Cognitive Behavior Drama: An Innovative Intervention Model that Combines Established Psychological Methods with the Art Form of Drama to Provide Young Children on the Autism Spectrum with the Motivation and Confidence to Overcome Their Fears

Aims: To describe and evaluate the application of an innovative approach that combines cognitive and behavioral techniques with the art-form of drama to treating childhood fears, leading the participant to an in vivo exposure to the fear stimulus.

Presentation of Case: An 11 year old boy diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, who had a long standing fear of being touched and for whom all other forms of therapy, including behavioral therapy and traditional CBT interventions had been found to be ineffective, participated in the study.

Discussion: The results obtained in terms of the clinical outcome of this single case study are very encouraging and indicate that the Cognitive Behavior Drama Model may indeed be an effective form of therapy for certain types of complex cases, for which more traditional approaches have been unsuccessful. Follow up studies that would replicate and develop the findings of this study should be conducted to establish the efficacy of the CBD model as evidence based practice

Conclusion: Importantly, the validity of the model primarily lies in its potential to reach younger children who may not benefit from traditional CBT due to cognitive immaturity. Furthermore, the inherently enjoyable and unobtrusive nature of the dramatic plot immediately engages children in the therapeutic process providing them with the motivation to overcome their fears.