Parents participation in Art Therapy can improve autistic childrens' outcomes

Reflecting on this morning's reading of a journal article, summarising 13 Creative Arts Therapists' experience involving parents in children's therapy sessions. 

"Clinicians’ Perceptions of Parent-Child Arts Therapy with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: The Milman Center Experience." 

Citation: Bitan, M.; Regev, D. Clinicians’ Perceptions of Parent-Child Arts Therapy with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: The Milman Center Experience. Children 2022, 9, 980. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9070980

Among other beneficial outcomes, the article found that parents' involvement directly strengthened and improved the parent-child relationship, and also improved sensory regulation and enhanced emotional expression.

Neurodivergent children often face difficulties making sense of the world around them and the demands inherent in common expectations; such as getting dressed, brushing teeth, eating certain foods, adjusting to school or care environments, meeting new people, making friends, understanding social relationships and expectations, detecting internal body signals, the list goes on. 

It's a lot for a neurodivergent brain to handle when it processes the world differently, picks up so much detail, and is constantly derailed by an intense focus on things that the external environment barely even notices. 

Parents are childrens' first, and most important role model for relationships with others. When the parental relationship flows well, the child is able to more fluidly adopt concepts and understandings that allow them to grow and develop. When it flows well, parents themselves feel better about their parenting and their relationship with their child, and are better able to cope with the increased demand that supporting their children requires. 

The interplay between parent and child in therapy is such a valuable source of grounding and growth. Building towards a better understanding of each other, being able communicate better together and problem solve and reduce friction in everyday life, resulting in better outcomes overall. Particularly for those parents whose children are struggling and need much more support than others. They may be feeling caregiver burnout, anxiety and mood swings from a stressed nervous system, and a reduced ability to enjoy the joys from the relationship with their child(ren). 

Creating capacity , shared understanding and joy through positive play-like therapeutic experiences are an effective, non-medical intervention.  

If the descriptions above are similar to your and your child's experiences, please consider asking your art therapist whether they can support you in joining your child's session. Depending on the circumstances (your therapist can advise) you can boost your child's growth and development, strengthen and improve your relationship with them, resulting in flow on positive effects for them in terms of sensory regulation, emotional expression, and relationships out in the world.

Read the full research article here:  https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/9/7/980 .

Keywords from creative response to the article - informed by lived experience:

Interplay

Imprint

Spaces

What came before

Together

Caregiving struggle

Soothing the nervous system

Understanding

Learning

Reframing

Possibility

Citation: Bitan, M.; Regev, D. Clinicians’ Perceptions of Parent-Child Arts Therapy with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: The Milman Center Experience. Children 2022, 9, 980. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9070980