Effectiveness of Dance/Movement Therapy Intervention for Children with Intellectual Disability at an Early Childhood Special Education Preschool

Children with intellectual disability (ID) often have deficits in gross motor skills and static and dynamic balance abilities, poor lower muscle strength, and an increased risk of serious falls. They also face difficulty in continuing physical activity programs due to cognitive impairment and easy loss of motivation. However, dance/movement therapy (DMT) has been found to help children with ID perform static and dynamic movements. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of DMT group sessions for children with ID as part of an early childhood special education preschool program. The outcome measures involved employing a hand-held dynamometer to assess knee extensor muscles, the one-leg stand test for static balance, and the timed “up and go” test for dynamic balance, and administering the Child Behavior Checklist and Caregiver-Teacher Report Form for children’s adaptive functions and behavioral problems, as reported by parents or relatives and teachers respectively. Twenty-one children with ID aged 36 to 72 months participated in the study. Ten 60-min DMT group sessions were conducted as manualized intervention, once a week. The measurements were done before and after the 10 DMT group session, and then compared. The results showed statistically significant changes in both knee extensor muscles, the standing time for both legs in the one-leg stand test, attention problems and affective problems in the Checklist, and total score, internalizing problems (including emotionally reactive and somatic complaints), externalizing problems (including attention problems and aggressive behavior), affective problems, anxiety problems, and attention deficit/hyperactivity problems in the Report Form. This study found that the DMT group sessions as part of an early childhood special education preschool program for children with ID aged 36 to 72 months helped improve their knee extensor muscles and static balance while reducing maladaptive behaviors, enabling them to enjoy the sessions for the full study period.