Dance/movement interventions and students with exceptionalities: A critical review

Abstract

This critical narrative review presents findings of physical activity interventions involving dance/movement for students with exceptionalities. This review describes the status of dance/movement intervention research supporting students’ intersectional identities, including exceptionality. Dance/movement research from 2013 to 2023 was reviewed to identify the extent to which research addresses dimensions of students’ identities. First, dance/movement research is situated within physical activity intervention research. Next, findings from 82 dance/movement research studies within education and exceptionality categories, including autism, physical, and social emotional dimensions is summarized. Of those studies, five studies address participants’ intersectional identities including exceptionality. Positive outcomes of dance/movement interventions for students with exceptionalities include relationship building, well-being, individualized education, and cultural identity. Specific intervention techniques of mirroring, rhythm matching, and social collaboration with teachers and peers are identified as efficacious for improving students’ social-emotional, cognitive, and motor skills. Dance/movement interventions are also related to teachers’ awareness and affirmation of dimensions of students’ backgrounds and interests through student-centered dance/movement techniques. While the social-emotional, cognitive, and motor benefits are widely documented in the research, only a handful of studies address aspects of participants’ identities other than exceptionality category and age. The findings of this review have implications for teachers’ increased self-awareness and knowledge of dance/movement intervention techniques in support of students’ developmental skill outcomes and intersectional identities, as well as for dance/movement intervention research that addresses multiple dimensions of students’ identities.