Thesis
Exploring variations to the Active Body Movement Scale: towards a conceptualization of the autistic body
Master of Arts (M.A.), Drexel University
Jun 2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00011115
Abstract
This Informed-Practice Approach and Application is a two-fold theoretical exploration of the Active Body Movement Scale (BMS) of the Behavioral Rating Instrument for Autistic & Atypical Children (BRIAAC), originally published in the 1970s. Grounded in dance/movement therapy (DMT) research, existing autism assessments, and disability theory, this work is informed by the author's lived experiences as an autistic person and scholar. First, the literature review presents theoretical and research evidence to indicate that there is room for growth in the research and assessment of autism, and the acceptance of autistic embodiment is key to understanding the nuances of the autistic experience. Through this, the idea of the autistic body emerges. This conceptualization of autism centers the body, the lived experience of being autistic, and a belief that the whole person is autistic, not just their brain. Second, using the vignette development method of triangulation, three vignettes were created that consist of literature support, specific clinical experiences, and existing material from the Active BMS. All three aspects combine to create a distinct vignette that explores these concepts as they relate to the Active BMS. Ultimately, this project argues that the Active BMS has potential as a movement assessment that acknowledges and understands the holistic experience of autism by contextualizing it in the current moment through contemporary theory & research. Hoping to serve as a jumping off point, this inquiry into the BMS of the BRIAAC sparks greater discussion about the importance of this material and its reworking.
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Details
- Title
- Exploring variations to the Active Body Movement Scale
- Creators
- Paige Valego
- Contributors
- Sherry W. Goodill (Advisor) - Drexel University, Creative Arts Therapies
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- vi, 47 pages
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Creative Arts Therapies; College of Nursing and Health Professions; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991022064341204721