Date Presented 04/05/2025
A virtual magic arts training program for autistic adolescents (ages 9–15 yr) was conducted. Findings from the mixed-methods analysis provide insights regarding participant development of social participation and self-esteem.
Primary Author and Speaker: Rachel Ashcraft
Additional Authors and Speakers: Hon Yuen, Gavin Jenkins
PURPOSE: Strengths-based programs promoting social participation within a context of special interests can positively impact autistic individuals (Lee et al., 2020). This study aimed to investigate the impact of a virtual magic arts training program on autistic adolescents (9 – 15 yr).
DESIGN: A professional magician and occupational therapy (OT) department partnered to develop a magic camp program. Participants received magic-arts training from OT students in 45-minute sessions delivered 3 days/wk for 3 wks via Zoom.
METHOD: A nonrandomized, wait-list controlled trial with a 1-month follow-up and a qualitative interview was utilized. Quantitative measures included self-esteem and social skills. Qualitative data was collected via interviews with the participants and their parents after the program was completed.
RESULTS: Quantitative analyses revealed that between cohorts effect sizes (i.e., compared to wait-list cohorts) were 0.58 for social skills and 0.66 for self-esteem, considered moderate effects. Combining the two cohorts revealed significant improvements in social skills and self-esteem, with gains maintained at 1-month follow-up. Thematic analysis revealed the themes of building self-esteem, social motivation, and social communication from the children’s interviews and improved social skills, building self-esteem, and developing new skills (e.g., listening) from the parents’ interviews.
CONCLUSION: Improved self-esteem and social skills was supported in both the qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative analysis revealed additional themes of improved social motivation, and development of new skills related to social interaction, which suggested that improved social participation through engagement in magic arts can be explained by Attwood’s constructive application theory (Attwood, 2007).
IMPACT STATEMENT: Magic camp is a promising intervention that improves autistic children’s social participation and self-esteem through engageme.
References
Botha, M., Dibb, B., & Frost, D. M. (2022). ‘Autism is me’: an investigation of how autistic individuals make sense of autism and stigma [Article]. Disability and Society, 37(3), 427–453. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2020.1822782
Cohen, S. R., Joseph, K., Levinson, S., Blacher, J., & Eisenhower, A. (2022). ‘My Autism Is My Own’: Autistic Identity and Intersectionality in the School Context [Article]. Autism in Adulthood, 4(4), 315–327. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2021.0087
Lee, E. A. L., Black, M. H., Falkmer, M., Tan, T., Sheehy, L., Bölte, S., & Girdler, S. (2020). “We Can See a Bright Future”: Parents’ Perceptions of the Outcomes of Participating in a Strengths-Based Program for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder [Article]. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 50(9), 3179–3194. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04411-9
Attwood T. The complete guide to Asperger’s syndrome. Jessica Kingsley Publishers; 2007.
