Creative Arts Therapies, Psychomotor Therapy, and Play Therapy for People with Severe Intellectual Disabilities and Challenging Behaviour: A Scoping Review of Interventions and Outcomes

Nikki H. T. Verdellen-Krauwel, Noud Frielink (), Anna-Eva J. C. Prick, Arno P. A. M. Willems and Petri J. C. M. Embregts
Additional contact information
Nikki H. T. Verdellen-Krauwel: Tranzo, Tilburg School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Tilburg University, Postbus 90153, 5000 LE Tilburg, The Netherlands
Noud Frielink: Tranzo, Tilburg School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Tilburg University, Postbus 90153, 5000 LE Tilburg, The Netherlands
Anna-Eva J. C. Prick: KenVak, School of Arts Therapies, Zuyd University of Applied Science, Postbus 550, 6400 AN Heerlen, The Netherlands
Arno P. A. M. Willems: Koraal, Poststraat 1, 6135 KR Sittard, The Netherlands
Petri J. C. M. Embregts: Tranzo, Tilburg School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Tilburg University, Postbus 90153, 5000 LE Tilburg, The Netherlands

Disabilities, 2025, vol. 5, issue 4, 1-17

Abstract: Individuals with severe intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviour often face limited access to effective therapeutic interventions, as conventional approaches like cognitive behavioural therapy may not be suitable. Creative arts therapies (CATs), psychomotor therapy, and play therapy have emerged as promising non-verbal alternatives, yet their use in this population remains underexplored. This scoping review aimed to map and synthesize the existing evidence on the application and outcomes of these interventions for individuals with severe intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviour. A comprehensive search was conducted across eight databases in May 2023 (with an update of the search in June 2025). Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria, namely eight quantitative and five qualitative designs. Interventions included music therapy ( n = 7), art therapy ( n = 4), a combination of both ( n = 1), and play therapy ( n = 1); no studies on psychomotor therapy were identified. Reported outcomes were grouped into five domains: cognitive, psychological and emotional, social and interactional, communicative, and creative domain. Improvements were observed in areas such as attention, emotional regulation, social responsiveness, and communicative expression, particularly in structured and attuned therapeutic environments. However, most studies had methodological limitations, including small sample sizes and limited standardisation. These findings suggest potential benefits of CATs and play therapy, while highlighting the need for further research into underrepresented modalities and the use of rigorous single-case experimental designs.

Keywords: severe intellectual disability; challenging behaviour; creative arts therapies; music therapy; psychomotor therapy; play therapy; scoping review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7272/5/4/84/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7272/5/4/84/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jdisab:v:5:y:2025:i:4:p:84-:d:1756293

Access Statistics for this article

Disabilities is currently edited by Ms. Cici Zhou

More articles in Disabilities from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().