Creative Movement Dance Class for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Zoe Brennan, OTS, CTRS, Abby Koning, OTS, April Miller, OTS
SETTING & BACKGROUND
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is
a developmental disability
characterized by difficulties in
social interaction, verbal and
nonverbal communication, and
repetitive behaviors or narrow,
obsessive interests (Anonymous,
2009).
The purpose of this study was to evaluate how a creative
movement dance class (CMDC), as taught by a certified
occupational therapy assistant (COTA), addressed social
interaction skills in adolescents with ASD.
Class took place at Lincoln School in Grand Rapids, MI
Additionally, this study aimed to describe how the
CMDC and teaching techniques reflected the
Occupational Practice Framework-3rd Edition (OTPF-3).
PICO QUESTION
How does an occupational therapy developed creative
movement dance class address social interaction skills of
children and adolescents with ASD?
SIGNIFICANCE TO OT
OTs scope of practice includes education, play, leisure, and
social participation, all of which are targeted in a CMDC
(American Occupational Therapy Association, 2014).
Social interaction is a primary concern of a CMDC for
adolescents with ASD.
OT practitioners are uniquely qualified to organize and
implement a CMDC for adolescents with ASD.
Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids, Michigan
Living Life to Its Fullest!
LITERATURE REVIEW RESULTS
Creative movement dance therapy focuses on movement as nonverbal Qualitative Outcomes:
expression, interaction, and communication in order to promote
connectedness and the health of individuals (Koch & Fischman, 2011). This study found three overarching themes: Structure of the class, engagement
techniques, and teaching techniques.
There is no research addressing creative movement dance as it relates to
occupational therapy.
The first theme, structure of the class, consisted of eight sub-themes:
Some studies have investigated the motor benefits, sensory function Opportunity to practice
benefits, and cognitive benefits of dance classes (Arzouglou, Tsimaras, Fulfilling sensory needs
Kotsikas, Fotiadou, Sidiropoulou, Proios, et al., 2013; Gronlund, Renck, Just Right Challenge
& Weibull., 2005; Rosenblatt et al., 2011). Classroom support
Classroom expectations
Studies have also suggested that creative movement dance classes help
Interprofessional collaboration
to increase the ability to form relationships with others by improving
self-modulation, mood regulation, and self-other awareness (Edwards Themes
Format of the class
2015; Koch, Mehl, Sobanski, Sieber, & Fuchs, 2015).
The second theme, engagement techniques, consisted of five sub-themes:
DESIGN & IMPLEMENTATION Peer modeling
Turn taking
Use of props
Qualitative phenomenological study Making choices
Convenience sampling Coping skills
The convenience sample included the COTA, OT, ballet
The third theme, teaching techniques, consisted of four sub-themes:
instructor, student intern, a teacher, and an aide that worked in Instructors body positioning
the class. Verbal/physical/visual cues
Six interviews were completed with individuals who have Instructor modeling
worked with the CMDC. Communication (sentence strips, Personal Exchange Communication
The interview consisted of 30 questions which covered topics Strips, core vocabulary)
such as core skills, social skills, and communication skills.
The interviews were recorded with a voice recorder and Conclusion
transcribed by a pre-occupational therapy student at GVSU.
Codes were initially developed individually by each researcher Many of the techniques reported are supported in the literature for ASD
using Microsoft Word. and creative movement.
The researchers chose three broad themes that represented the
Several novel techniques were found that may prove to be effective in
data.
addressing social interaction skills for adolescents with ASD through a
Emerging themes were discussed with the participants via email CMDC.
in order to verify the findings with the study participants.