Psychodrama for Adolescents with Autism

Abstract

The present research evaluated the effects of psychodrama on 3 adolescents with autism. All 3 adolescents were compulsive and obsessive, but their IQs were quite different: A had mild mental retardation; B, moderate; and C, severe. They all participated in psychodrama for 10 years, in 3 periods. The techniques of the Double Method, the Mirror Method, and the Role Reversal Method were used to help them understand their inner selves. In the first period, they all showed low role level and hardly any spontaneity. In the second and third periods, their role levels rose, and their spontaneity improved remarkably. Questionnaires were administered to their parents and to the daily life guidance staff at the residential facility where the 3 youths were living. Analysis of the replies showed that after the psychodrama, they were better able to understand others' thinking, were more interested in others, and expressed their own thoughts. On the basis of these results, we consider psychodrama to be an effective method for supporting life-span development in adolescents with autism. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)