Friday, May 02, 2014
Autism & Theater Techniques to Increase Social Skills
HowlRound: In 2010, we found ourselves in conversation about the rise in autism diagnoses. It seemed everyone at Trinity Rep had a person in their life on the spectrum. It is now believed that 1 in 68 American children live with Autism Spectrum Disorders. With early intervention, Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and social skills classes exploding in the Ocean State, prognoses were getting more and more positive. That is not to diminish the struggles these children face every day at schools, grocery stores, movie theaters, and sports events that were not built with their needs in mind. We wanted to find a way to engage them and make the theater a safe place for them to grow and learn.
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3 comments:
This is a beautiful testament to what theatre teaches the actor through experience; for children with a socially inhibiting condition, theatre is an excellent way to learn how to express oneself and listen to others and pick up on their cues. People may read the portion of the article that talks about the effectiveness of smiling even when doesn't feel like it as a phony personality trait, but the sunshine effect it can have on others is invaluable, and it is a known psychological phenomenon that simply forcing yourself to smile in fact makes you happier, due to the psychophysical relationship of our bodies. I would love to participate in a theatre company that focused on educating the disabled in the performing arts; it is such a grand idea
During high school, I did a lot of work with children suffering from autism and other disabilities, and some of the exercises and techniques we used to make them more open and comfortable in the space resembled actor warm ups I've seen in theater. I think that it is great that these kids are getting the chance to acquire the skills they need to communicate. We often talk about how much the things we learn in theater help us communicate in the real world and having those lessons be imparted in people who might not be able to interact otherwise is amazing.
I had a friend in high school who had Aspberger's syndrome. While Aspberger's is considered high-functioning autism, it is still incredibly difficult for kids who have it to read social cues and deal with highly personal situations. They want to connect but find that they can't, or their humor is looked upon as awkward. They often feel alone at times. But my friend (let's call him Jack) found a passion for theatre and due to his interest in acting he found he was able to cultivate real connections with other people in a safe and comfortable setting. It drew him out of his shell and contributed to his ability to be comfortable with himself.
I believe that theatre is a powerful tool to not only connect with others, but to find yourself and connect with yourself on a deeper level.
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