Autism spectrum disorder is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that affects several levels of mental development: communication, behavior, sensory integration. Over time, several therapies have been developed, including alternative approaches, such as art therapy.

The aim of our study is to evaluate the artistic potential of children and young people with developmental disorders, their inclination for a certain type of artistic activity and the benefits of art therapy. For this, we conducted a quantitative research approach. We designed a 20-item questionnaire that was applied online to 197 parents and professionals working with young people with autism spectrum disorders, from 5 European countries, Lithuania, Romania, Belgium, Greece, Slovenia. In addition to data related to preferred artistic fields and the benefits of involvement in artistic activities, information was collected related to communication skills, verbal or motor imitation, memorization or expression of emotions. This is useful in order to organize activities with young people.

After analyzing the results, it emerged that young people with ASD are primarily attracted to music and visual arts, and artistic activities contribute especially to relaxation, improving self-esteem and learning new things. Other benefits they bring are: exploring the space around them, adapting to new situations and increasing the degree of independence. Also, artistic activities would help young people become aware of their emotions and express them appropriately.

Parents and professionals believe that approximately one third of young people with ASD have low verbal expression, memorization and imitation capacities. For this reason, artistic activities in which they can be involved must contain tasks with varying degrees of difficulty, from very simple to more complex tasks that involve creativity. Collecting this data will be useful in order to improve the quality and spectrum of artistic education activities for the target group.