Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Apr;41(4):505-11.
doi: 10.1007/s10803-010-1064-1.

Brief report: theatre as therapy for children with autism spectrum disorder

Blythe A Corbett  1 , Joan R Gunther, Dan Comins, Jenifer Price, Niles Ryan, David Simon, Clayton W Schupp, Taylor Rios
Affiliations

Brief report: theatre as therapy for children with autism spectrum disorder

Blythe A Corbett et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2011 Apr.

Abstract

The pilot investigation evaluated a theatrical intervention program, Social Emotional NeuroScience Endocrinology (SENSE) Theatre, designed to improve socioemotional functioning and reduce stress in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Eight children with ASD were paired with typically developing peers that served as expert models. Neuropsychological, biological (cortisol and oxytocin), and behavioral measures were assessed in a pretest-posttest design. The intervention was embedded in a full musical theatrical production. Participants showed some improvement in face identification and theory of mind skills. The intervention shows potential promise in improving the socioemotional functioning in children with ASD through the utilization of peers, video and behavioral modeling, and a community-based theatrical setting.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. APA . Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fourth edition, text revision (DSM-IV-TR) Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association; 2000.
    1. Bales KL, Kramer KM, Hostetler CM, Capitanio JP, Mendoza SP. Validation of oxytocin and vasopressin plasma assays for primates: What can blood tell us? American Journal of Primatology. 2005;66:73.
    1. Bauminger N. Brief report: Individual social-multi-modal intervention for HFASD. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2007;37(8):1593–1604. doi: 10.1007/s10803-006-0245-4. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bellini S, Peters JK. Social skills training for youth with autism spectrum disorders. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 2008;17(4):857–873. doi: 10.1016/j.chc.2008.06.008. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Carter CS. Neuroendocrine perspectives on social attachment and love. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 1998;23(8):779–818. doi: 10.1016/S0306-4530(98)00055-9. - DOI - PubMed

MeSH terms