Exploring effectiveness of creative therapies in inclusive school setups: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

The concept of creative therapies helps to understand an individual with or without disability holistically. It helps an individual to express themselves through their hidden talent. It will make an individual mentally and physically fit. Creative therapies are alternative of traditional therapies so it will make the learning of an individual with or without disability effective, innovative and enjoyable too. This comprehensive review aims to analyze existing literature and identify gaps in implementing creative therapies in inclusive schools and recommend some strategies that will foster inclusivity and promotes independence, self-reliance, good communication, psychological well-being. This is a narrative review approach in which articles, thesis, journals published between 2010 to 2025 were searched through databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, Google scholar, ResearchGate using keywords like creative therapies, art therapy, music therapy, inclusion, dance therapy. A total of 20 relevant studies were shortlisted that were based on inclusion criteria (focus on different creative therapies in an inclusive environment that promotes holistic development of child). These reviews sought from Indian and western context and highlight that there were many factors like individual, societal, environmental, socioeconomic that create barriers in inclusivity and its outcomes affect the overall well-being of an individual with disability.