Benefits for Children with Autism

“I see dance being used as communication between body and soul, to express what it too deep to find for words,” Ruth St. Denis, a modern dance pioneer, simply stated (The Quote Garden). People throughout the world view dance as an art of expression. It is a way to communicate even the deepest of feelings. Martha Graham said that “dance is the hidden language of the soul” (Visions of Dance). People can express through dance more so than through words. When people dance, all they do is feel. When people speak, they have to think how to put what they feel into words, instead of just feeling and connecting themselves to that feeling. For children, translating feelings into words is extremely difficult because of their lack of experience with these feelings. Dance therapy gives them a chance to express how they feel; they can communicate how they are feeling. But recent understanding has dance therapists wondering how dance therapy can be integrated into school curricula. Children that have experienced dance therapy have shown a joy of learning, better interaction with other students, a better self-concept, and better problem solving skills. With these observations, the research for integrating creative dance into school curricula has sprouted. In early childhood education it is believed that all aspects of a child need to be developed and a chance for that development should be given in schools. Aspects such as physical, emotional, cognitive, and social are considered parts of the “whole” child. Colla J. Mac Donald stated that "creative dance can help children reach their full potential, for it encourages the development of the whole child by involving the child physically, emotionally, and intellectually, and thus enhancing creative exploration and facilitating emotional expression” (Mac Donald 436). Teachers are now being asked to facilitate time to develop these skills especially for students with autism. Dance is mainly a way to communicate. Many students with autism have difficultly communicating and expressing what they need or want. Dance therapy gives them a way to communicate with a teacher and with other caring adults or students, but also gives them physical activity that can be adapted to fit their physical ability. Creative Movement/Dance Therapy should be integrated in public school’s special education program, especially for autistic students, for its ability to provide and improve communication but also due to its cognitive, psychological, social, and physical benefits.