The Impact of Dance on Sensory Regulation
By: Taylor Briske
My name is Taylor Briske, and I am a former Chance 2 Dance instructor and a newly graduated occupational therapist! In last month’s blog, I explored how my experience with Chance 2 Dance inspired and shaped the development of my doctoral capstone project. In this post, I will share a deeper look into the details of the creation and implementation of my capstone project, titled “Program Development of Incorporating Dance Therapy into Occupational Therapy Practice for Sensory Regulation in Autism Spectrum Disorder.”
How Dance Therapy Supports Sensory Regulation in Children with Autism
Sensory regulation refers to the ability to process and respond to sensory inputs from the environment to maintain a regulated state (Brown et al., 2019)¹. Dance therapy, defined as the therapeutic use of movement to enhance emotional, physical, cognitive, and social outcomes, has been shown to enhance sensory regulation by providing meaningful sensory input (Payne & Costas, 2021)². Through engaging in movement, participants develop motor planning skills, which are the ability to process, plan, organize, and carry out movement sequences, which contribute to improved motor control, body awareness, and responses to environmental stimuli. As a result, participating in dance therapy can support optimal arousal and reduce dysregulation from sensory experiences (Basso et al., 2021)³.
Occupational therapists are healthcare professionals who support individuals across the lifespan in engaging in meaningful daily activities. While sensory-based interventions are commonly used within occupational therapy practice to address sensory regulation, there is limited education and guidance on the use of dance therapy as a sensory-based therapeutic intervention. This is a problem, as dance therapy offers an effective approach to support sensory regulation. Therefore, this capstone project aimed to develop and implement an educational program to provide occupational therapists with the knowledge and skills necessary to integrate dance therapy into practice. The program specifically focused on supporting children with autism, as this population frequently experiences difficulties with sensory regulation. Creation of the program aimed to fill the gaps in knowledge surrounding the integration of dance therapy within occupational therapy practice and provided more opportunities for children with autism to experience the positive, therapeutic impact of dance on sensory regulation.
How Dance-Based Activities Were Designed and Delivered
This capstone project began at Chance 2 Dance, where I observed dance classes through an occupational therapy lens to better understand the types of sensory input provided by various dance movements and class components. These observations informed how dance activities can be adapted and modified for use in occupational therapy sessions to effectively address and support clients’ diverse sensory profiles and individual needs. In addition, caregiver surveys were administered to evaluate the impact of inclusive dance classes on the students’ sensory regulation. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to everyone at Chance 2 Dance, including the leadership team, instructors, caregivers, and students, for their enthusiasm, support, and willingness to contribute valuable insights that shaped the development of the program. This experience was incredibly meaningful, as I got to witness the growth of the students and the studio and reconnect with former students, their families, and colleagues who always brighten my day!
Following this experience, I completed a 10-week rotation at an outpatient pediatric occupational therapy clinic, where I provided education to occupational therapists, clients, and their families on the use of dance therapy to support sensory regulation and motor planning. During this time, I gained 19 participants for the dance therapy program, with 68% of them being children with autism. The excitement demonstrated by the therapists, clients, and their families toward integrating dance into therapy sessions was highly encouraging. Pre-program caregiver surveys were then administered to better understand each participant’s unique sensory needs and to guide the development of individualized program activities. The program was implemented over six weeks, during which participants engaged in weekly dance-based activities during their occupational therapy sessions. These activities targeted a range of sensory inputs, including rhythmic, proprioceptive, vestibular, visual, and auditory inputs.
Each activity was intentionally designed with adaptations, modifications, and variations to ensure it could be tailored to meet each participant’s varying sensory profile. The first activity focused on a warm-up stretch, offered in either a sensory-calming or a sensory-engaging version depending on the participants’ sensory needs that day. The purpose of the warm-up was to prepare the body for movement while strengthening the mind–body connection. Following the warm-up, a cooldown stretch was completed to gradually lower the heart rate and body temperature, supporting a return to physiological homeostasis.
The second activity focused on providing rhythmic input to the participants through the use of a metronome. The goal of this activity was to complete movements on the metronome beat to simulate “dancing to the music.” Metronome beats were used as they can enhance internal regulation by allowing the brain and body to synchronize the motor, cognitive, and autonomic systems to a steady external beat. The third activity focused on completing dance moves that provide proprioceptive input, such as jumps, kicks, and resistance band exercises. These movements were designed to improve body awareness by enhancing the participants’ understanding of where their bodies are in space and what their bodies are doing.
Dance moves that provide vestibular input, such as turns and moves that change head position, were the focus of the fourth activity to enhance the participants’ balance, coordination, muscle tone, and postural control. The fifth activity focused on visual input through various dance moves and aspects of a dance class, including dancing with colorful scarves, dancing in the mirror, the use of colorful floor dots, and the simulation of “stage lights.” Lastly, the sixth activity focused on auditory input by completing moves that provide auditory input, such as clapping, snapping, marching, tap dancing, or dancing with shaker eggs.
For a comprehensive version of the dance therapy program, including detailed instructions and activity guidelines, please scan the QR code below:
What the Results Revealed
Following completion of the program, post-program caregiver surveys were administered to evaluate the impact of the dance-based activities on the participants’ overall regulation, motor planning, sensory processing skills, and engagement in daily activities. Both the survey results and clinical observations indicated promising outcomes, supporting the potential of dance therapy as an effective intervention for enhancing sensory regulation, self-regulation, motor planning, motor control, and participation in daily activities. These benefits were observed not only in children and adults with autism, but also in children with Down syndrome, sensory processing disorder, and ADHD.
With the support of Chance 2 Dance, this program was successfully developed, implemented, and shared within the occupational therapy profession to advocate for its use as an effective intervention to enhance sensory regulation and motor planning. Educating occupational therapists about dance therapy and providing them with a lasting resource of the program manual to use in their practice can lead to the increased use of dance as an intervention among the profession and allow for more individuals to experience the therapeutic benefits of dance. Looking ahead, I plan to further disseminate this program through the development of an educational website that will include a detailed training manual and additional resources for occupational therapy practitioners!
The Reason Behind it All: Dance, Inclusion, and Occupational Therapy Combined
As mentioned in last month’s blog, Chance 2 Dance played a pivotal role in inspiring my capstone project. This experience has been especially meaningful, as it allowed me to combine several of my greatest passions: dance, occupational therapy, and inclusion. Having grown up dancing and later teaching at Chance 2 Dance, I have witnessed firsthand the transformative impact that dance can have on individuals’ lives. Because of this, I am deeply committed to continuing to advocate for the use of dance as a therapeutic intervention within occupational therapy practice to enhance the emotional, physical, cognitive, and social well-being of clients. By incorporating dance into my own practice and encouraging other occupational therapists to do the same, I hope to expand access to its benefits and ensure that more individuals have the opportunity to experience the life-changing impact of dance, “because everyone deserves a chance!”
References
Brown, A., Tse, T., & Fortune, T. (2019). Defining sensory modulation: A review of the concept and a contemporary definition for application by occupational therapists. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 26(7), 515–523.
https://doi.org/10.1080/11038128.2018.1509370
Payne, H., & Costas, B. (2021). Creative dance as experiential learning in state primary education: The potential benefits for children. Journal of Experiential Education, 44(3), 277–292.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1053825920968587
Basso, J. C., Satyal, M. K., & Rugh, R. (2021). Dance on the brain: Enhancing intra- and inter-brain synchrony. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 14.
https://0b30c5t8z-mp01-y-https-doi-org.prx-usa.lirn.net/10.3389/fnhum.2020.584312