Health & safety guidelines
This course is aimed at dance educators, dance/movement therapists, dance/movement therapy students, and others who want to learn how to use dance and movement activities to support toddlers, children, and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
In this didactic and experiential course, participants learn about characteristics and identification of autism spectrum disorder. Four experts in the field of dance / education and dance / movement therapy present a variety of educational and therapeutic approaches to engage the strengths of children with ASD and address relationship, behavioral and learning issues through dance.
For those seeking DMT Alternate Route credit, a minimum of one introductory DMT course is a prerequisite.
Programs taking place online:An access link will be emailed to you after purchase.
Programs taking place in our NYC facilities:Please read our safety guidelines before visiting our building.
Programs taking place online and in our NYC facilities:Please select which experience you wish to participate in when registering. Online participants will be emailed an access link after purchase. In-person participants should read our safety guidelines before attending the program.
Tina Erfer, MS, BC-DMT, NCC, LCAT, is a Board-Certified Dance/Movement Therapist, National Certified Counselor and Licensed Creative Arts Therapist. For over thirty-four years, she has worked as a dance/movement therapist in educational and psychiatric settings, with children and adolescents with special needs. She has served as Coordinator of the Hospital School Program at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She has given numerous lectures and workshops at various agencies and universities and has also provided many staff developmen ...
Tina Erfer, MS, BC-DMT, NCC, LCAT, is a Board-Certified Dance/Movement Therapist, National Certified Counselor and Licensed Creative Arts Therapist. For over thirty-four years, she has worked as a dance/movement therapist in educational and psychiatric settings, with children and adolescents with special needs. She has served as Coordinator of the Hospital School Program at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She has given numerous lectures and workshops at various agencies and universities and has also provided many staff development and training sessions. Tina supervises and trains graduate students and entry-level dance/movement therapists. She has published on her dance/movement therapy work with children who have emotional challenges, and children with autism. Tina served for eight years on the Board of Directors of the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA); and is also past President of the New York and New Jersey Chapters of the ADTA. She is the Coordinator of the Alternate Route Dance/Movement Therapy Training Program at the Harkness Dance Center of 92nd Street Y in New York; as well as a faculty member in this program in New York City and in Montreal, Canada. She is also on the faculty of the Dance/Movement Therapy Training Program of the Inspirees Institute of Creative Arts Therapy, in China. Tina is the recipient of the American Dance Therapy Association 2015 Exceptional Service Award.
Dance with Children and Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum: Therapeutic and Educational Approaches
Dr. Suzi Tortora, Ed.D, BC-DMT, CMA, LCAT, LMHC, received a B.A. with honors in Child Study, along with teaching certification (K-8 and special needs preschool to 7 years), from Tufts University. She received her M.A. degree in dance therapy at New York University. Dr. Tortora received her doctorate in Early Childhood Education with a specialization in infancy development from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is an ADTR, which is the advanced level accreditation certification of the American Dance Therapy Association. She is also a Certified Laban Movement Analyst ...
Dr. Suzi Tortora, Ed.D, BC-DMT, CMA, LCAT, LMHC, received a B.A. with honors in Child Study, along with teaching certification (K-8 and special needs preschool to 7 years), from Tufts University. She received her M.A. degree in dance therapy at New York University. Dr. Tortora received her doctorate in Early Childhood Education with a specialization in infancy development from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is an ADTR, which is the advanced level accreditation certification of the American Dance Therapy Association. She is also a Certified Laban Movement Analyst (CMA); a Kestenberg Movement Profiler (KMP); has studied Body-Mind Centering with Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen; authentic movement with Janet Adler, anatomy, kinesiology and ideokinesis with Irene Dowd; and received certification in Yoga for the Special Child with Sonia Sumar. Her postgraduate continued professional education courses include Dr. Greenspan’s Infancy and Early Childhood Intervention training course, and numerous Zero-to-Three Training Institutes.
Diane Duggan, PhD, BC-DMT is a NYS licensed psychologist, board certified dance/movement therapist and dance educator. She began teaching dance in 1972 and has worked as a dance therapist since 1973. She conducted a therapeutic dance program in a New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) special education high school for adolescents with emotional and learning disabilities from May 1992 through August 2013. Her students performed in Lincoln Center, Central Park, South Street Seaport, St. Mark’s Church, NYU’s Frederick Lowe Theater, and the Apollo Theater.
Dr. Dugg ...
Dr. Duggan began teaching at the graduate level in 1976. She has taught in the Dance Education M.A. program at New York University since 1994 and choreographs for the annual New York University Distinguished Faculty Concert. From 2005-2015 she created and taught a popular course in strategies for working with students with emotional and behavioral disorders in the Special Education M.A. program at New York University. She has taught in the 92nd St. Y Dance Education Laboratory and Dance Therapy programs since 2006. She previously taught for eight years in the Hunter College Dance Therapy M.S. program and in graduate programs at Adelphi University, Long Island University, and Hofstra University.
From 1997 through 2006 Dr. Duggan created and taught professional development in positive behavior support and functional behavior assessment for NYCDOE staff in special education and general education programs throughout New York City, including a three-day intensive workshop for dance educators. She consulted on serious behavior challenges in schools throughout the NYCDOE and developed plans to address them. As a Senior Trainer of Life Space Crisis Intervention, she taught educators how to prevent and manage student crises.
Dr. Duggan is co-author of Dance Education for Diverse Learners: Special Education Supplement to the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Dance. She has published several articles and book chapters on her work. Her book, Out here by ourselves: The stories of young people whose mothers have AIDS, was published in 2000 by Garland Press.
She served as Communications Chairperson on the Board of Directors of the American Dance Therapy Association from 1976 to 1980. She was the co-executive producer for the ADTA’s 1982 film Dance Therapy: The Power of Movement and was the Dance Therapy Program Chairperson for the 1985 Joint Creative Arts Therapy Conference.
Dr. Duggan is currently an Arnhold Mentor for beginning dance educators and is on the editorial board of the National Dance Education Organization journal Dance Education in Practice. She is a member of the Dance/NYC Task Force on Dance and Disability. She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the New York State Dance Education Association in 2016.
Catherine Gallant, MFA (choreographer) has been creating work for more than 30 years. Ms. Gallant’s work often explores themes of chance, doubt and the body as a source of comfort and torment. She was the assistant director at 92Y Harkness Dance Center from 1994-96 just as DEL was beginning. She has presented work at 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center, WestFest and at Inwood Hill Park sponsored in part by the Partnerships for Parks. Catherine is also the director of Dances by Isadora which, since 1989, performs, teaches and collaborates with dancers throughout the world, most recentl ...
Catherine Gallant, MFA (choreographer) has been creating work for more than 30 years. Ms. Gallant’s work often explores themes of chance, doubt and the body as a source of comfort and torment. She was the assistant director at 92Y Harkness Dance Center from 1994-96 just as DEL was beginning. She has presented work at 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center, WestFest and at Inwood Hill Park sponsored in part by the Partnerships for Parks. Catherine is also the director of Dances by Isadora which, since 1989, performs, teaches and collaborates with dancers throughout the world, most recently at Jacob’s Pillow’s Inside/Out Series and with French choreographer, Jerome Bel on his new work, Isadora Duncan which Ms. Gallant will perform in the 2021-22 season. She began her study of the technique of Isadora Duncan in 1982 with Julia Levien and is currently on the Duncan Archive Committee duncanarchive.org. Catherine is a full-time NYCDOE dance educator at PS 89 in Manhattan. She and her students were featured in the Emmy-nominated PBS documentary, PS DANCE! Catherine is on the faculty of the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL). Ms. Gallant is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory and holds an MFA in Dance from Temple University.
DEL FUNdamentals
Dance Education Laboratory (DEL)
Deborah Damast, MA and Guests
Shakia Barron, MFA, Ann Biddle, MA, Eli Kababa and Guests