Multimodal, culturally grounded creative and movement therapies in neurodevelopmental disorders: A review of clinical implementation and preliminary outcomes
Varghese Abraham, Sumit Datta, Susan Jacob, Liya Kurian, Miriam Kuruvilla, Mariam Johny & Aksa Sara Biju
Abstract
Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) in children present complex challenges requiring culturally sensitive, multimodal therapeutic approaches. This pilot study evaluated the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of integrating culturally adapted music-based activities, Indian expressive art therapy, and Kerala-based symbolic sand play with conventional play therapy in children with neurodevelopmental challenges. Seven male participants aged 6 to 11 years, predominantly diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, received weekly two-hour interventions over six months. Improvements were observed in active participation (85.7%), attention span, social interaction, and communication (each 71.4%), as well as emotional responsiveness and sensory regulation. The intervention was successfully embedded within routine clinical practice without disruption. These findings suggest that culturally grounded, creative, and movement-based therapies can enhance engagement and developmental outcomes in pediatric NDD care. Further controlled studies with larger cohorts and standardized assessments are warranted to confirm efficacy and generalizability.
Keywords
NDD, culturally adapted therapy, music therapy, expressive art therapy, sand play, autism spectrum disorder, multimodal intervention, developmental therapy
Author information & Contribution
Varghese Abraham. Corresponding author. MD (Paed.), PDF (Paed. Neurology), DPSM. Associate Professor, Division of Child Neurology & Developmental Paediatrics, Department of Paediatric Medicine, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Medical College, Kolenchery, Kerala, India. Email: varghese.abraham@moscmc.edu.in
Sumit Datta. Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Medical College, Kolenchery, Kerala, India.
Susan Jacob. Division of Child Neurology & Developmental Pediatrics, Department of Paediatric Medicine, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Medical College, Kolenchery, Kerala, India.
Liya Kurian. Division of Child Neurology & Developmental Pediatrics, Department of Paediatric Medicine, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Medical College, Kolenchery, Kerala, India.
Miriam Kuruvilla. Division of Child Neurology & Developmental Pediatrics, Department of Paediatric Medicine, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Medical College, Kolenchery, Kerala, India.
Mariam Johny. Division of Child Neurology & Developmental Pediatrics, Department of Paediatric Medicine, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Medical College, Kolenchery, Kerala, India.
Aksa Sara Biju. Division of Child Neurology & Developmental Pediatrics, Department of Paediatric Medicine, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Medical College, Kolenchery, Kerala, India.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Funding
This work was not supported by any funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement
The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The authors ensured that informed consent was obtained from the legal parents or authorized guardians of all participants prior to enrollment. The protocol, intervention procedures, and recruitment strategy were formally reviewed and approved prior to the administration of the data gathering.
Data and Materials Availability
The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
AI Declaration
The author declares the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in writing this paper. In particular, the author used Paperpal in searching appropriate literature, summarizing key points and paraphrasing ideas. The author takes full responsibility in ensuring proper review and editing of contents generated using AI.
Notes
Acknowledgement
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Cite this article:
Abraham, V., Datta, S., Jacob, S., Kurian, L., Kuruvilla, M., Johny, M. & Biju, A.S. (2026). Multimodal, culturally grounded creative and movement therapies in neurodevelopmental disorders: A review of clinical implementation and preliminary outcomes. Journal of Allied Health Sciences & Medical Research, 2(4), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.53378/jahsmr.353390
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