Abstract

A practical guide to the innovative Autism Movement Therapy ® (AMT) approach - structured movement and music classes designed to stimulate the brain, aid sensory processing and decrease problem behaviours in children with autism spectrum disorders.

Reflecting a growing interest in the body-brain connection, and incorporating the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis, the AMT approach uses music and movement to develop audio, visual, gross motor and spatial awareness skills in children with autism. The book breaks down the components of the typical 45 minute session, from circle games to story dances, and explains how the reader can create their own AMT program.

This exciting new approach will complement other therapeutic techniques for children on the autism spectrum and can be used by a wide range of professionals, such as teachers, arts therapists and dance instructors, as well as parents and carers.

Joanne's book captures it all: how AMT works, the impact of art and art expression, and the relationship of music and movement with the brain and its pathways. Joanne's unique way of intertwining her real life experience with children and their progress through AMT provides the reader with a true understanding of how AMT can impact every facet of a person's life by 'waking up the brain'.
Lisa M. Gifford, Autism Supports and Innovations Director, AMT Workshop Instructor, Authorized Social Stories Coach, Herkimer ARC
Since I first participated in Joanne Lara's Autism Movement Therapy, it has really helped me to connect the right side of my brain to the left. It helps people with autism to learn how to focus more through movement.
Dani Bowman, autism advocate, and founder of Power Light Animation Studios
Autism Movement Therapy ® Method: Waking up the Brain! is a groundbreaking work and a joyously life-affirming book. Here, the dance studio is both a classroom as well as a warm, safe, and fun community, fostering the development of the participants' awareness from the inside out. Unlocking the unknown potential of those on the autism spectrum through dance and music, it offers new hope and real answers for those often pre-judged as incapable of change and a clarion call for the absolute necessity of arts education in child development.
James Sutton, Ballet master, Choreographer and Writer, Former Associate Arts Professor, Tisch School of the Arts at New York University
Programs like Joanne's Autism Movement Therapy offer opportunities for our kids to develop the necessary and fundamental skills that benefit all our kids. Art saved my life!
Temple Grandin, Ph.D.
Joanne Lara has taken the art of dance and movement and turned it into a therapy that all children with autism can benefit from. Joanne's book is fun and inspiring; she instilled a love of dance in my son that is beautiful to watch.
Navah Paskowitz-Asner, Executive Director of Programs & Development for The Friendship Circle By The Sea

Joanne Lara, MA was a professional dancer before becoming a classroom education specialist and university professor. She is the founder of the nonprofit organization Autism Movement Therapy®, based in Los Angeles, California, which certifies, trains, and licenses dancers, educators, parents, and professional service providers in AMT. Joanne is a Core Adjunct Professor at National University in LA, California and teaches weekly Autism Movement Therapy classes in Van Nuys, CA, where she has a private ABA behavioral consultation practice. She produced the documentary Generation A: Portraits of Autism and the ARTS, was the executive producer of the LA musical event Temple Grandin & Friends: Autism Works Now and is a columnist for Autism Asperger's Digest and Sensory World.

Keri Bowers has been an advocate, filmmaker, author and educator for over 25 years. She owns Normal Films, and co-founded The Art of Autism. Her son Taylor, who has autism and is now an adult, inspired Keri to move from entertainment law into autism advocacy. She and Taylor have made several documentaries about autism and present workshops and talks, write articles and appear on television together. Keri is the art director for The Friendship Circle and Miracle Project in Los Angeles, California, and she co-writes a bi-monthly column for Autism Asperger's Digest Magazine called The Power of the Arts.

The authors include a number of diagrams and photographs and then provide an outline of a typical session, including information about music, linked to other skills being taught...this is an interesting introduction to this approach and it is written in a practical style.
SEN Magazine
In addition to being a "must read", Autism Movement Therapy (R) as described in this book is a "must experience" for anyone wishing to learn how to empower individuals on the autism spectrum to first be more comfortable within their bodies, and second, achieve greater success interacting with the surrounding environment.
From the foreword by Stephen M. Shore, Clinical Assistant Professor at Adelphi University, and internationally-known author, speaker, and individual on the autism spectrum
The arts empower people with autism to connect. Joanne's "whole brain" approach, and the stories of the children and adolescents Joanne works with are inspiring and accessible, with the guidance of her book.
Jane Ferris Richardson, EdD, ATR-BC, Associate Professor of Art Therapy, Lesley University, and Art Therapist in Private Practice, specialising in children and young people on the autism spectrum
The beauty of this book is that Joanne breaks down AMT ® for all those interested in not only delivering a music and movement program but one specifically designed for individuals on the autism spectrum, including pedagogy and Best Practices ideology.
Erica Frailey-Matthews, The Autism & Movement Project