Dance/Movement Therapy as a Tool to Improve Social Skills in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Literature Review

Abstract Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder diagnosed by the presence of social communication and interaction deficits present in their day to day. The deficits present in this disorder appear within the first three years of life and lead to problems with connecting and interacting with other individuals including their own family members. As a result, children and adolescents with Autism spectrum disorder often experience negative self-image and lack the proper skills to interact with others. Autism spectrum disorder is becoming more commonly diagnosed and yet there remains a gap in interventions and treatment due to the individualized appearance of this disorder. Applied behavioral analysis is a very popular-evidence based intervention commonly used with this population because of its repetitive and targeted interventions. Dance/movement therapy is another intervention that has shown to be effective with this population because of its body centered approach. The implementation of mirroring, Kestenberg movement profile, and play are common tools used in dance/movement therapy that aid in the improvement of social skills. The goal of this literature review is to review the existing literature surrounding the use of dance/movement therapy as a tool to improve social skills in children and adolescents with Autism spectrum disorder and identify where further research should focus