Evaluation of ‘Images of Self,’ an art therapy program for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD)

Abstract

The art therapy (AT) program for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), 'Images of Self', has been evaluated with repeated single case studies (n = 12) in a mixed-methods design. The program focuses on children's difficulties with their 'sense of self', 'emotion regulation', 'flexibility' and 'social behavior'. Parents, teachers and art therapists scored the BRIEF and CSBQ, instruments for rating child behavior. Children filled out the SPPC, a self-image scale. To evaluate the quality of the program, therapists used a child observation scale (OAT-A) and a therapists' self-evaluation scale (EAT-A). All instruments were applied three to five times per case, depending on the corresponding measurement objectives: one week before the start of the program (T0), during session 3 (T1), session 8 (T2), session 15 (T3), and 15 weeks after termination of the treatment (T4). Parents and teachers were invited to complete a form for qualitative comments which was structured around the four problem areas. Therapists video-recorded three sessions and evaluated these with parents and -during training sessions -with the principal investigator. At the end of the treatment parents, teachers and art therapists gave a rating for their overall satisfaction with the treatment. Main improvements after treatment were seen in children's flexible and social behavior. Overall satisfaction regarding the program showed averages between 7.1 and 7.7. Implications of our study for the AT-practice and future research are discussed.

An Investigation into Art Therapy Aided Health and Well-Being Research: A 75-Year Bibliometric Analysis

“…AT-aided health and well-being with children as the research population largely adopt a mixed/hybrid research method integrating experiment, interview, questionnaire, and case studies [ 114 , 115 , 116 ]. AT tends to have a positive therapeutic effect on children’s behaviors, learning disabilities, trauma, autism, and other diseases.…”

“…In addition, AT helps with reducing the trauma and stress symptoms of children [ 119 ], as well as improve the social/emotional skills of children with autism [ 120 ]. AT for improving self-image brings qualitative benefits to children with epilepsy [ 72 ] and autism spectrum disorder [ 116 ]. Further, drawing and painting is a commonly used form of AT-aided health and well-being for children because art therapists can understand brain activity in the process of drawing, which in turn, provides guidance for the theory and practice of AT [ 121 ].…”

A Parent-Focused Creative Approach as a Treatment for a High-Functioning Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Korea: A Case Study

“…It was clear that art therapy helped with building a sense of self in April [78]. Using symbols and learning different emotions, emotional differences, and emotional stages clearly guided April in connecting herself to understanding the cognitive and affect parts of her emotions in her life events.…”

Proposta de intervenção psicopedagógica em caso de dislexia a partir das perspectivas do filme “Como Estrelas na Terra”

“…No contexto escolar, o uso de arteterapia tem sido uma ferramenta adequada para melhoria do comportamento social de crianças (Schweizer et al, 2020), principalmente porque a arte pode ser vivenciada no contexto de dinâmicas em grupo, que estimulam as crianças a explorarem a infinidade de universos plurais e possíveis de criação; inevitavelmente, a arte gera um ambiente de grupo mais igualitário, pois trabalha o imaginário individual e coletivo (Teoli, 2020).…”