Application of drama and art techniques in working with people with autism spectrum disorder

Cilj ovog preglednog rada je prikazati suvremene znanstvene i stručne spoznaje o primjeni i utjecaju dramskih i likovnih tehnika na socijalni, komunikacijski, emocionalni te kognitivni razvoj pojedinaca s PSA, koji, prema definiciji, predstavlja neurorazvojni poremećaj kojeg karakteriziraju nedostatci u socijalnim interakcijama, komunikaciji i prisutnosti ograničenih i ponavljajućih oblika ponašanja, interesa ili aktivnosti. Uz konvencionalne medicinske i rehabilitacijske postupke sve se više priznaje važnost i komplementarnih metoda, koje imaju svoju edukacijsku, rehabilitacijsku i terapijsku funkciju. Posebnost dramskih i likovnih tehnika u radu s osobama s PSA je to što osobe u tom uživaju i mogu učiti. Dramske tehnike omogućuju stvaranje odnosa s drugima, a pojedincima daju brojne mogućnosti vježbanja i ponavljanja socijalno prihvatljivih vještina dok se ne nauče i ne integriraju u ponašanje. Dramske tehnike sadrže niz kreativnih i zabavnih strategija poučavanja, nastoje sudionika aktivno uključiti u aktivnosti, također, imaju pozitivne utjecaje na socijalne interkacije, komunikaciju, emocije i razumijevanje. U posljednim godinama dramske tehnike se razvijaju u sustavniji pristup istraživanja emocionalnih problema kroz dramsku situaciju potičući razvijanje vještina improvizacije i aktivnog mišljenja. Snaga likovnih tehnika je mogućnost uspostavljanja komunikacije bez verbalizacije, daje priliku klijentu da prikaže nesvjesne misli i osjećaje kroz sliku. Likovne tehnike su prikladne jer su osobe s PSA često vizualne i konkretne. Kroz sliku terapeut može dobiti uvid u ono što osoba s PSA proživljava, čak i kad tu informaciju nije dobio verbalnim putem. Kreativni proces može ublažiti stres izazivajući promjenu raspoloženja i opuštanje. Za dramske i likovne tehnike nije potrebno prethodno iskustvo klijenta, a namijenjene su svim uzrastima. U tom kontekstu i ovaj rad ima ulogu da se prednosti ovih tehnika dodatno naglase, da naglasi potreba za daljnjim istraživanjima i da se na temelju toga stvori sveobuhvatnija slika koja bi dramske i likovne tehnike učinila zastupljenijima.The aim of this review paper is to present contemporary scientific and professional knowledge about the application and impact of drama and art techniques on the social, communication, emotional and cognitive development of the individuals with PSA, which, by definition, is a neurodevelopment disorder characterized by deficiencies in social interactions, communication and presence of limited and repetitive forms of behavior, interests or activities. In addition to conventional medical and rehabilitation procedures, the importance of complementary methods, which have their educational, rehabilitation and therapeutic function, is increasingly recognized. The peculiarity of drama and art techniques in working with people with PSA is that people enjoy and can learn from it. Drama techniques make it possible to create relationship with others, and give individuals numerous opportunities to practice and repeat socially acceptable skills until they are learned and integrated into behavior. Drama techniques contain a number of creative and entertaining study strategies, trying to actively engage participants in activities, they also have positive influence on social interactions, communication, emotions and understanding. In recent years drama techniques have evolved into a more systematic approach to exploring emotional issues through a dramatic situation encouraging the development of improvisation skills and active thinking. The power of art techniques is the ability to establish communication without verbalization, it gives an opportunity for the client to tell his thoughts and feelings through the image. Art techniques are appropriate because people with PSA are often visual and concrete. Through the image, the therapist can get an insight into what the person with PSA is experiencing, even when he did not get that information verbally. The creative process can alleviate stress by causing mood swings and relaxation. Drama and art techniques do not require prior client experience, and they are intended for all ages. In that context, this work also has the role of further emphasizing the advantages of these techniques, emphasizing the need for further research and creating a more comprehensive picture that would make drama and art techniques more represented