Possibilities of Dance Therapy and its Comprehensive Benefits for Children with Autism
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v10i3.1742Keywords:
Autism Spectrum Disorder, Dance Therapy, Dance Education, Mirroring, Teaching Dance for Understanding, Physical EducationAbstract
Dance Therapy (DT) is an effective treatment to promote emotional, social, cognitive and physical integration of the individual. Its benefits are of particular interest in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), whose caretakers are burdened with the high cost and rigorous demand of treatment. This paper presents a Dance Therapy program that will attempt to encourage physical, social, and cognitive development amongst students through concepts of mirroring and Teaching Dance for Understanding. This program will require less resources than other types of therapies because children will not have to be supervised individually; routines are consistent and repetitive. Although more quantitative research needs to be conducted, it represents a positive step toward providing children with ASD with an optimal environment.
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