Self-Development in Group Therapy with Neurodivergent Youth.

This article looks at how group therapy can help autistic children and teens develop a better sense of themselves. It focuses on helping young people become more self-aware, accept themselves, and learn to cope with challenges. While group therapy works well for many young people, there isn't much research specifically about how it helps autistic children develop these important self-skills.

This review article examines how group therapy can support self-development in neurodivergent youth with autism spectrum disorder. The authors identify that neurodevelopmental delays associated with ASD can disrupt self-development, negatively impacting social, cognitive, and emotional functioning. While group therapy has demonstrated effectiveness for youth generally, the literature specifically addressing its benefits for self-development in neurodivergent children is limited. The review focuses on three key areas of self-development: self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-repair.

The article aims to provide rationale and strategies for creating and facilitating therapy groups that specifically foster these self-development components in neurodivergent youth.

The review highlights an important gap in autism intervention research regarding self-development through group therapy. Clinicians should consider targeting self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-repair when designing group interventions for autistic youth. However, more empirical research is needed to establish evidence-based protocols for group therapy focused on self-development in this population.

This appears to be a narrative review rather than a systematic review, which may limit comprehensiveness. The abstract does not specify the methodology used for literature selection or analysis. No sample size or specific outcome measures are reported, suggesting this is primarily a conceptual framework rather than empirical research.

The challenges of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are many and create delays in development overall, but particularly in the area of self-development for children and adolescents. Neurodevelopmental delays can lead to disruptions in self-development, which may negatively impact the individual's social, cognitive, and emotional functioning. Group therapy has been shown to be an effective treatment for youth, however, there is a lack of literature demonstrating how group therapy can be beneficial for self-development for neurodivergent children. The areas of self-development include self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-repair.

This article will explore the rationale and strategies to create and facilitate therapy groups that foster self-development in neurodivergent youth.