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Art Therapy as a Tool for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Lexie

This paper evaluates the utilization of art therapy within the population of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Studies detail different strategies in art therapy including puppetry, theatre and painting as a way for children with autism to gain control of maladaptive behaviors, learn to empathize with others, and integrate better in their environment as a whole. Also included are parent perceptions of art therapy and how this mode of therapy looks within different populations such as children with autism in India, sexually abused girls, and a child who struggled with growing up. Together, these studies illustrate how autism presents differently within everyone.

Autism Spectrum Disorder presents with a wide array of symptoms/behaviors that can be disrupting to the children experiencing them. Art therapy can be an exceptional tool in assisting these children in managing/expressing the thoughts and feelings they cannot otherwise articulate. Art therapy has been well documented throughout recent years and has proven helpful for this population of children struggling with maladaptive behaviors. According to autismspeaks.org, in 2016, in the United States, approximately “1 in 54 children were diagnosed with autism disorder” and more specifically, 1 in 34 boys and 1 in 144 girls . Due to this, the economic costs are exponential; in 2015, $268 billion was spent on the needs of those with autism with $61-66 billion utilized for children’s services alone some of the associated symptoms that can arise in children with autism include being nonverbal, having eating and sleeping difficulties, self-injury, ADHD, epilepsy and even bullying from peer[1]. Illustrated the benefits of art therapy for students with different learning disabilities. Forty-one children were included in art therapy while 51 were “in academic assistance” where therapists utilizing therapy art provided students with appropriate materials to be creative in their expression. Often, what comes up in art therapy coincides with a real experience the child had in their life but could not express appropriately. This study found that the children with learning disabilities enrolled in art therapy showed positive outcomes for overall adjustment and exemplified how important it is to delve into difficult thoughts, emotions and experiences the child had so they may learn to effectively advocate for themselves. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how different strategies of art therapy can assist in decreasing maladaptive behaviors in children with autism. Topics to be covered include autism spectrum disorder prevalence and symptomology, general techniques of art therapy for children with autism, and treatability of children with autism.