Date Presented 04/13/21
This study examined the impact of art interventions on individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in specific OT Practice Framework domains. Findings suggest art interventions can be useful in improving all aspects of performance skills of motor, process, and social interaction in individuals with ASD. Our findings provide evidence for OTs to use art interventions to improve occupation-based outcomes for individuals with ASD.
Primary Author and Speaker: Allison E. Bernier
Additional Authors and Speakers: Andrea D. Fairman, Dan Ding, and Kristin Messina
PURPOSE: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological disorder characterized by impairments in social interaction, communication, and behavior, through restricted and repetitive patterns and interests (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Art intervention had been found as a potentially valuable addition to the multidisciplinary treatment of ASD (Ganzeas, 2012), however, the efficacy of art intervention in ASD remains unsettled. The purpose of this scoping review is to evaluate the efficacy of art interventions for individuals with ASD and connect art intervention with the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (OTPF) domains. Findings will help occupational therapists apply the OTPF-based art intervention for individuals with ASD in their clinical practice.
DESIGN: We followed Arksey & O'Malley (2005) and Levac et al.'s (2010) four steps to conduct this scoping review. We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) procedure to document the literature selection process. Quantitative research, qualitative research, reviews, and summary articles published in peer-reviewed journals between the years of 2005 and 2020 were identified. Inclusion criteria were individuals with ASD, and art intervention in the forms of drawing, coloring, painting, or puppet making. The search results were reviewed and synthesized by the first author and discussed with the second author.
METHODS: We used the same searched terms: autism, art, therapy, art therapy, and intervention in five databases: CINAHL, Cochrane, PubMed, Ovid, and Scopus. A total of 384 articles were found. After removing duplicates, there were 374 articles. We manually screened the abstracts for eligibility and found 11 met the inclusion criteria. Results from the studies were synthesized using the OTPF domains as we aimed to connect art intervention with occupation-based outcomes to facilitate art intervention use in occupational therapy practice for ASD.
RESULTS: Results indicated that art interventions benefited individuals with ASD in the following areas: communication, self-expression, social interaction, emotional recognition, flexibility, empathy, and pyscho-emotional well-being. In addition, art interventions helped individuals with ASD decrease their hyperactivity, inattention, and internalizing behaviors. After analyzing the benefits of art intervention based on the OTPF domains, it is clear art interventions benefited individuals with ASD in all three areas of performance skills: motor, process, and social interaction skills.
CONCLUSION: This scoping review supports that art interventions could improve OTPF-based motor, process, and social interaction skills for individuals with ASD. Our finding provides efficacy evidence for occupational therapists to use art intervention to enhance occupation-based treatment outcomes for individuals with ASD.
IMPACT STATEMENT: There has been limited research on the efficacy of art interventions for individuals with ASD. This study reveals the areas of the OTPF domains in which art interventions have been effective for individuals with ASD. Understanding the associations between the OTPF and art interventions allow clinicians to apply art modalities to improve specific occupation-based outcomes for individuals with ASD in practice.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Arksey, H., & O'Malley, L. (2005). Scoping studies: towards a methodological framework. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 8(1), 19-32.
Gazeas, M. (2012). Current findings on art therapy and individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Canadian Art Therapy Association Journal, 25(1), 15-22.
Levac, D., Colquhoun, H., & O'Brien, K. K. (2010). Scoping studies: advancing the methodology. Implementation Science, 5(1), 69.
