An exploration of the effectiveness of role-play in assisting individuals with intellectual challenges to understand social cues at the Selwyn Segal Home, Johannesburg, South Africa

• Main Author: Weber, Hermanus Karel
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: 2020
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10539/30131

A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts in the Field of Drama Therapy to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, February 2020 === This study, conducted at the Selwyn Segal Home, Johannesburg, South Africa, explored the effectiveness of role-play in assisting individuals with intellectual disabilities to understand social cues as there is insufficient research on role-play and intellectual disabilities in a South African context. The limited social interactions of people with intellectual disabilities often leads to their being unable to understand social cues, which decreases their opportunities to broaden their social environments. Practice-based research, in the form of drama therapy sessions focussing on role-play, was applied at the Selwyn Segal Home for people with intellectual disabilities. Improvisational and therapeutic games formed a cornerstone of this study, aiding the creation of group cohesion, and fostering a culture of mutual understanding, helpfulness and sensitivity toward others during the drama therapy sessions. Through the role-play, the pro-social behaviour and empathy of the participants were highlighted. Furthermore, role-play provided the participants with a means to communicate with their whole body, as opposed to pure verbal communication. It has been found that the fictional world of role-play allowed the participants to identify positive and negative social cues, and to suggest solutions as to how to rectify unwanted or negative social cues. The opportunity to witness the role-plays of other participants promoted their understanding of social cues, and their ability to see themselves from a different perspective. However, this study has its limitations due to the socio-cultural background and the safety of the residential centre. This study cannot necessarily be duplicated as it would need modification to be applied in other South African contexts. === NG (2020)