%0 Journal Article
%T Effects of Dance Movement Therapy on Adult Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial
%A Anja Holzinger
%A Anna Mastrominico
%A Ariane Konrad
%A Dusan Hirjak
%A Elisabeth Thomas
%A Elizabeth Manders
%A Lena Steffinger
%A Maik Sieber
%A Nina Bopp
%A Sabine C. Koch
%A Thomas Fuchs
%J Behavioral Sciences | An Open Access Journal from MDPI
%D 2018
%R https://doi.org/10.3390/bs8070061
%X Abstract This study examines the effects of dance movement therapy (DMT) on empathy for adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). DMT based on the embodiment approach offers body-centered interventions, such as mirroring techniques, to address the needs of ASD patients. Accordingly, findings of a feasibility study suggest that DMT may be an effective approach for clients on the ASD spectrum. The present study is a randomized controlled trial that was conducted as a multicenter study within the framework of the EU-funded research project TESIS (Toward an Embodied Science of Intersubjectivity), and employed a two-factorial between-subject design. The treatment group ( n = 35) participated in a 10-week manualized DMT intervention, whereas the control group ( n = 22) received treatment only after a waiting period. Empathy, measured with the Cognitive and Emotional Empathy Questionnaire ( CEEQ), was the main variable of interest, analyzed by a repeated measures analysis of variance. In order to also include incomplete data cases, we used the expectation-maximization algorithm for missing data estimation. Results suggest no significant changes in overall empathy between groups. We discuss the results and limitations, as well as future research options. View Full-Tex
%K dance movement therapy
%K DMT
%K autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
%K randomized controlled trial
%K embodiment
%K empathy
%K mirroring
%U https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/8/7/61