Beyond words: exploring communication and expression through therapeutic dance with children with special educational needs

This session explores the therapeutic use of movement and dance with students with a range of communication, social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. It asks - can dance and movement offer a creative and dynamic form for expression, beyond the boundaries of culture and language, for those young people who often struggle to communicate and express with words? It is based on an experimental research project undertaken by the author in schools in the United Kingdom, Estonia and Finland. It seeks to explore whether there is a common language of expression beyond words that can be utilized to engage young people in exploring issues related to their personal and social development. Each session in this project began with step-step interactive activities and movement exercises that aimed to gradually build confidence and assurance. All of the sessions involved circle and group games, trust building exercises and creative activities for the safe expression of feelings. Young people were encouraged to work co-operatively, within the whole group, individually, in pairs and small groups. Over the course of the sessions activities gradually involve work on issues related to the participant’s lives, building social and interpersonal skills, developing aspects of emotional competence and raising self-esteem . The research project indicates that dance as a means of expression can find common ground beyond language and culture. Therapeutic dance and movement activities with young people experiencing difficulties with expression and communication may provide a dynamic format for them to experiment creatively around a range of issues related to their personal lives. It may also provide a physical release for their anxieties and frustrations and help them deal more effectively with emotions they can not always put words to, or find explanations for.