The artist within: a thesis on the arts and children with special needs

This thesis presents an investigation of the arts as they pertain to therapeutic processes with children who have autism. Through formulating an observational study, I structured a program that offered various art and dance activities to children struggling with autism near the Muncie area. Three male participants, varying in age (7-18) and level of functioning (low/med/high) made up the study's demographics. In measuring creativity, eye contact, warmth through body language, and attentiveness, the study promoted participants' natural responses to weekly tasks. Ultimately, the objective in gathering data over six weeks pursued whether art and dance were empirically effective in "making a connection" with the participants involved.