Original Article
Creativity and Autism: A Systematic Review of Interventions
Romina Cecilia Elisondo,
María Laura de la Barrera,
Corresponding Author
Romina Cecilia Elisondo
National Scientific and Technical Research Council CONICET National University of Río Cuarto, Río Cuarto, Argentina
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Romina Cecilia Elisondo, 1712 Mariquita Sánchez de Thompson Río Cuarto, Córdoba 5800, Argentina. E-mail: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorMaría Laura de la Barrera
National Scientific and Technical Research Council CONICET National University of Río Cuarto, Río Cuarto, Argentina
Search for more papers by this authorRomina Cecilia Elisondo,
María Laura de la Barrera,
Corresponding Author
Romina Cecilia Elisondo
National Scientific and Technical Research Council CONICET National University of Río Cuarto, Río Cuarto, Argentina
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Romina Cecilia Elisondo, 1712 Mariquita Sánchez de Thompson Río Cuarto, Córdoba 5800, Argentina. E-mail: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorMaría Laura de la Barrera
National Scientific and Technical Research Council CONICET National University of Río Cuarto, Río Cuarto, Argentina
Search for more papers by this authorFirst published: 14 June 2024
This work was supported by the National Council of Scientific and Technical Research of Argentina.
ABSTRACT
The objective is to analyze the impacts of educational interventions with people with autism through the systematic review of publications. The article presents a review of 22 interventions published in SCOPUS, Google Scholar, and PsycINFO between 2005 and 2023 were selected. The keywords used were autism and creativity. Interventions that present impact assessment processes were included. The study follows the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines for conducting systematic reviews. The data are analyzed using coding and constant comparisons. The results indicate that the interventions can be considered creative projects since they generate ruptures and new forms of understanding and action. The interventions are projects that recognize the possibilities of people with autism and enable original actions, strategies and resources to enhance learning. The results provide evidence about the importance of neurodiversity and inclusive education.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Open Research
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
No data to declare.
REFERENCES
- Alves-Oliveira, P., Arriaga, P., Xavier, C., Hoffman, G., & Paiva, A. (2022). Creativity landscapes: Systematic review spanning 70 years of creativity interventions for children. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 56, 16–40; doi: 10.1002/jocb.514.
- Axbey, H., Beckmann, N., Fletcher-Watson, S., Tullo, A., & Crompton, C.J. (2023). Innovation through neurodiversity: Diversity is beneficial. Autism, 27, 2193–2198; doi: 10.1177/136236132311586852.
- Constable, P.A., Ring, M., Gaigg, S.B., & Bowler, D.M. (2018). Problem-solving styles in autism spectrum disorder and the development of higher cognitive functions. Autism, 22, 597–608; doi: 10.1177/1362361317691044.
- Constantin, A., Alexandru, C.A., Fox, G., & Meikle, L. (2020). Exploratory study examining the feasibility of a technology-based tool to support creativity in children with autism. In 14th international conference on interfaces and human computer interaction (pp. 181–186). Zagreb, Croatia: Internal Association for Development of the Information Society. doi: 10.33965/ihci_get2020_202010c023.
10.33965/ihci_get2020_202010c023 Google Scholar
- Dichter, G.S., Lam, K.S., Turner-Brown, L.M., Holtzclaw, T.N., & Bodfish, J.W. (2009). Generativity abilities predict communication deficits but not repetitive behaviors in autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 39, 1298–1304; doi: 10.1007/s10803-009-0742-3.
- Diener, M.L., Wright, C.A., Smith, K.N., & Wright, S.D. (2014). Assessing visual-spatial creativity in youth on the autism spectrum. Creativity Research Journal, 26, 328–337; doi: 10.1080/10400419.2014.929421.
- Drain, M., Riojas, S., Lysecky, J., & Rozenblit, J. (2011). First experiences with eBlocks as an assistive technology for individuals with autistic spectrum condition. Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), Rapid City, SD, USA. https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE.2011.6143050.
10.1109/FIE.2011.6143050 Google Scholar
- Duris, O., Labossière, C., Lesage, N., & Carré, G. (2022). Créativité numérique et innovation thérapeutique: recréer un lieu de soin sur Minecraft. L'Évolution Psychiatrique, 87, 717–728; doi: 10.1016/j.evopsy.2022.01.0015.
10.1016/j.evopsy.2022.01.001 Google Scholar
- Elisondo, R. (2022). ¿Creativity in people with autism? ¿Or creative contexts for people with autism? In M. Barrera (Ed.), Autism: Discovering its colours: Going from disorder to condition (pp. 49–78). Río Cuarto, Argentina: UNIRIO. Available from: http://www.unirioeditora.com.ar/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Autismo-descubriendo-sus-colores-Libro-digital.pdf.
- Fabri, M., Andrews, P.C., & Pukki, H.K. (2016). Using design thinking to engage autistic students in participatory design of an online toolkit to help with transition into higher education. Journal of Assistive Technologies, 10, 102–114; doi: 10.1108/JAT-02-2016-00086.
10.1108/JAT-02-2016-0008 Google Scholar
- Frauenberger, C., Good, J., & Keay-Bright, W. (2011). Designing technology for children with special needs: Bridging perspectives through participatory design. CoDesign, 7, 1–28; doi: 10.1080/15710882.2011.587013.
- Gibbs, G. (2012). Qualitative data analysis in qualitative research. Madrid, Spain: Morata.
- Glaveanu, V.P. (2013). Rewriting the language of creativity: The Five A's framework. Review of General Psychology, 17, 69–81; doi: 10.1037/a0029528.
- Glaveanu, V.P., Hanchett Hanson, M., Baer, J., Barbot, B., Clapp, E., Corazza, G.E., … & Sternberg, R. (2020). Advancing creativity theory and research: A sociocultural manifesto. Journal of Creative Behavior, 54, 741–745; doi: 10.1002/jocb.395.
- Hobson, J.A., Hobson, R.P., Malik, S., Bargiota, K., & Caló, S. (2013). The relation between social engagement and pretend play in autism. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 31, 114–127; doi: 10.1111/j.2044-835X.2012.02083.x.
- Johnson, E., & LaGasse, A.B. (2022). Musical creativity in autism: Exploring growth through collaborative peer interaction. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 69, 139–153; doi: 10.1080/1034912X.2021.1940883.
- Johnson, N.L., Bekhet, A.K., Karenke, T., & Garnier-Villarreal, M. (2021). Swim program pilot for children with autism: Impact on behaviors and health. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 43, 356–363; doi: 10.1177/0193945920948867.
- Kirchner, J., Ruch, W., & Dziobek, I. (2016). Brief report: Character strengths in adults with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual impairment. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 46, 3330–3337; doi: 10.1007/s10803-016-2865-7.
- Kumazaki, H., Muramatsu, T., Yoshikawa, Y., Matsumoto, Y., Kuwata, M., Takata, K., … & Mimura, M. (2022). Differences in the optimal motion of android robots for the ease of communications among individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 883371; doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.883371.
- Liu, M.J., Shih, W.L., & Ma, L.Y. (2011). Are children with Asperger syndrome creative in divergent thinking and feeling? A brief report. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 5, 294–298; doi: 10.1016/j.rasd.2010.04.011.
- Lu, L., Petersen, F., Lacroix, L., & Rousseau, C. (2010). Stimulating creative play in children with autism through sandplay. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 37, 56–64; doi: 10.1016/j.aip.2009.09.003.
- Marzano, G., & Zorzi, S. (2022). Autism and creativity: A social robotics application. In SOCIETY. INTEGRATION. EDUCATION. Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference (Vol. 1, pp. 685–696); doi: 10.17770/sie2022vol1.6825.
10.17770/sie2022vol1.6825 Google Scholar
- McDaniel, S.L., Hall, L.J., & Kraemer, B.K. (2022). Exploring extracurricular clubs for building social competence of students with autism. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 840294; doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.840294.
- Méndez-Martínez, E., & Fernández-Río, J. (2021). Mermaids, dogs and chameleons: Theatrical improvisation in adolescents with Asperger's syndrome. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 25, 482–498; doi: 10.1080/13603116.2018.1561960.
- Muñoz, R., Barcelos, T., Noël, R., & Kreisel, S. (2012). Development of software that supports the improvement of the empathy in children with autism spectrum disorder. International Conference of the Chilean Computer Science Society, SCCC, 6694093, 223–228; doi: 10.1109/SCCC.2012.33.
10.1109/SCCC.2012.33 Google Scholar
- Nicolás Ortuño, R. (2022). We are All Art: artistic mediation project with young people with autism spectrum disorder. Arteterapia, 17, 131–142; doi: 10.5209/arte.76441.
10.5209/arte.76441 Google Scholar
- O'Rourke, J., Kueh, C., Holly, C., Brook, L., & Erickson, C. (2023). Co-designing a communication app to enhance collaborative communication support for secondary students with autism. Educational Technology Research and Development, 71, 579–604; doi: 10.1007/s11423-022-10170-4.
- Parés, N., Carreras, A., Durany, J., Ferrer, J., Freixa, P., Gómez, D., & Sanjurjo, À. (2005). Promotion of creative activity in children with severe autism through visuals in an interactive multisensory environment. In Proceedings of the 2005 conference on Interaction design and children (pp. 110–116). doi: 10.1145/1109540.1109555.
- Park, J.E. (2021). Effectiveness of creative arts-based parent training for parents with children with autism spectrum disorder. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 76, 101837; doi: 10.1016/j.aip.2021.101837.
- Pellicano, E., & den Houting, J. (2022). Annual research review: Shifting from ‘normal science’ to neurodiversity in autism science. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 63, 381–396; doi: 10.1111/jcpp.13534.
- Pennisi, P., Giallongo, L., Milintenda, G., & Cannarozzo, M. (2021). Autism, autistic traits, and creativity: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Cognitive Processing, 22, 1–36; doi: 10.1007/s10339-020-00992-6.
- Pring, L., Ryder, N., Crane, L., & Hermelin, B. (2012). Creativity in savant artists with autism. Autism, 16, 45–57; doi: 10.1177/1362361311403783.
- Richardson, C., & Mishra, P. (2018). Learning environments that support student creativity: Developing the SCALE. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 27, 45–54; doi: 10.1016/j.tsc.2017.11.004.
- Runco, M.A., & Jaeger, G.J. (2012). The standard definition of creativity. Creativity Research Journal, 24, 92–96; doi: 10.1080/10400419.2012.650092.
- Saladino, V., Sabatino, A.C., & Sola, C.M. (2021). Therapeutic filmmaking e Disturbo dello Spettro Autistico. Un caso studio. Ricerche di Pedagogia e Didattica. Journal of Theories and Research in Education, 16, 97–103; doi: 10.6092/issn.1970-2221/10704.
10.6092/issn.1970?2221/10704 Google Scholar
- Scott-Barrett, J., Cebula, K., & Florian, L. (2022). The experiences and views of autistic children participating in multimodal view-seeking research. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 46, 1–32; doi: 10.1080/1743727X.2022.2149728.
- Siddaway, A.P., Wood, A.M., & Hedges, L.V. (2019). How to do a systematic review: A best practice guide for conducting and reporting narrative reviews, meta-analyses, and meta-syntheses. Annual Review of Psychology, 70, 747–770; doi: 10.1146/annurev-psych-010418-102803.
- Smees, R., Simner, J., & Rinaldi, L.J. (2023). Are children with autistic traits more or less creative? Links between autistic traits and creative attributes in children. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 59, 1–14; doi: 10.1002/jocb.650.
10.1002/jocb.650 Google Scholar
- Sternberg, R.J. (2022). Missing links: What is missing from definitions of creativity? Journal of Creativity, 32, 100021; doi: 10.1016/j.yjoc.2022.100021.
10.1016/j.yjoc.2022.100021 Google Scholar
- Taheri, A. (2023). Impacts of socially assistive robots on improving the quality of life in children with autism. In Encyclopedia of child and adolescent health (pp. 99–125). California: Academic Press. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-818872-9.00125-4.
10.1016/B978-0-12-818872-9.00125-4 Google Scholar
- Vellonen, V., Kärnä, E., & Virnes, M. (2015). Supporting the strengths and activity of children with autism spectrum disorders in a technology-enhanced learning environment. In P. Isaías, J. Spector, D. Ifenthaler, & D. Sampson (Eds.), E-learning systems, environments and approaches. Switzerland: Springer, Cham. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-05825-2_4.
10.1007/978-3-319-05825-2_4 Google Scholar
- Walkowiak, E. (2021). Neurodiversity of the workforce and digital transformation: The case of inclusion of autistic workers at the workplace. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 168, 120739; doi: 10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120739.
- World-Health-Organization. (2022). International classification of diseases for mortality and morbidity statistics (11th Revision). Available from: https://icd.who.int/browse11/l-m/en.
The references of the analyzed interventions are presented in Table 1.
