Date of Award
Spring 5-1-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Major
Expressive Therapies
First Advisor
Dr. E. Kellogg
Abstract
Caregiver parents of people with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) are not able to care for themselves as often as they should be able to for their own mental and physical wellness due to their caregiving responsibilities that often carry into adulthood. These can lead to anxiety, depression, grief, and dysregulation for the parent. Dance and movement practices have been found to relieve the symptoms of these experiences while helping the child with IDD and the parent connect more, building stronger relationships. This thesis will include a comprehensive literature review of body-based theories such as the Polyvagal Theory (Polyvagal Institute, 2025), Bowlby’s Attachment Theory (Bowlby, 1969), and Kestenberg’s Movement Profile (Kestenberg Amighi, et al., 2018) to show evidence that the body’s response to outside stimuli can impact a person’s mood and actions, which influences how the parent interacts with their child and in other social relationships. This thesis will also discuss how somatic regulation can benefit parents in many situations, such as those experiencing grief and loss through practicing mindfulness, creating movement in the parent’s body, and working on controlling their breath in stressful situations, which can help calm the nervous system, grounding and regulating the parent throughout their day. It was found that there are few direct studies for the benefits of movement with caregiver parents of people with IDD but they continue to be challenged under the stress of their roles. Further research needs to be done to increase awareness of the importance of movement practices as self-care for their benefit.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Gilbert, Haley E., "Who Cares for the Caregivers? How Dance and Movement Can Benefit Caregiving Parents of Children with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities: A Literature Review" (2025). Expressive Therapies Theses. 24.
https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_therapies_theses/24
Included in
Accessibility Commons, Art Therapy Commons, Child Psychology Commons, Cognition and Perception Commons, Counseling Commons, Dance Commons, Dance Movement Therapy Commons, Developmental Psychology Commons, Disability Law Commons, Disability Studies Commons, Gifted Education Commons, Other Mental and Social Health Commons, Special Education and Teaching Commons
