An Art Therapy Intervention for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

125 Pages·2015·2.35 MB·English

Florida State University Libraries
Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School
2015
Portrait Drawing: An Art Therapy
Intervention for Adults with Autism
Spectrum Disorder
Chelsea Harris
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FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS

PORTRAIT DRAWING:

AN ART THERAPY INTERVENTION FOR

ADULTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

By

CHELSEA HARRIS

A Thesis submitted to the
Department of Art Education
in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of
Master of Science

2015

© 2015 Chelsea Harris
Chelsea Harris defended this thesis on June 23, 2015.
The members of the supervisory committee were:

Marcia Rosal
Professor Directing Thesis

David Gussak
Committee Member

Theresa van Lith
Committee Member

The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and
certifies that the thesis has been approved in accordance with university requirements.

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For all of his love and support, I dedicate this thesis to my husband.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Marcia Rosal, for
her excellent guidance, caring, patience, and continuous support in my education and research.

I would also like to thank the rest of my thesis committee, Dr. Dave Gussak and Dr.
Theresa van Lith, for their valuable guidance and encouragement.

I would also like to thank Emory Autism Center for their incessant support and assistance
in pursuing my passion of art therapy and autism.

I am eternally thankful for my cohort at Florida State University. During graduate school,
my classmates became my family. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to develop the
confidence to discover my true potential. They have had such a profound impact on my life and I
could not be more grateful.

This paper would not have been possible without the support of my family, who
introduced me to the merit of helping others. Throughout my life, they have been a constant
source of love, concern, support and strength. They encouraged me to embrace life and find my
niche in the world. They never questioned my choices, choosing instead to always be there for
me. Like the Black Knight who relentlessly guarded the bridge, my family taught me to never
give up. They taught me the value of kindness, patience, confidence, adventure and sarcasm.

Lastly, I would like to thank my wonderful husband, Sam Harris, for whom I find it
difficult to express my appreciation because it is so boundless. He is my most enthusiastic
cheerleader as well as my best friend. Since we were in high school, we’ve been each support
system. He appreciates my personal ambitions and constantly challenges me to pursue my
dreams. In order to pursue my dreams of graduate school, my husband and I spent two years in
different states. I am grateful for his patience and sacrifice. He stayed with me through the ups
and downs. When I experienced vulnerable moments in which I wanted to abandon my dreams
and move home, he was my rock. He has shared this entire amazing journey with me, so it only
seems right that I dedicate this dissertation to him.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... viii
List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ ix
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... x

1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 1

Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1
Problems to be Investigated ....................................................................................................... 2
Purpose .................................................................................................................................... 2
Justification .............................................................................................................................. 2
Research Hypotheses ................................................................................................................. 3
Definition of Terms .................................................................................................................... 3
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) ........................................................................................... 3
Art Therapy .............................................................................................................................. 4
Communication ........................................................................................................................ 4
Social Skills ............................................................................................................................ 4
Socialization ............................................................................................................................ 4
Social Cues .............................................................................................................................. 4
Facial Recognition Skills ......................................................................................................... 5
Neurotypical Peers ................................................................................................................... 5
Portrait Drawing ...................................................................................................................... 5
Overview of the Study ............................................................................................................... 6

2. LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................................... 7

Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 7
Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) ...................................................................... 7
Adults and Autism ...................................................................................................................... 8
Autism Spectrum Disorder ......................................................................................................... 9
Etiology .................................................................................................................................. 11
Communication and Autism .................................................................................................. 12
Social Skills and Autism ....................................................................................................... 14
Treatment Modalities ............................................................................................................... 16
Dietary Therapy ..................................................................................................................... 16
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) ........................................................................................ 17
Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention ............................................................................... 18
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) ................................................................................... 18
Peer Intervention .................................................................................................................... 19
Art Therapy ............................................................................................................................. 20
Art Therapy with Communication and Social Skills ............................................................. 22
Object Constancy ................................................................................................................... 23
Joint Attention Skills ............................................................................................................. 24
Portrait Drawing .................................................................................................................... 24
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The Interactive Square ........................................................................................................... 25
Cognitive Behavioral Art Therapy (CBAT) .......................................................................... 26
Synopsis of the Literature ........................................................................................................ 27
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 28

3. METHODS .............................................................................................................................. 29

Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 29
Hypothesis ................................................................................................................................ 29
Research Design ....................................................................................................................... 30
Participants ............................................................................................................................... 31
Instrumentation ........................................................................................................................ 32
Questionnaire ......................................................................................................................... 32
Face Stimulus Assessment (FSA) .......................................................................................... 34
The Formal Elements of Art Therapy Scale (FEATS) .......................................................... 35
Research Observations ........................................................................................................... 37
Treatment Protocol ................................................................................................................... 38
Procedures ................................................................................................................................ 39
Data Analysis ........................................................................................................................... 40
Summary .................................................................................................................................. 41

4. RESULTS ............................................................................................................................... 43

Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 43
Demographics and Participants(cid:3244) Backgrounds ......................................................................... 44
Qualitative Results ................................................................................................................... 45
Session One ........................................................................................................................... 45
Janice ................................................................................................................................... 45
Kristen ................................................................................................................................. 47
Session Two ........................................................................................................................... 49
Janice ................................................................................................................................... 49
Kristen ................................................................................................................................. 50
Session Three ......................................................................................................................... 53
Janice ................................................................................................................................... 53
Kristen ................................................................................................................................. 56
Session Four ........................................................................................................................... 58
Janice ................................................................................................................................... 58
Kristen ................................................................................................................................. 60
Session Five ........................................................................................................................... 62
Janice ................................................................................................................................... 62
Session Six ............................................................................................................................. 63
Janice ................................................................................................................................... 63
Thoughts from the Researcher ................................................................................................. 65
Quantitative Results ................................................................................................................. 69
Face Stimulus Assessment (FSA) .......................................................................................... 69
Weekly Questionnaire ........................................................................................................... 75
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Quantitative Analysis ............................................................................................................... 78
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 79

4. DISCUSSION ......................................................................................................................... 81

Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 81
Implications of the Findings ..................................................................................................... 83
First Hypothesis Revisited ..................................................................................................... 84
Second Hypothesis Revisited ................................................................................................ 86
Third Hypothesis Revisited ................................................................................................... 88
Self-Esteem or Self-Perception .............................................................................................. 89
Limitations ............................................................................................................................... 90
Length of Time Between Sessions ........................................................................................ 91
Limited Sample ...................................................................................................................... 91
Lack of Audio ........................................................................................................................ 92
Questionnaires ....................................................................................................................... 92
Suggestions for Future Research .............................................................................................. 92
Suggestions for Art Therapists ................................................................................................. 93
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 94

APPENDICES .............................................................................................................................. 95

A. PARTICIPANT: INFORMED CONSENT ............................................................................. 95
B. VOLUNTEER: INFORMED CONSENT ............................................................................... 99
C. QUESTIONNAIRE ................................................................................................................ 101
D. FEATS RATING SCALE ...................................................................................................... 102
E. FSA FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS AND INQUIRY FORMS ............................................... 104

References ................................................................................................................................... 108

Biographical Sketch .................................................................................................................... 114

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Janice(cid:3244)s Pre and Post Test Scores with Average ............................................................. 70

Table 2. Janice(cid:3244)s Pre and Post Test Scores and Averages at the Variable Level .......................... 72

Table 3. Kristen(cid:3244)s Pre and Post Test Scores with Average ........................................................... 73

Table 4. The Participants(cid:3244) Pre and Post Test Scores and Averages at the Variable Level ........... 74

Table 5. Janice(cid:3244)s Questionnaire Results ........................................................................................ 76

Table 6. Kristen(cid:3244)s Questionnaire Results ...................................................................................... 77

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Janice’s FSA Pretest (Left: Picture 1, Center: Picture 2, Right: Picture 3) ................... 46

Figure 2. Kristen(cid:3244)s FSA Pretest (Left: Picture 1, Center: Picture 2, Right: Picture 3) ................. 48

Figure 3. Left: Janice(cid:3244)s First Attempt at Self-Portraiture; Center: Janice(cid:3244)s Second Attempt; Right:
Janice(cid:3244)s Representative Self-Portrait ............................................................................................. 50

Figure 4. Kristen(cid:3244)s Three Attempts at Self-Portraiture ................................................................. 51

Figure 5. Kristen(cid:3244)s Representative Self-Portraits .......................................................................... 52

Figure 6. Janice(cid:3244)s First (Left) and Second (right) Attempt at Drawing the Researcher ................ 54

Figure 7. Janice(cid:3244)s Representative Self-Portrait from Session Three ............................................. 55

Figure 8. Kristen(cid:3244)s First (Left) and Second (Right) Attempt at Drawing the Researcher ............ 57

Figure 9. Left: Janice(cid:3244)s First Attempt at Drawing Maggie; Center: Janice(cid:3244)s Second Attempt;
Right: Janice(cid:3244)s Representational Self-Portrait .............................................................................. 59

Figure 10. Left: Kristen(cid:3244)s First Attempt at Drawing of Maggie; Right: Kristen(cid:3244)s Depiction of
Maggie(cid:3244)s Eyes ............................................................................................................................... 61

Figure 11. Janice(cid:3244)s First (Left) and Second (Right) Attempts at Drawing Julie ........................... 63

Figure 12. Janice(cid:3244)s FSA Posttest (Left: Picture 1, Center: Picture 2, Right: Picture 3) ................ 65

Figure 13. Janice(cid:3244)s Pretest Scores for Each Picture of the FSA .................................................... 71

Figure 14. Janice(cid:3244)s Posttest Scores for Each Picture of the FSA .................................................. 71

Figure 15. Janice(cid:3244)s Pre and Post Test Analysis at the Variable Level .......................................... 72

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