Movement Arts Integration for Children with Intellectual Disabilities

Hello BTSALP Arts Educators,

We find ourselves in a new year with a renewed hope for a return to some sense of normalcy in our lives and in our classrooms.  I hope you had a wonderful Holiday Season and that you are all well, happy, and thriving.   Realizing that many of our circumstances are different both at home and in school, I’ve been thinking a lot about each of you and wishing you well.

This month, I chose an article that hits home for me and I hope will resonate with you.  Many of you know I have a son with an intellectual disability. This article from South Korea looks at how dance arts integration (movement more specifically) can increase the ability for self-expression and self-efficacy in children with intellectual disabilities. As always, we care about you and if there is anything we can do to make your journey a little bit easier, please reach out any time. My email is rpenerosa@westminstercollege.edu.

The article we have chosen for January 2021 is:

Jang, S. M. (2020). The impacts of self-expression on the self-efficacy of intellectually disabled children who participated in an Arts Integration Movement Program. The Korean Society of Exercise Physiology, (29)2, 188-194.

Click HERE to access the full article!

Here is a little bit of information about this article:

In this article, the researchers take a closer look at what it means to be a part of a movement arts integration program for children with intellectual disabilities.  Compared to children who did not receive the program, those who did showed a statistically significant difference in the ability to share self-expression.  They also showed a significant rise in self-efficacy-  the way in which they were successful in their school programs.

We hope you are able to check out this article and look forward to reaching out again next month to share another bit of current research in our field!

Warm Regards,

Rebecca Penerosa, Ph.D.

rpenerosa@westminstercollege.edu

Beverley Taylor Sorenson Assistant Professor of Arts Education |Westminster College

Elementary Vice President |Utah Music Educators Association