Creative arts therapy for autistic children: A systematic review

Abstract

Creative arts therapy is used with autistic children as an alternative intervention to traditional treatments. The objectives of this systematic review were: (a) to present a synthesis of research evaluating the effects of creative arts therapy in autistic children, and (b) to discuss the opportunities and challenges shown by creative arts therapy interventions research. A database search of articles published from 2010 to 2023 was conducted. Twenty articles, with a total number of 781 participants, met the inclusion criteria: articles published in peer-review journals, children 0–11 y/o with a diagnosis of autism, and clearly defined population, objectives, and outcomes. The reviewed studies showed great variability in participants, objectives, intervention, methods, and assessment instruments. All but two of the reviewed studies showed benefits of creative arts therapy intervention. Most of the reviewed studies (18 out of 20) pointed to the fact that creative arts therapy intervention creates a variety of occasions for autistic children to express themselves and to cooperate with peers in natural settings with no adverse effects. The main challenges of creative arts therapy intervention research were related to the diagnostic variability of participants and the assessment instruments to evaluate the intervention.