Drama And Play Therapy To Overcome Difficult Emotions

Children with autism experience adverse personal issues that prompt them to act or engage in inappropriate behaviour patterns. To find the most effective treatment options, parents must visit a paediatrician to get in-depth knowledge about various therapies to deal with different symptoms of autism. After a thorough diagnosis, the paediatrician offers effective aid for children as per the level and severity of the symptoms. The child can be asked to be enrolled for speech therapy, occupational therapy, play therapy, yoga therapy, drama therapy or animal assisted therapy. 

Drama Therapy For Autism

Drama therapy is more than just acting on a stage in the presence of an audience. It involves dialogue delivery and facial expressions to denote the emotion in the skit. This helps individuals with autism to recognize facial expressions and increased mental health. Drama therapists attend individuals throughout the planned activities. They allow them to enact scenes that represent the type of life they want to live. This brings positive changes in their behaviour and emotional state. Acting in groups also improves interpersonal relationships with other participants. Improvements are seen in skills through active participation in:

• Storytelling or speech 
• Playing roles of their favourite character
• Games
• Puppetry
• Improvisation on instruments such as a piano
• Mime 
• Masks (to help them identify the character they play)

Objectives Of Drama Therapy For Autism

The key goal of drama therapy for autism is to encourage the expression of their body language and emotion in a dramatic activity. The activities designed by the therapists, for each participant, are aimed to bring the following positive behavioural changes: 

• Improve interpersonal relationship skills
• Help individuals face problems more healthily without self-harming
• Bring about physical and emotional well-being
• Boost confidence
• Improve overall quality of life

Ranging from children to adults, drama therapy helps treat many issues related to autism.

Play Therapy For Autism

Play therapy for autism is a way to release stress or past trauma, paving way for the healthy development of children with autism. The physical role-playing activities of play therapy help individuals to communicate, remove traumatic memories, reveal their repressed emotions, and aid personal growth. Thus, play therapy is considered as an effective cognitive and psychological treatment.

Play therapy is the most sought after treatment that benefits children who experience emotional or behavioural challenges. This approach is specially designed to treat children of all age groups, in solo or group sessions.

For play therapy, a therapist creates a comfortable and safe environment for children is allowed to play with as few limits as possible. The playroom or the counselling space is well equipped with a wide selection of toys. When playing or interacting with these toys, the therapist encourages them to express their feelings. By observing them playing with toys, the therapist learns about their emotions, and thoughts which the child finds difficult to express verbally.

Play therapy for autism helps children, adolescents, and even adults. The playful exploration and activities enhance the individual’s cognitive skills, physical health, enhance relationships, behaviours, and motor movement (balance, limb coordination, fine motor skills).