Effectiveness of Art Interventions for Children with ASD
Art interventions are effective for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Creative arts interventions target behavioral, sensory processing, communication, and social skills.
Evidence
The study “Art Interventions for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Scoping Review,” aimed to provide evidence that art interventions are effective according to the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process (OTPF-4). The domains for the OTPF-4 include occupations, client factors, performance skills, performance patterns, and contexts.[1] According to this review, art interventions effectively target the performance skills and client factors domain.[2]
The review specifically looked at general art activities (drawing and painting), music, and theater categories. All of these art forms showed beneficial effects on children with ASD, and each form was effective in its own way. In other words, all forms were influential, and one was not better than the other.
Benefits of Art
Art allows children to express themselves through different formats, focusing on drawing, learning an instrument, or acting.
Art serves as a method of communication. It is a form of self-expression and a way for children with ASD to communicate, whether that is directly or indirectly. It may be difficult for a child to express their feelings effectively, but it may be easier to do this by acting out a play scene, playing happy music, or drawing their emotions.
Art provides crucial sensory input. Art allows for the inclusion of many different materials, which help give a child the opportunity to experience other sensory stimuli. Art such as drawing or painting opens up a lot of mediums, such as crayons, markers, watercolors, acrylic paint, pastels, and more. You can even incorporate different tools, such as painting with fingers, brushes, sponges, etc. This also applies to the categories of music and theater.
Art allows for positive behaviors to grow. Engaging in different art forms can help stimulate learning processes and help with emotional regulation. It can help calm a child down and show them positive methods of relieving stress, anger, overstimulation, and more.
Art initiates social learning. Art can help with modeling behaviors, social skills, attention, and more. Art forms like theater can model social cues and show appropriate behaviors. This can also be done through coloring a social story or watching a music video.
Key Takeaways
· Incorporating art in occupational therapy is an evidence-supported, effective intervention for children with ASD.
· General creative activities (painting and drawing), music, and theater are all supported.
· Creative arts interventions target behavioral, sensory processing, communication, emotional regulation, and social skills.
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1.Bernier et al., p. 2.
2. Bernier et al., p. 6.
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Bernier, Allison et al. “Art Interventions for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Scoping Review.” The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association vol. 76,5 (2022): 1-9. doi:10.5014/ajot.2022.049320