Date of Award

6-2024

Document Type

Capstone

Degree Name

Doctor of Occupational Therapy

Department

Occupational Therapy

First Advisor

Briana Bonner OTD, OTR/L

Abstract

Dance is integrated into every culture. There are several psychosocial, cognitive, and physical benefits to dancing. The sensory system is highly involved in dance. Further, many children have difficulties with sensory processing and regulation. There are finite programs outside of therapeutic services to address this gap in utilizing sensory strategies. Limited research has been conducted to determine if dance is an effective approach for improving sensory regulation. A 10-week program was designed for eight participants, ages 4 to 8 by an occupational therapy doctoral student. The program utilized the Alert Program®, breathing techniques, yoga positions, tactile input, proprioceptive input, and vestibular input. A pre- and post- measure was taken using the Sensory Processing Measure- 2. In addition, parents completed a weekly questionnaire after the conclusion of each session to identify their child’s regulation skills and behaviors. Eight children volunteered their participation in the program. Several of them had identified difficulties with sensory processing. Only four completed post-measures were obtained. The results indicated that there was minimal change in their scores after the conclusion of a 10-week program. However, parent reports identified increased ability among participants to participate in self-regulation strategies. The reduced sample size may impact the generalizability of the results. In addition, inconsistent attendance and parent reporting may inaccurately represent the results. Further studies would need to be conducted to determine if extracurricular activities, specifically dance, can be utilized in conjunction with therapeutic services to improve regulation skills among children.

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