Dance/Movement Therapy for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in China: Clinical Case Study

Abstract

This paper represents the first research study conducted to date on the use of Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) to treat children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Mainland China. This study gives detailed clinical examples of how to use DMT in the treatment of this population, and demonstrates the linguistic, nonverbal, and relational changes that took place after 7 months of individual sessions. Data from interviews with caregivers yielded four themes regarding the impact of DMT: (1) Improvement of ability to use language and to communicate, (2) Expansion of nonverbal communication and understanding of bodily language, (3) Emergence of new behaviors: game playing, imagination, and bodily movement, and (4) Appearance of positive emotional expression. In addition, the VB-MAPP assessment was used to evaluate the children’s language levels before and after DMT. Findings indicate that it is necessary, appropriate, and effective to use DMT in the treatment of children with ASD, and that this evidence-based treatment should receive further development in China.