Enhancing Engagement: Dance/Movement Therapy with a Mother and Child with ASD

Abstract

This case conceptualization explores how dance/movement therapy can foster social interactions in an African American family with a child who is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism Spectrum Disorder is a pervasive developmental disorder that can cause persistent impairments in social communication and social interactions across multiple contexts with restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior. Deficits in social communication and social interaction are often the early indicators of ASD. It makes it difficult for those who are diagnosed with ASD to relate to others and typically becomes the main focus in intervention planning. The Creative Arts Therapies can encompass many developmental goals for children with ASD. Dance/movement therapy, a modality within the field of the creative arts therapies addresses this deficit through relational intervention attending to non-verbal, as well as verbal behaviors, creating play scenarios and supporting shared focus of attention. This case conceptualization takes an in-depth look into six dance/movement therapy sessions with mother and son dyad to further explore the impact that DMT has on social interactions.M.A., Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling -- Drexel University, 201