Date of Award
Spring 5-5-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Expressive Therapies
Major
Expressive Therapies
First Advisor
Nicholas Sucheski
Abstract
Abstract
As society continues to evolve, individuals on the autism spectrum often face increased challenges, particularly with the rise of stigma. Autism Unmasked Workshop is an in-person community engagement workshop that I led and developed for my thesis capstone project. My capstone thesis focuses on the impact of dance movement therapy (DMT) on helping people with autism and their caregivers improve self-awareness by increasing expressiveness and enhancing socialization, specifically in managing stigma in the media. The goal is to develop guidance for identifying needs and adapting support for those helping this population, such as family members and professionals. The results indicate that there were five caregivers attending the workshop, but the discussion part of the workshop was a bit ‘off topic’ when it came to the questions: what are the stigmas in the media today related to autism? What are the impacts of these stigmas? The importance of conducting further research to better understand DMT and its potential to support individuals with autism and/or learning disabilities in addressing complex stigma is also discussed.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Diamond, Samantha B., "How Can Dance Movement Therapy Help People with Autism Cope with Stigma? – A Community Engagement Project" (2026). Expressive Therapies Theses. 136.
https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_therapies_theses/136
