A mixed method approach is used to explain and evaluate how dance and movement can provide significant benefits to children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This study used primary and secondary research to provide examples of how dance and movement is currently used for children with ASD and of being beneficial. The primary data was conducted through a standardised questionnaire, which was sent out to primary school practitioners. The findings were then analysed using thematic analysis. The secondary data was developed through literature reviews of peer reviewed journals and articles. This data was then analysed through context analysis, comparative analysis and meta synthesis.
The overall findings demonstrated that dance and movement can have significant benefits regarding the development of a child with ASD. A large amount of the findings suggest that dance has the capability of leading to positive effects on children’s wellbeing. This may be due the freedom that movement can provide, often leading to higher engagement and encouraging children to be active on their own freewill. It was also highlighted that dance and movement can help develop an autistic child’s communication and social interaction skills. This was predominantly due to the impact that music, actions/ gestures and freedom had, in affecting a child’s engagement and enjoyment of certain activities. The study also revealed the impact of Arts therapies; Dance Movement Psychotherapy (DMP) is an excellent example of how dance can be incorporated to become a valuable intervention. This is due to its ability to combine medical, psychological and dance practice together to provide an expressive and creative way for a child with ASD to communicate and be an individual person.
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