"Teaching Motor Skills to Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders" by Terri Todd
When deciding what to focus on for my inquiry into dance teaching methods for people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) I looked at the common traits associated with autism and thought about how they directly impacted upon my dance teaching. People with autism can experience deficits in motor skill development so this was one area I was keen to explore.
In Module 2 I had reviewed Todd's article "Teaching Motor Skills to Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders". At this stage my inquiry direction had been quite vague, so I decided to revisit this article in Module 3 now that the aim of my inquiry was more specific in order to see if there were any pertinent points raised by Todd that might help my research.
One of the areas I will be looking at in my research is the content of the dance class for the autistic range and whether the teacher has incorporated any exercises that are specifically designed to help pupils overcome certain challenges associated with ASD. Motor skill development will be central to this.
Todd states that :
"recent investigations have led to an overwhelming consensus that children with ASDs have difficulty performing motor skills."
Looking at the article again I picked out key areas that I wanted to explore. One of these was the link between postural control and motor skill development.
Todd states that one possible reason for deficits in motor skills in people who are autistic is: “because the postural control system of individuals with ASD is underdeveloped." ( 2013, p 36). Good posture is essential in dance so this was something I was particularly interested to find out more about because, although I had witnessed that some of my autistic pupils had weaker posture than their non-autistic peers, this did not necessarily impact upon their motor skills.
I looked for more evidence to substantiate Todd’s claim and found that Minshew et al had conducted a study to test postural control in children with autism. They concluded that there is “evidence of both a delay in development and an underdevelopment of the postural control system in autism” (Minshew et al, 2004). Their study looked to see if deficits in the motor control system were linked to lack of postural control and reached the conclusion that : “the motor control system is not primarily responsible for the postural instability found in the autistic subjects” (Minshew et al, 2004). This was in line with what I had found in my teaching.
Minshaw et all also concluded that motor and sensory deficits in autism are a result of some kind of break down in communication in the brain caused by the way the cells are arranged. They suggested that studying the motor system could lead to a better understanding of the abnormalities in neural connectivity associated with autism.
I was very interested in this conclusion reached by Minshew et al because one of the dance teaching methods I intend to explore is Autism Movement Therapy (AMT). Its founder, Joanne Lara, has explored the connection between dance and neural signals with her AMT programme. She claims that music and dance can be used to make connections between both sides of the brain to “wake up the brain” (Autism Digest, 2009,online).
“AMT is an empowering sensory integration strategy that connects both the left and right hemispheres of the brain (interhemispheric integration) by combining patterning, visual movement calculation, audile receptive processing, rhythm and sequencing into a “whole brain” cognitive thinking approach that can significantly improve behavioural, emotional, academic, social and speech and language skills.” ( Autism Digest, 2009, online)
One of the areas I will be looking at in my research is the content of the dance class for the autistic range and whether the teacher has incorporated any exercises that are specifically designed to help pupils overcome certain challenges associated with ASD. Motor skill development will be central to this.
Todd states that :
"recent investigations have led to an overwhelming consensus that children with ASDs have difficulty performing motor skills."
Looking at the article again I picked out key areas that I wanted to explore. One of these was the link between postural control and motor skill development.
Todd states that one possible reason for deficits in motor skills in people who are autistic is: “because the postural control system of individuals with ASD is underdeveloped." ( 2013, p 36). Good posture is essential in dance so this was something I was particularly interested to find out more about because, although I had witnessed that some of my autistic pupils had weaker posture than their non-autistic peers, this did not necessarily impact upon their motor skills.
I looked for more evidence to substantiate Todd’s claim and found that Minshew et al had conducted a study to test postural control in children with autism. They concluded that there is “evidence of both a delay in development and an underdevelopment of the postural control system in autism” (Minshew et al, 2004). Their study looked to see if deficits in the motor control system were linked to lack of postural control and reached the conclusion that : “the motor control system is not primarily responsible for the postural instability found in the autistic subjects” (Minshew et al, 2004). This was in line with what I had found in my teaching.
Minshaw et all also concluded that motor and sensory deficits in autism are a result of some kind of break down in communication in the brain caused by the way the cells are arranged. They suggested that studying the motor system could lead to a better understanding of the abnormalities in neural connectivity associated with autism.
I was very interested in this conclusion reached by Minshew et al because one of the dance teaching methods I intend to explore is Autism Movement Therapy (AMT). Its founder, Joanne Lara, has explored the connection between dance and neural signals with her AMT programme. She claims that music and dance can be used to make connections between both sides of the brain to “wake up the brain” (Autism Digest, 2009,online).
“AMT is an empowering sensory integration strategy that connects both the left and right hemispheres of the brain (interhemispheric integration) by combining patterning, visual movement calculation, audile receptive processing, rhythm and sequencing into a “whole brain” cognitive thinking approach that can significantly improve behavioural, emotional, academic, social and speech and language skills.” ( Autism Digest, 2009, online)
I wanted to discover more about the links between cognitive development and motor skill development. I felt that in order to recognise any deficits in either of these areas I needed more comprehension of typical developmental milestones.I began by looking at Piaget's stages of child development.
Piaget maintains that there are four stages in child development. These are:
Physiotherapist Pam Versfeld states that a reason for this might be that people with ASD "have difficulty interpreting and integrating the information from the different senses and in using this information for motor planning" ( Versfeld, P, online).
I had not considered that difficulty processing sensory information might directly affect a person's ability to put sequences of movement together. If they are struggling to make sense of what is going on around them then they will obviously have difficulty grasping sequences of movement and will require more time to execute them. This made me consider whether there were any teaching aids I could use to assist my pupils with the challenges they might face.
Todd suggests using coloured polydots to help pupils orientate themselves in the space. Since reading the article I have tried this. I have also placed coloured pictures in the corners and sides of the room so that I can refer to these rather than to specific directions. Some of my pupils, both with ASD and without, find these visual aids helpful.
I had observed that my pupils with ASD liked repetition and sometimes were reticent to try new movements and combinations of movements. I had not attributed this to possible motor planning difficulties that they may possess.
Todd advocates breaking the movements down into 'bite size chunks'. I have always done this with all my pupils, but I realise now that I need to allow even more time for my pupils with ASD to grasp and repeat the movements before joining them together.
The final area from Todd's article that I wanted to explore was his reference to mirroring. Todd advocates mirroring as a means of compensating for deficits in "self-other mapping and reversal errors". He maintains that people with ASD often find it difficult to imitate the movement demonstrated because they have problems working out directions and recognising which limb is moving when the movement is mirrored in front of them. He recommends teaching the movements with your back to the pupil so that the movements executed are moving in the same direction as the dancer.
I tend to teach a lot facing my pupils, as I want to convey the movement quality to them as well as the mechanics of the movement and this can be shown more clearly if they can see my face. I also find it engages the class more. Another reason for this is that I don't rely a lot on mirrors as they can be a distraction for younger pupils and older ones can have poor self body image and hate having to stare at themselves while they are dancing. Since reading this article I have found myself turning round and teaching the movements with my back to my pupils more than I have previously done. I have not noticed any significant differences in the way my pupils with ASD grasp the movements.
Reading this article again has made me consider certain things to look out for in the dance classes that I observe. I will be taking note of any teaching aids used. I will be looking at how the pupils move and noting whether they appear to have any motor skill challenges. I will be looking to see how the dance teachers address these challenges. I feel that after studying this article again I now have a better appreciation of the motor skill deficits some people with ASD face and be able to recognise them in the pupils that I observe and teach.
Below is the link to my original review in Module 2:
http://lynnterry001.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/task-4-d-1-reviewing-literature-for-my.html
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Autism Digest (2009), Fox News online: http://www.foxnews.com/story/2009/10/06/autism-movement-therapy-wake-up-brain.html
Child Development Media Inc. Blog (2012) "Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development" online : http://blog.childdevelopmentmedia.com/piagets-theory-of-cognitive-development/
Jenkins, B (2012) "Exploring the connection between motor skills & cognition" online:http://www.scilearn.com/blog/early-fine-motor-skills-cognitive-skills
Kid Sense Child Development (2015) Fine Motor Development Chart online: http://www.childdevelopment.com.au/home/183
Kid Sense Child Development (2015) Gross Motor Developmental Checklist online:http://www.childdevelopment.com.au/home/189
Minshew, N J KiBum Sung, Bobby L. Jones and Joseph M. Furman (2004) "Underdevelopment Of The Postural Control System In Autism" "Neurology" online: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/8132646_Underdevelopment_of_the_postural_control_system_in_Autism
Versfeld, P "Autism Spectrum Disorders and Motor Skills, online:http://www.skillsforaction.com/autism-spectrum-disorders (accessed October 2015)
Piaget maintains that there are four stages in child development. These are:
- Sensorimotor Stage- this stage is from birth to 2 years of age. It is when children imitate what they see and hear from their caregivers and learn that they have some control of their movements.
- Pre-Operational Stage- this stage is from 2 years -6/7 years of age. In this stage children see what happens around them only from their own point of view. They cannot form abstract ideas.
- Concrete Operational Stage- this is from age 6/7- 11. During this stage children begin to see things from another person's perspective. They can think logically and systematically but cannot look at the abstract side of things.
- Formal Operational Stage- this is from 11/12 years of age - adulthood. During this stage the logical, abstract and theoretical thought process develops (Child Development Media Inc, 2012,online).
I then looked at gross and fine motor skill charts depicting developmental milestones at various stages of growth in a typical child . The charts I studied are below :
http://www.childdevelopment.com.au/home/189
http://www.childdevelopment.com.au/home/183
Having looked at the expectations for cognitive and motor skill development I felt I was better equipped to recognise if a child with autism was lagging behind in these areas.
I was also interested to learn if there were any studies which proved that cognitive development could affect motor skill development. Bill Jenkins writes about this in his article: "Exploring the connection between motor skills & cognition". In it he refers to a neuroimaging and neuroanatomical analysis, conducted by Adele Diamond, which produced evidence of motor- cognition links in the brain. He concludes that:
The next area I wanted to explore from Todd's article was motor planning. He states:
"People with motor-planning problems often know what they should do with their body but are unable to perform a sequence of movements correctly." (p 33)
http://www.childdevelopment.com.au/home/189
http://www.childdevelopment.com.au/home/183
Having looked at the expectations for cognitive and motor skill development I felt I was better equipped to recognise if a child with autism was lagging behind in these areas.
I was also interested to learn if there were any studies which proved that cognitive development could affect motor skill development. Bill Jenkins writes about this in his article: "Exploring the connection between motor skills & cognition". In it he refers to a neuroimaging and neuroanatomical analysis, conducted by Adele Diamond, which produced evidence of motor- cognition links in the brain. He concludes that:
- There is a clear connection in the circuitry of the brain between areas controlling fine motor skills and areas controlling cognition.
- These areas are developing simultaneously, with exceptional speed during early brain development.
- Motor skills are a proven indicator of future math and reading success.
The next area I wanted to explore from Todd's article was motor planning. He states:
"People with motor-planning problems often know what they should do with their body but are unable to perform a sequence of movements correctly." (p 33)
Physiotherapist Pam Versfeld states that a reason for this might be that people with ASD "have difficulty interpreting and integrating the information from the different senses and in using this information for motor planning" ( Versfeld, P, online).
I had not considered that difficulty processing sensory information might directly affect a person's ability to put sequences of movement together. If they are struggling to make sense of what is going on around them then they will obviously have difficulty grasping sequences of movement and will require more time to execute them. This made me consider whether there were any teaching aids I could use to assist my pupils with the challenges they might face.
Todd suggests using coloured polydots to help pupils orientate themselves in the space. Since reading the article I have tried this. I have also placed coloured pictures in the corners and sides of the room so that I can refer to these rather than to specific directions. Some of my pupils, both with ASD and without, find these visual aids helpful.
I had observed that my pupils with ASD liked repetition and sometimes were reticent to try new movements and combinations of movements. I had not attributed this to possible motor planning difficulties that they may possess.
Todd advocates breaking the movements down into 'bite size chunks'. I have always done this with all my pupils, but I realise now that I need to allow even more time for my pupils with ASD to grasp and repeat the movements before joining them together.
The final area from Todd's article that I wanted to explore was his reference to mirroring. Todd advocates mirroring as a means of compensating for deficits in "self-other mapping and reversal errors". He maintains that people with ASD often find it difficult to imitate the movement demonstrated because they have problems working out directions and recognising which limb is moving when the movement is mirrored in front of them. He recommends teaching the movements with your back to the pupil so that the movements executed are moving in the same direction as the dancer.
Below is the link to my original review in Module 2:
http://lynnterry001.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/task-4-d-1-reviewing-literature-for-my.html
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Autism Digest (2009), Fox News online: http://www.foxnews.com/story/2009/10/06/autism-movement-therapy-wake-up-brain.html
Child Development Media Inc. Blog (2012) "Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development" online : http://blog.childdevelopmentmedia.com/piagets-theory-of-cognitive-development/
Jenkins, B (2012) "Exploring the connection between motor skills & cognition" online:http://www.scilearn.com/blog/early-fine-motor-skills-cognitive-skills
Kid Sense Child Development (2015) Fine Motor Development Chart online: http://www.childdevelopment.com.au/home/183
Kid Sense Child Development (2015) Gross Motor Developmental Checklist online:http://www.childdevelopment.com.au/home/189
Minshew, N J KiBum Sung, Bobby L. Jones and Joseph M. Furman (2004) "Underdevelopment Of The Postural Control System In Autism" "Neurology" online: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/8132646_Underdevelopment_of_the_postural_control_system_in_Autism
Versfeld, P "Autism Spectrum Disorders and Motor Skills, online:http://www.skillsforaction.com/autism-spectrum-disorders (accessed October 2015)
No comments:
Post a Comment