How Shakespearean TherapyHelps Kids withIhab Shahawi, CEO of the SAILS Group

Autism

It’s no surprisethat childrenwith autismspectrumdisorder (ASD)have uniqueneeds, and thereare now manytherapeuticapproaches andmethods to helpthese childrenlearn socialskills.

Since manychildren with ASDstruggle withmaintaining eyecontact,recognizingemotions, andtaking turnsspeaking, theymay need to workwith a mentor orteacher to learnthese core skillsin a safeenvironment.

has developed a unique method ofteaching children.

Kelly Hunter, a British actress forthe Royal Shakespeare Company,

She noticed that many of the ASD students she taught in her Shakespeareprogram responded very well to the rhythm of the iambic pentameter andexercises that allowed them to flex their imagination.

She named it the Hunter Heartbeat Method about 10years ago and it has since helped many children withASD thrive.

These are set up as one-hour therapy sessions where a smallgroup of children with ASD sit with a student actor from theuniversity’s theatre department and play sensory drama games.

They get a chance to act out different emotions and verballyidentify emotions based on the facial expressions they seefirsthand. This helps them better understand emotional states ofother people and react appropriately.

Researchers at Vanderbilt University found that childrenwith ASD showed a significant improvement incommunication, social skills, and memory after completinga 10-week drama therapy program.

Several other drama therapystudies have shown many positiveresults:

A year-long study at the Centre for the Arts in HumanDevelopment at Concordia University in Montreal alsodemonstrates the efficacy of drama therapy in pre-adolescent children with high-functioning ASD.

Children withautism often havea hard time tryingnew activities,making friends &understandingnon-verbalgestures. Theymay strugglethroughout schooland intoadulthood whenthey don’t fullydevelop importantsocial skills.

Shakespeare’s work, especially many of his dramatic plays, allowsfor a full exploration of human expression, communication, andemotion. Students with autism can socialize and learn in a safeenvironment as they improve their understanding of languageand communication skills with drama therapy.

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