The Effectiveness of Dance/Movement Therapy as a Treatment for Students in a Public Alternative School Diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Pilot Study

This mixed methodology study investigated dance/movement therapy as a treatment for students in a public, separate special education school who had a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of dance/movement therapy in reducing the three main symptoms of ADHD; hyperactivity, impulsivity, and distractability in children diagnosed with ADHD who were not receiving medication for the symptoms. Based on the findings of this study, dance/movement therapy was associated with a reduction or maintenance of symptoms as measured by the Baltimore County Public Schools Classroom Teacher’s Checklist for Student’s Behaviors. Five male students participated in this study, two of which participated in an eight-week dance/movement therapy intervention and three of which were in a control/comparison group. The researcher collected field notes and compared the data with data reported by classroom teachers who completed two checklists; The Baltimore County Public Schools Classroom Teacher’s Checklist of Student’s Behaviors as well a non-standardized Dance/Movement therapy assessment called the Dance/movement therapy Progress Data Teacher Rating Form-Readiness to Learn. The results showed that the two children in the treatment group improved or had no change in their symptoms related to ADHD. The children in the control group showed that children in the control group improved, declined in progress, or had nochange in their symptoms related to ADHD over the eight-week study period. For the treatment group, the rate and direction of change in progress were triangulated with the researcher’s field notes to understand the context and nature of change. The researcher also identified limitations and implications for future research based on the results of this study.M.A., Creative Arts in Therapy -- Drexel University, 200