Aimed at professionals working with children with special needs, this title covers the spectrum of students attending special need schools, including those with attention deficit disorder, autism and Asperger's syndrome. Crimmens places methods of using therapeutic storymaking, within the context of drama therapy.

Dramatherapy with Children, Young People and Schools is the first book to specifically evaluate the unique value of dramatherapy in the educational environment. A variety of highly experienced dramatherapists, educational psychologists and childhood experts discuss the benefits to the children and young people, and also in relation to the involvement of teachers, the multi-disciplinary team and families. This professional book offers a panoramic view to explain how through dramatherapy children and young people develop their communication skills, sociability and their actual desire to learn. Detailed case studies demonstrate individual successes in youngsters experiencing a range of emotional difficulties and psychological needs. These studies include: conquering a fear of maths; violent behaviour transformed into educational achievement; safe expression of feelings for a sexually abused child; and where children are diagnosed with mental health disorders such as ADHD and ODD, where the benefits of dramatherapy with children and families are carefully described and evaluated, suggesting that this therapeutic discipline can achieve positive outcomes. The practical advice and inspirational results included here promote a future direction of integration and collaboration of school staff, multi-disciplinary teams and families. Education and equality are high on the agenda, and the function of dramatherapy is not just as a treatment, but as an economically viable and valuable preventive therapy.

Introducing sandtray play and storying into mainstream and special education classrooms can have an extremely enriching impact, encouraging social and emotional growth and creativity in students. This accessible book presents a practical theory of sandtray play and storying and offers invaluable advice about sandtray/narrative workshop setup.

People living with severe or profound multiple disabilities (PMLD) can often struggle to connect with the world around them. This book shows how, through enjoying dramatic interaction, they can develop their communication skills, learn to deal with emotions more effectively and gain a greater understanding of their physical and social environment. This guide presents a variety of ways in which drama can be used as a medium for assisting the social and emotional development of people with PMLD, including sensory impairment. It fully explains techniques that are proven to build confidence and promote participation, and illustrates how to include support staff effectively within the process. Charting the author's own journey as a dramatherapist, it clarifies in detail some effective approaches and how to address key issues that arise in dramatherapy practice. This is an accessible and life-saving guide for practitioners looking to use drama in work with people with PMLD, but are unsure where to begin.

Drama therapy provides valuable opportunities for children on the autism spectrum to interact and connect with others in a fun, supportive environment. The innovative model of drama therapy described in this book is rooted in neuroscience, and designed specifically to develop social, emotional and expressive language skills in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Lee R. Chasen provides an accessible explanation of the theoretical foundations, concepts and techniques that make up the approach, and describes in detail a thirty-session drama therapy program which uses creative and playful tools such as guided play, sociometry, puppetry, role-play, video modeling and improvisation. Scenarios drawn from his own practice provide useful insights into the practicalities of setting up and running such a program, as well as into how children's social, emotional and expressive language skills deepen through their immersion in this unique approach. This book will be of interest to drama and creative arts therapists, as well as teachers, school psychologists, counsellors and other professionals who work with children with autism spectrum disorders.

Incorporate drama and improvisation into your classroom to build confidence, support social-emotional learning, and engage every student in the curriculum. This book’s detailed and easy-to-implement chapters walk you through using drama to develop critical listening and communication skills, conflict resolution abilities, behavior regulation, and even grow new skills in math, literature, geography, and more! Each chapter builds on the skills learned in previous lessons, allowing you to increase the complexity as students progress. Designed for use with inclusive classrooms as well as dedicated special education programs, this guide features adaptable activities to include students at every ability level.