2002; Green et al., 2013; Kasari et al., 2010; Matson et al., 2009; Rogers et al., 2014; Steiner et al., 2013); (b) organization of emotions (Berkovits et al., 2017; Kim, Wigram, & Gold, 2009); (c) expression and recognition of those emotions (Grossman, Klin, Carter, & Volkmar, 2000; Lindner & Rosen, 2006; Richard, More, & Joy, 2015); and (d) changes in nonverbal communication skills through body awareness and motor coordination in children with ASD (Koch, Mehl, Sobanski, Sieber, & Fuchs, 2014; Martin, 2014). Art experientials were designed for parents to simulate the ASD-related bodily experiences their children might have.
Dance, rhythm, and autism spectrum disorder: An explorative study
2021, Arts in PsychotherapyCitation Excerpt :By creating internal rhythms within the body and using music to drive external rhythms by providing timing for movement, the element of rhythm proves fundamental to DMT. It allows therapists to attune to their client, help organise the client’s feelings, and facilitates interaction and communication (Martin, 2014). Additionally, the techniques used within DMT, such as mirroring and rhythm are effective elements that can be used outside the realm of DMT (Morris et al., in press).
- ☆
Submitted in partial satisfaction of Counseling Psychology Program requirements of a master's degree in Dance/Movement Therapy.