The Effects of Drama Therapy for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

In completion of my Honors Project, I created Brighter Connections Theatre (BCT). This program was designed for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) ages 8 to 14 years old. BCT ran for six weeks this past summer in Dayton, OH and had a total of seven participants. Four of these children and their parents agreed to be research participants. My team of volunteers and I documented the progress made by these research participants in certain social and behavioral areas through the process of drama therapy. This document consists of a literature review of drama therapy, a detailed overview of the program, the research results, and implications for future research needed in this field