Andrea Frisch Hara, MA Music Therapy, MT-BC Board Certified Music Therapist, has a private practice in New York City and more than 15 years experience.  She is the Program Field Direct, New York City Music Therapy Relief Project, American Music Therapy Association and The Recording Academy's 9-11 Response; Former Direct, Music Therapy Institute, Music Conservatory of Westchester; Music Therapy Consultant: CV Starr Adult Day Services, Murray Hill SRO Senior Center; Former Music Therapy Supervisor, Child Development Center, Jewish Board of Family & Children's Services; Former Music Therapist, Bronx Psychiatric Center; Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor Music Therapy, New York University; Former Vice-President, American Association for Music Therapy; Member, Editorial Review Board, Music Therapy Perspectives Journal; Workshop Presenter & Author.  Andrea has specific experience with autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders, speech and language difficulties, aphasia, depression and traits common to the autistic spectrum.

Anne Marie Nixon has a B.Sc. in Psychology, MA in Counseling Psychology and is currently completing a Doctorate of Philosophy in Psychology. Anne Marie has worked as a teacher, private facilitator, special needs program director and yoga teacher to both typically developed and special needs children. Anne Marie works with Kid Therapy in Chester NJ;  is an adjunct professor of Psychology at Centenary College in Hackettstown NJ and a co-founder of New Jersey Developmental Difference Support which holds support groups for parents as well as professional groups for those who work with pediatric populations in client-centered and family systems models.

www.musictherapyonline.com

Laura JJ Dessauer, MS, ATR - Laura has a BA, (New York University); Master of Sciences (Nazareth College of Rochester, Art Therapy) and Ed. D. Candidate/Currently Enrolled in Argosy University Counseling Psychology.  She is a registered Art Therapist-ATR (ATR number 04-168) and presently works as an Art Therapist at The Thinking Center at Sarasota Florida, specializing in art therapy with children and adolescents, consulting for comprehensive educational / medical agency, and coordinating comprehensive cognitive / emotional services for children with autism / Asperger's Syndrome, integrating Art Therapy and Floor Time mode. She also works at the Encouragement Institute and has developed a unique tandem therapy model, facilitating family therapy. Previously, Laura has worked in Newark, NY; the Canandaigua City School District, NY; Monroe Middle School, Rochester NY; Wayne, Finger Lakes BOCES; Hillside Children�s Center, Rochester NY; Wayne ARC, Rochester, NY; Ontario ARC, Canandaigua, NY.  She has worked in schools and residential settings, with at-risk adolescent clients, emotionally handicapped students, issues of substance abuse, anger management and neglect issues, conducted assessments, individual and groups and developed innovative programs and allocated a program budget for recreational services for over 300 developmentally disabled individuals. For more details on Laura's work and community involvement, please contact her directly at mslaurajj@yahoo.com

www.sarasotaarttherapist.com

What are the interests of your child/group?   How can those interests be extended to develop potential?  

Remember that activities that provide ongoing challenges will be more long-lasting and resilient than activities with only short term gratification.  

If a child is interested in movies, they might develop an interest in the process of putting on a theater production - many skills can be learned, there is social interaction, a process of continuity and involvement.     If a child enjoys music, what local singing companies can you connect with?   Choirs provide ongoing opportunities to meet, genuine friendship, opportunities to contribute and develop skills.

Choosing appropriate activities will help build a sense of self-efficacy, positive-attitude, and empowerment, opportunities to relax, make positive choices. An exposure to new interests, newly learned skills, and a friendly place in the company of like-minded individuals builds self-awareness and pride in individuality and uniqueness. 

If you have experience in a creative expressive activity and would like to introduce us to its benefits and yourself on this page, please contact us at

 JRM@CreativeExpressiveActivities.com

The following paragraphs are contributed by individuals who work with those activities. From these activities, ongoing relationships can be nurtured through concrete activities, genuine friendships forged, and careers can be develop from interests.   Issues of concern will arise and change with experience and life stages. The need and purpose for support will change.   By developing relationships with local professionals and knowing what they have to offer, individuals with Asperger's will also have a familiarity with people in their community who they can contact for future, more specific support.

Transitions between activities - and inexperience of instructors with Asperger's Syndrome - can be facilitated through a parent/constant instructor or therapist/facilitator.

Introduction to Creative Expressive Activities

Animals

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Art

Art is an intrinsically therapeutic activity.   Art in a group provides opportunities for social interaction, cooperation and team building.   It provides non-conventional language to explore and express ideas that may otherwise not be expressed to others.   It’s useful for exercises relating to goal setting, relationships and so on.   Art activities practice symbolic thinking and sequential processing.   It takes a concept and breaks it down to small manageable steps.  Detailed information is linked into “a bigger picture”.   Art is satisfying to the senses and there is a tendency to open up verbally, when engaged in a creative activity.

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Art Therapy

"The intention for this site is excellent, allowing for therapists to present their preferred method of interacting with children with ASD and allowing the family to choose what might meet their needs. The work I've been doing as an Art Therapist began with Choice Theory via the Glasser Institute, empowering clients to identify behaviors and them make better choices. This resonates especially with adolescents whom are at a stage in their lives where they want more autonomy and freedom, yet may make inconsistent choices to meet their desired needs. Another aspect is the unhappiness that can come from not having the relationship you want with the important people in your life. Choice Theory became my foundation in Art Therapy. When I was introduced to Greenspan's model of Floor Time (and more recently RDI) I was thrilled that the foundation of development was built on the relationships and respect for the individual (where he/she is at).

"Art is so congruent with this model.   As an Art Therapist I join the child at their cognitive/social developmental level . The creative process of art making and creative play allows for a child to move into the psychosocial stage of industry vs. inferiority. During this period a child with ASD can use the creative process to develop competency and mastery, this allows for further development of their self-esteem and consequently increases relationship development. Moreover, the art materials allow the child to develop from a sensorimotor cognitive basis of organizing activities in relation to the environment into a representational system of art making that allows for symbols to represent people, places and events.

"The creative process allows for the development of concrete operations needed to solve problem logically. By using art materials a child can express themselves and receive acceptance and support from an Art Therapist. By allowing the child to progress through the developmental stages with support, a child will create art that represents preoperational thinking and may move toward concrete, then abstract thinking. The art making process not only allows for cognitive and social development, but is also a excellent means to help increase language acquisition and relationship building. It is empowering for a child to create an image that reflects their feelings. With the support of an Art Therapist a child can use the art as a means of exploring their feelings, power and mastery, choice making and relationships."

Laura JJ Dessauer

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Craft

Dance

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Drama & Theater

Connect with a local amateur theater company.   Or, in a group, share a facilitator who could help develop scriptwriting, rehearsing, the acting process, along with set building, lighting a stage, putting on a performance.   The teamwork and the process could be as rewarding as the finished product, developing new potential skills.   It could encourage critical thinking - visit other theater groups and performances and discuss afterward.

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Drama Therapy

Drama therapy offers children, adolescents, and adults with AS a way to access their creativity in a positive manner, to engage with others in a true give-and-take dynamic, and to explore and embody ways of being that truly pushes their "limits". My training in drama therapy is developmentally based, and helps AS individuals to strengthen their overall relationship skills, through increasing an ability to engage in a complex non-verbal, bodily-experienced communication, as well as increasing a sense of creativity and spontaneity in verbal interactions. Drama therapy also improves an individual's ability to express and regulate emotions and increases body awareness (something very important for those with sensory processing disorders). As a therapist, I operate as the individual's guide and offer interventions that are playful and fun, including improvisation, role-play, movement and gesture, puppetry/mask work, and storytelling. While engaging in creative dramatic activities is often beneficial and enjoyable for those with AS, drama therapy takes it further and helps individuals with AS to identify, work on, and meet therapeutic goals through a creative, interactive medium. In both individual and group work, I am an active partner in this process, serving as a model, partner, and facilitator.

Kimberly C. Galway

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Drumming

Drum and percussion circles lend themselves to developing rhythmic synchrony, teamwork and cooperation, individual expression within a group context, social interaction, coordination and motor skills, expression of emotion and relief of stress. A "conversation" can be developed using sound as language without need for words. A highly recommended database of drummers can be found at http://traponline.com/home.html

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Graphic / Web Design

THE BOOK:  

Creative Expressive Activities and Asperger’s Syndrome, available through Jessica Kingsley Publishers, presents a psychological framework to support the social and emotional development of young people with Asperger's Syndrome. It provides an introduction to different creative expressive activities - art, music, drama, yoga etc., providing different learning experiences.    The focus is on building  

Resilience (Positive Psychology)

Social and emotional skills

There are many ways to support an individual with Asperger’s Syndrome.

The book describes a structured theoretical overview that opens doors for activities to be engaging and relevant, to meet individual needs and interests.   It draws briefly on the expertise of professionals and practitioners who have specialized knowledge, and authors for further reading are suggested.  

The book introduces the dimensions of Asperger’s Syndrome; how they impact on positive and resilient development; and how different creative expressive and activities that intrinsically support development can be used to reinforce and complement conventional therapies.  

Sometimes behavioral therapy is effective, sometimes cognitive restructuring, often experiential learning and practice is most effective.   Although some of the examples are very specific, they are meant to be modified by therapists according to personal style and specific need. 

Creative Expressive Activities cannot replace a therapeutic relationship.   They do, however, provide engaging languages for self realization and setting positive life goals.   They provide the vehicle for genuine relationship building between teachers/therapists/group facilitators and group members.