title: Fixing the mirrors: a feasibility study of the effects of dance movement therapy on young adults with autism spectrum disorder.
abstract: From the 1970s on, case studies reported the effectiveness of therapeutic mirroring in movement with children with autism spectrum disorder. In this feasibility study, we tested a dance movement therapy intervention based on mirroring in movement in a population of 31 young adults with autism spectrum disorder (mainly high-functioning and Asperger's syndrome) with the aim to increase body awareness, social skills, self-other distinction, empathy, and well-being. We employed a manualized dance movement therapy intervention implemented in hourly sessions once a week for 7 weeks. The treatment group (n = 16) and the no-intervention control group (n = 15) were matched by sex, age, and symptom severity. Participants did not participate in any other therapies for the duration of the study. After the treatment, participants in the intervention group reported improved well-being, improved body awareness, improved self-other distinction, and increased social skills. The dance movement therapy-based mirroring approach seemed to address more primary developmental aspects of autism than the presently prevailing theory-of-mind approach. Results suggest that dance movement therapy can be an effective and feasible therapy approach for autism spectrum disorder, while future randomized control trials with bigger samples are needed.
authors.affiliation: University of Heidelberg, Germany SRH University Heidelberg, Germany sabine.koch@hochschule-heidelberg.de.
authors.forename: Sabine C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.affiliation: University of Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mehl
authors.affiliation: Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sobanski
authors.affiliation: SaloAG, Germany.
authors.forename: Maik
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sieber
authors.affiliation: University of Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fuchs
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D001364:Awareness; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology; D003614:Dance Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D004645:Empathy; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement; D012919:Social Behavior; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: autism spectrum disorder; body awareness; clinical controlled trial; dance movement therapy; embodiment; empathy; intersubjectivity; mirroring; self–other distinction; social competence; treatment manual; well-being