Shadow Theater for Children with ASD: The Integrative Role of Mirror Neurons,Empathy,and Social Learning to Facilitate Self-Regulation

Abstract

This article describes an empirical study that explored the cognitive and emotional effects of teaching through shadow theater as compared to traditional storytelling of the same texts and songs in children on the autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The rationale is based on broken mirror theory anchored in research on mirror neurons. Fifty-seven elementary school students diagnosed with ASD aged 7 to 13 participated in classes where they were taught eight familiar children's stories and songs in a shadow theater format or in a traditional storytelling format. Half heard the story first and then watched the shadow theater and vice-versa. The activities were videoed and transcribed for analysis on the Pupils’ Functioning in Lessons on the Autism Scale (PFLAS) that measures cognitive, emotional, behavioral and learning responses. Performance on the PFLAS was higher for the shadow theater activity than for the storytelling activity on all indices. Shadow theater may provide a more conducive setting for the development of the acquisition of social and behavioral skills than traditional storytelling, possibly by tapping mirror neurons.