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Body image in autism: An exploratory study on the effects of dance movement therapy

Koch C Sabine

Body image has rarely been investigated in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Recent advances in embodiment research on nonverbal improvements in Autism Spectrum Disorder have encouraged the investigation of this topic. In the context of the clinical study of autism and schizophrenia in the Heidelberg Node of the TESIS-network, we investigated the effects of dance movement therapy (DMT) on body image in autism with the Body-Image- Sculpture-Test a projective test from clinical body psychotherapy. We applied the Body-Image-Sculpture-Test as a primarily nonverbal test in which the participants’ task was to form a human figure from clay within ten minutes and without visual feedback. Ten young adults with autism spectrum disorder participated in the Body-Image-Sculpture- Test before and after ten weekly sessions of dance movement therapy in a professional rehabilitation and training institution in Southern Germany. The participants in this exploratory study showed a significant improvement at posttest on all five dimensions of the Body-Image-Sculpture-Test: proportions, dimensions, connectedness, completion, and surface quality. The strength of the evidence is limited due to the lack of a control group and the small sample size. Yet, the study yields the first results indicating improvement in body image after dance movement therapy in autism, in the form of individual effects (improvement of body image) and intersubjective aspects (through the interviews) after interactive body-based mirroring exercises and intersubjective experiences in a group context.