Benefits of dance as a leisure activity on the quality of life of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Analysis of the perceptions of coexistence professionals

How to reference this article: Ollora-Triana, N., & García-Zabaleta, E. (2025). Benefits of dance as a leisure activity on the quality of life of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Analysis of the perceptions of coexistence professionals. Espiral Cuadernos del Profesorado, 18(38), 95-114. https://doi.org/10.25115/ecp.v18i38.10259 Published on-line: 25 of September of 2025 Espiral. Cuadernos del Profesorado Vol. 18, Issue 38 September 2025 ISSN 1988-7701 Benefits of dance as a leisure activity on the quality of life of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Analysis of the perceptions of coexistence professionals Beneficios de la danza como actividad de ocio sobre la calidad de vida de personas con Trastorno del Espectro Autista. Análisis de las percepciones de los profesionales de convivencia Natalia Ollora-Triana 1 and Esther García-Zabaleta 2 1 University of La Rioja, Logroño, Spain; 2 Public University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain Abstract Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) mainly affects communication, learning and social behaviour. In addition, a high percentage of people with ASD have a mental illness, increasing their risk of social exclusion. It is the responsibility of social and educational institutions to offer interventions that improve their quality of life (QoL). The aim of the study is to evaluate the possible benefits that a Dance Movement Therapy and creative as a leisure practice brings to the QoL of people with ASD, based on the responses of the professionals who live with them. A qualitative, exploratory and descriptive research is developed through focus groups with a sample made up of nine professionals who live with them. The analysis was carried out with MAXQDA. The results of the analysis of the educators’ perceptions show benefits in the emotional well-being and physical well-being dimensions and reflect the need to implement prolonged and personalized programs for the transfer of these improvements to daily life, thus favouring interpersonal relationships and social inclusion. It is concluded that dance is very valuable as a leisure practice, improving the QoL of these group, as well as the importance of considering the voices of professionals in interventions in real contexts. Keywords: Qualitative analysis; well-being dimensions; intellectual disability; focus groups; mental health. Resumen El Trastorno del Espectro Autista (TEA) afecta fundamentalmente a la comunicación, al aprendizaje y al comportamiento social. Además, un alto porcentaje de quien lo padece presenta alguna enfermedad mental, aumentando su riesgo de exclusión social. Es responsabilidad de las instituciones sociales y educativas ofrecer intervenciones que mejoren su calidad de vida (CDV). El objetivo del estudio es evaluar los posibles beneficios que aporta a la CDV de personas con TEA un programa de Danza Movimiento Terapia y creativa como práctica de ocio, a partir de las respuestas de los profesionales que conviven con ellas. Se desarrolla una investigación cualitativa, exploratoria y descriptiva mediante grupos focales, con una muestra compuesta por nueve profesionales de convivencia. El análisis se realizó con MAXQDA. Los resultados del análisis de las percepciones de los educadores constatan beneficios en las dimensiones bienestar emocional y bienestar físico, y reflejan la necesidad de implementar programas prolongados y personalizados para la transferencia de estas mejoras a la vida cotidiana, favoreciendo así las relaciones interpersonales y la inclusión social. Se concluye que la danza es muy valiosa como práctica de ocio, mejorando la CDV de este colectivo, así como la importancia de considerar las voces de los profesionales en intervenciones en contextos reales. Palabras clave: Análisis cualitativo; dimensiones bienestar; discapacidad intelectual; grupos focales; salud mental. Received: November 14, 2024 Accepted: May 8, 2025 Benefits of dance as a leisure activity on the quality of life of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Analysis of the perceptions of coexistence professionals Espiral. Cuadernos del Profesorado | ISSN 1988-7701 | 2025, 18(38), 95-114 96 Correspondence: Esther García-Zabaleta, Public University of Navarra, Spain Email: [email protected] Introduction Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is defined as a group of neurological and developmental disorders that directly affect communication, learning, as well as behaviour (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 2022), characteristics that generate a persistent deficit in communication and social interaction of these individuals within a degree of varying severity (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2018). Autism is a complex and highly heterogeneous disorder in terms of the manifestation and evolution of symptoms at different stages of development, in its expression and presentation according to sex, age, and other co-occurring factors (Celis & Ochoa, 2023; Hervás et al., 2017; Martín del Valle et al., 2022; Mottron & Bzdok, 2020) and is recognized as a permanent developmental disability (UN, 2008, RES/62/139). The new DSM-V classification (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition) describes autism as a spectrum encompassing disorders with varying severity and a more multidimensional conceptualization. (Hervás et al., 2017). Throughout its development, a large number of people with ASD also suffer the presence of co-morbid disorders (NIMH, 2022), commonly mood disorders (57%), major depression (53.6%) and dysthymia (18.1%), being more frequent in adults (Lever & Geurts, 2016). Likewise, as a psychiatric disorder, they suffer from anxiety disorder (53.6%), the most frequent within it being Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD, 21.7%) and agoraphobia (21%) (Lever & Geurts, 2016; Martín del Valle et al., 2022). As a non-psychiatric condition, sleep disorder (disturbance) is added (Martín del Valle et al., 2022). Therefore, a large percentage of people with ASD suffer from mental disorders of varying severity that begin to manifest in adolescence and become more severe in adulthood (Lever & Geurts, 2016; NIMH, 2022). These alterations in people with disabilities are considered chronic (non-communicable) diseases (WHO, 2011) and significantly affect their quality of life (QoL); therefore, its prevention must be considered in the establishment of timely and necessary interventions throughout its development. The commitment to the well-being of people with any disability is signed into the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It establishes the requests to the Member States responsibility to adopt the pertinent measures to make these rights effective (WHO, 2007, A/RES/61/106). Within Spanish territory, the I Spanish Strategic Action Plan on Autism Spectrum Disorder 2023-2027 (National Council on Disability, 2023) is signed, whose main objective is to improve the QoL of people with autism and their families. This plan is made up of six lines of action, whose measures for its development include, among other aspects/factors...: "generate and disseminate innovative recommendations based on evidence..." (Line 3, M.11, p.33); "Promote the design, evaluation, and implementation of pilot projects focused on fostering interventions aimed at enhancing quality of life (QoL) and encouraging active ageing among individuals with ASD" (line 3, M.14 p.34); in addition to taking on, on behalf of the scientific community, the responsibility for advancing research and its dissemination. In this way, the commitment to fully realizing human potential, along with nurturing a sense of dignity and self-worth, is addressed. Furthermore, it supports the comprehensive development of personality, talents, and creative, artistic, and intellectual capacities, as well as mental and physical abilities, thereby ensuring this group has access to diverse developmental opportunities. All this places the various involved institutions in the responsibility to develop interventions and offering experiences that promote the complete progress of their potential, their social integration and the enhancement of their QoL, while also preventing or improving any mental health condition (Reviriego et al., 2022). One of the experiences associated with well-being that serves as a factor in social integration and personal development is leisure time (Alcolea, 2010; Cuenca & Goytia, 2012; Usabiaga & Moral, 1997). People with autism have less access to social leisure activities and when they do have access, there is not a great participation, an aspect that places them at risk of social exclusion (Nieto et al., 2015). All this leads to the need to reconsider the leisure time offered to this group so that they can Ollora-Triana, N., & García-Zabaleta, E. Espiral. Cuadernos del Profesorado | ISSN 1988-7701 | 2025, 18(38), 95-114 97 develop their hobbies in favour of socialization (Cuenca, 1997). Thus, the evidence regarding psychosocial interventions attributes to leisure being an acting experience for social learning and the development of their identity (Alcolea, 2010; Reviriego et al., 2022), arguing the need to develop group programmes, consisting of structured leisure activities designed to integrate participants' interests and competencies (NIMH, 2022). On the other hand, these psychosocial interventions should focus on improving their QoL, covering the different integrated dimensions (Cuesta et al., 2017). This concept, QoL, has become a social construct that guides professional practices in programmes and is increasingly used as a framework for structuring, proposing, and developing interventions in the field of disability, being considered as a desired state of well-being whose defining characteristic is multidimensionality (American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities [AAIDD], 2010; Schalock & Verdugo, 2007). The eight-dimensional model is proposed as a conceptual and measurement framework for QoL, which involves the person attaining three key dimensions: independence, social participation and well-being. To this end, intervention is made in the dimensions that jointly make up the construct of QoL: emotional well-being, interpersonal relationships, material well-being, personal development, physical well-being, self-determination, social inclusion and rights (Verdugo et al., 2021). Each dimension of the QoL model for individuals with disabilities includes indicators, identified by Schalock et al. (2003), that should be considered when evaluating these dimensions (Verdugo et al., 2009). Any programme that aims to offer a space for leisure as an individualized support for the enhancement of these individuals' quality of life, must consider these dimensions on which the intervention to be carried out can incite change (Schalock & Verdugo, 2007). Likewise, the indicators that allow its evaluation based on information that can be extracted from the perceptions of professionals and family members who live with people with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) are considered (Verdugo et al., 2009). Although the measurement and evaluation of QoL is not an easy task, the interest and responsibility to understand the concept has led the authors themselves to consider an evaluation that, among other characteristics, must take into account its multidimensional nature, the use of methodological pluralism that includes objective and subjective information and measures, and propose multivariate research designs (Verdugo & Schalock, 2009; Verdugo et al., 2009), emphasizing the significance of how the concept of QoL is perceived by those who live with individuals with disabilities and their families (Guldberg, 2017). Physical health, as a key dimension of QoL, emerges as a primary concern in programme design, standing out as the most prominent indicator (Verdugo et al., 2009). For this reason, physical activity is offered as one of the most consolidated and beneficial activities on behaviour and socialization in people with ASD (Lirola et al., 2020). This is developed through group dynamics, promoting significantly beneficial changes in the QoL of children and adolescents with autism (Vélaz et al., 2024), fostering growth across multiple areas in individuals with disabilities: in physical and motor abilities, cognitive and emotional functioning, and social interaction (Collado, 1997; Morris et al., 2023a; Reviriego et al., 2022; Vélaz et al., 2024). Moreover, when such interventions emphasize creative bodily expression, they enhance motivation to participate in physical activity among this population (Lirola et al., 2020; Mercado et al., 2021; Morris et al., 2023b). The practice of Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) and creative dance as activities of physical and motor requirement, offer people with autism a series of experiences linked to the inherent characteristics that constitute it as an activity of rhythmic and danced body expression (Sanchiz, 1997). As a means of expression, it fosters the development of body language and movement, while preserving participants' spontaneity and encouraging creativity and artistic exploration (Barnet-López et al., 2016; Chaiklin & Wengrower, 2008; Ollora et al., 2023). As an art form, it projects the participant's inner world outwards through body language, encouraging this creative communication that allows the development of one's own personality and enjoyment (Lirola et al., 2020; Sanchiz, 1997; Tein & Tin, 2024). Finally, as a motor and physical activity, it constitutes a multi-sensory experience, since during the practice multiple modalities for the senses are combined, especially the integration of auditory, Benefits of dance as a leisure activity on the quality of life of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Analysis of the perceptions of coexistence professionals Espiral. Cuadernos del Profesorado | ISSN 1988-7701 | 2025, 18(38), 95-114 98 tactile and visual stimuli. Taking into account that the alteration in the sensory integration process is one characteristic associated with people with autism, dance becomes, on the one hand, a multisensory intervention that is going to have an impact on multisensory integration and motor skills (Koehne et al., 2016; Weitlauf et al., 2017), which will directly favour primary sensory processes and social skill functions (Chen & Hong, 2018; Thye et al., 2018). And, on the other hand, it serves as an activity that favours body schema integration and the development of basic motor skills through physically demanding coordinated movements (Morris et al., 2023b). As part of our commitment to enhancing the QoL for this group, and taking into consideration the benefits of physical activity, the present study seeks to know the effects of a Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) and creative dance programme, as a leisure space, on the QoL of people with ASD, based on the testimonies from coexistence professionals at the Center where this programme has been implemented. To this end, the following objectives are proposed: - To examine educators’ perceptions—those who interact daily with programme participants— regarding the effects of practising Dance Movement Therapy and creative activities as forms of leisure on emotional and physical well-being, interpersonal relationships, and social inclusion among individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. - To acquire knowledge of identify through the voices of the professionals who live with the participants in the programme, which dimension of QoL has been mainly developed and the indicators that have shown this development in each of the participants. Method Study Design With the aim of achieving the objectives of the research, a cross-sectional qualitative study was conducted, characterized as exploratory and descriptive in nature, based on focus groups constituted of the people who live with the sample that has participated in the DMT programme. In the research, some data analysis techniques typical of the Grounded Theory have been used, aimed at understanding the reality of the experience through the reports from these individuals. These are open coding and axial coding (Bénard, 2016; Hernández et al., 2014; Strauss & Corbin, 2002). Intervention Programme Field Immersion Once authorization was obtained for the study to be conducted by the Vice-Rectorate for Research of the University of La Rioja, during the months of October-November 2023, three visits were carried out to the Leo Kanner Center (Logroño. La Rioja) to define the sample units with those responsible for it. A field immersion was executed to observe the participants, and a field diary was created, contrasting the concerns of those responsible for the Center regarding the object of study with those concerning the research team (Latorre et al., 1996). In turn, the people responsible for the Center were informed of the methodology and activities to be performed, as well as the need to have their support for the preparation of the focus groups. On the other hand, the informed families’ consent of the participants in the programme was obtained, adhering to upholding the principles of confidentiality and anonymity. Sample Participant in the Programme An intentional sampling was carried out by the researchers, the psychologist and the director of the Center (Arrogante, 2022), determining a sample of case-types with 2 men and 4 women. Based on the information from the Center, the people who made up the sample have ASD, with biological ages between 33 and 53 years, whose maturation age is between 6-8 years and 12 years. According to the DSM-V categories (APA, 2018), the participants are diagnosed with moderate to severe degrees of intellectual disability. They present minimal social communication and restrictive and repetitive patterns interfere notoriously with the activities of their daily life. In addition, individually they suffer from other co-morbid disorders (anxiety, depression, phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorder). They had all Ollora-Triana, N., & García-Zabaleta, E. Espiral. Cuadernos del Profesorado | ISSN 1988-7701 | 2025, 18(38), 95-114 99 lived in the Center for 5 years, so their interpersonal relationships were known, making it easier for them to develop social skills among them. The participants had no prior acquaintance with the people who guided the programme, who, prior to its implementation, observed and recorded their behaviours at three different times in a field diary to consider them when developing the programme. Programme Development and Implementation During the months of November-December 2023, the programme was designed, establishing a schedule. Its implementation began on January 9, 2024, and lasted 6 months. It was structured in two phases: from January to March and from April to June (both months included), with a weekly session that was always held in the same room recognized by the exhibition. Throughout the programme, DMT, creative dance, and body expression content were developed (Barnet, 2017; Chaiklin & Wengrower, 2008; Learreta et al., 2005): individual and group consciousness; body and spatial control; channelling emotions; impulse control; improvement of expression and exploration of movements and rhythm; improvisation. Tables 1 and 2 show in more detail the contents and timing of the programme. Table 1 Programme contents and types of sessions, first phase JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH Day Session Day Session Day Session 9 Adaptationknowledge between participants and those in charge. 6 Progression and development. Body control, individual and group exploration, contact and exploration of internal rhythm, from improvisation. 5 Improvisation. Channelling emotions through work with objects and contact between colleagues. 16 Adaptation. Spatial and selfawareness, selfmovement, social relationships, communication, impulse control. 13 Progression and development. Body control, individual and group exploration, contact and exploration of internal rhythm, from improvisation. 12 Improvisation. Channelling emotions through work with objects and contact between colleagues. 23 Adaptation. Spatial and selfawareness, selfmovement, social relationships, communication, impulse control. 20 Progression and development. Body control, individual and group exploration, contact and exploration of internal rhythm, from improvisation. 19 Improvisation. Channelling emotions through work with objects and contact between colleagues. 30 Adaptation. Spatial and selfawareness, selfmovement, social relationships, communication, impulse control. 27 Progression and development. Body control, individual and group exploration, contact and exploration of internal rhythm, from improvisation. 26 Easter. Benefits of dance as a leisure activity on the quality of life of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Analysis of the perceptions of coexistence professionals Espiral. Cuadernos del Profesorado | ISSN 1988-7701 | 2025, 18(38), 95-114 100 Table 2 Programme contents and types of sessions, second phase APRIL MAY JUNE Day Session Type Day Session Type Day Session Type 9 Monitoring and observation. 7 Exploration and reinforcement. Individual and group awareness, body and spatial control, channelling emotions, impulse control, improvement of expression and exploration of movements and rhythm. 4 Process Closure. Initiative, security and autonomy. 16 Exploration and reinforcement. Individual and group awareness, body and spatial control, channelling emotions, impulse control, improvement of expression and exploration of movements and rhythm. 4 Exploration and reinforcement. Individual and group awareness, body and spatial control, channelling emotions, impulse control, improvement of expression and exploration of movements and rhythm. 11 Process Closure. Initiative, security and autonomy. 23 Exploration and reinforcement. Individual and group awareness, body and spatial control, channelling emotions, impulse control, improvement of expression and exploration of movements and rhythm. 4 Exploration and reinforcement. Individual and group awareness, body and spatial control, channelling emotions, impulse control, improvement of expression and exploration of movements and rhythm. 18 Process Closure. Initiative, security and autonomy. 30 Exploration and reinforcement. Individual and group awareness, body and spatial control, channelling emotions, impulse control, improvement of expression and exploration of 4 Exploration and reinforcement. Individual and group awareness, body and spatial control, channelling emotions, impulse control, improvement of expression and exploration of movements and rhythm. 25 Termination and farewell. Ollora-Triana, N., & García-Zabaleta, E. Espiral. Cuadernos del Profesorado | ISSN 1988-7701 | 2025, 18(38), 95-114 101 movements and rhythm. Procedure Considering the need and importance of including the perceptions from those who live with the sample, due to their diagnosis of ID (Culdberg, 2017; Verdugo et al., 2009), focus groups were created with the Center's professionals, as a form of group interview that allows a degree of interaction between participants with semi-structured and directed moderation, as well as participation with a high degree of individuality among the members who constitute the group (Hughes & DuMont, 2002). By means of propositional sampling, a total of nine people were identified, who made up the two focus groups, four people in the morning and five in the afternoon (Prieto & March, 2002). They were homogeneous groups as they had shared the experience (Rodas & Pacheco, 2020), acting as companions of the participants in the intervention programme and allowing complete accessibility, forming part of the team of professionals at the Center and living with these people on a regular basis. The morning group consisted of a man and three women with ages ranging from 25 to 36 years, whose seniority as cohabitants in the Center was between 9 months and 5 years, one with a background in psychology, two in social work and another qualified as an auxiliary social and health care assistance. Among the four professionals, two were engaged under part-time contracts involving rotating shifts, whereas the other two held full-time appointments. The group coming in the afternoon consisted of two men and three women with ages ranging from 23 to 31 years with a seniority in the Center of between 10 months and 8 years. Regarding her qualifications, one is a psychologist, another a social integrator, two participants are social workers and the last is a social and health assistant technician. Regarding the labour regime, two of them worked part-time (rotating shifts) and the rest full-time. With this diversity of characteristics, heterogeneity is guaranteed, which favours exchange and reciprocity from the difference of perceptions (Callejo, 2002). Each of the participants had the opportunity to observe the sample in different contexts as they had been working at the Center for more than 6 months (Verdugo et al., 2009), thus upholding both the minimum of homogeneity and heterogeneity, along together in addition to the ideal size of the focus groups (Hernández et al., 2014; Krueger & Casey, 2000; Prieto & March, 2002). A previous informative and formative meeting was held with all of them, to familiarize them with the concept of QoL, its dimensions and indicators, so that before starting the intervention, they were immersed in the context (Barreda et al., 2020). Instrument A script with semi-structured questions designed ad hoc was used, which guided the established focus groups. The elaboration of the questions and data collection was structured in the following stages: - Considering the objectives of the research, seven structural questions were written for the script (Rodas & Pacheco, 2020) which were related to the dimensions of the QoL to be studied together with its indicators (Schalock & Verdugo, 2007) and contrasting questions. The indicators that guided the questions referred to the following dimensions: emotional well-being, interpersonal relationships, physical well-being and social inclusion. - The semi-open-ended questions were elaborated with clear and concise language. With the aim to create an efficient instrument for data collection, these questions were reviewed by four experts (Babativa et al., 2024), including two with expertise in qualitative research and three with subject-matter knowledge relevant to the study. Once the script was sent to the panel of experts and returned to the researchers, one question was eliminated, the wording of three others was modified, and a new question was integrated (Barreda et al., 2020). Finally, following the reformulation of the questions, the main category of analysis Quality of Life (QoL) was defined as follows: a desired state of personal well-being that is multidimensional, with objective and subjective components and that is influenced by personal and environmental factors (Schalock & Verdugo, 2007). Below are some examples of issues for each dimension of the QoL category studied (Table 3): Benefits of dance as a leisure activity on the quality of life of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Analysis of the perceptions of coexistence professionals Espiral. Cuadernos del Profesorado | ISSN 1988-7701 | 2025, 18(38), 95-114 102 Table 3 Focus group protocol Central dimensions of the QoL (Schalock & Verdugo, 2002) Script for the development of the focus groups Emotional Well-Being (EW) 1. How does activity affect impulse control? 2. Do you perceive any difference with respect to other days? Interpersonal Relations (IR) 3. Could you identify any changes in the relationship of users with family, friends, educators or other people? Physical Well-Being (PW) 4. What aspects of physical well-being do you think the programme influences? Social Inclusion (SI) 5. Do you think that the programme has helped them to be more willing to interact and participate in different activities and with different people and groups? - Ethical aspects: the researchers employed purposive sampling to contact individuals for the focus groups, aiming to determine their willingness and availability to participate in the study. They were presented with an informed consent form which included the objectives of the research and its purpose as a scientific dissemination of results. Consequently, their confidentiality and anonymity were assured, and they were informed of the right to leave or stop the focus group at any time. Once the agreement of the participants was obtained, the morning and afternoon schedules for the creation of each focus group were agreed with the individuals in charge of responsible for the management the Center. For the analysis of the information, the personal data were anonymized, and the content of the focus groups was encrypted. Likewise, all the data were analysed on devices used only by the researchers. - Development of the focus groups: they were held in the same Center and, following the recommendations given by the experts, the only moderator was in charge of initiating and maintaining the conversation explicitly, proposing the topics, and implicitly, deciding the attention given to the participants, so their participation was passive in the debate. At the beginning of each focus group, the objectives and instructions to be considered for the development of the debate were clarified, and the recommendations to implement a focus group efficiently were followed (Rodas & Pacheco, 2020). The duration of each group ranged from 50 to 60 minutes (Rodas & Pacheco, 2020). A flexible time criterion was applied, and both sessions were concluded when data saturation or redundancy in participants’ discourse became evident to the moderator (Ortega, 2020). The groups were organized as follows: the morning group at the end of the participants' working day, and the afternoon group before the start of their working day, since both moments were the only ones in which the professionals involved could. The moderator asked the questions clearly and answered the doubts that arose. The intervention of both focus groups were recorded in audio format for later transcription. To increase the reliability of the study in relation to the methodology, the development of the focus groups was administered by a single moderator, who was responsible for initiating, maintaining, and leading both groups without intervening directly (Onwuegbuzie et al., 2011; Orvik et al., 2014). Information Analysis Using the MAXQDA qualitative analysis programme, a content analysis was executed through categories that were extracted deductively in a first phase of theoretical review on QoL, and, at a subsequent point, through an inductive categorization phase (Viramontes, 2024). The inductive phase comprised the analysis of the transcriptions using a preliminary process of open coding, to continue with an axial coding that allowed identifying the relationships with the categories established in the open coding. Finally, a selective coding was implemented to delimit the central categories and their Ollora-Triana, N., & García-Zabaleta, E. Espiral. Cuadernos del Profesorado | ISSN 1988-7701 | 2025, 18(38), 95-114 103 subcategories (Strauss & Corbin, 2002; Viramontes, 2024), assigning codes to specific segments for understanding. To facilitate the designation of the transcripts (one for each focus group), each of them was assigned a code: 1. Trans 1_ Audio– Code 1 (Focus Group 1) 2. Trans 2_ Audio– Code 2 (Focus Group 2) Finally, the coding was configured with the following categorization entities: - Families: thematic sets of categories, corresponding to the dimensions studied of the QoL for people with ID (ASD). - Categories: they are used to organize the information in a more detailed way. - Subcategories: they are used to categorize ideas or opinions that are repeated throughout the debates. Table 4 shows the descriptions of the different categories obtained. Table 4 Families, system of categories and subcategories and their description FAMILY: Emotional well-being (EW) Category Subcategory Descriptor 1.No change - Accompanying individuals do not notice any changes related to the EW 2. Positive changes 2.1. Stress reduction Reduction and management of adverse or stressful situations that affect them on a day-to-day basis are observed, by showing a calm attitude during the completion of the programme 2.2. Expectation Tension is observed in the expectation of the activity as an event on the days it is implemented. 2.3. Self-esteem Participation, interest and daring are observed in actions that outside the activity do not dare 2.4. Impulse control A decrease in certain behaviours is observed in response to actions that normally alter them, showing more tolerance and emotional self-regulation as they feel more relaxed by the activity 2.5. Happiness A change in mood is observed when performing the activity and after it, through facial and body expressions that indicate enjoyment, pleasure and motivation 2.6. Joy Visible expressions related to joy are observed: laughter and smiles 2.7. Distraction Attention shifting to stimuli other than the common stresses of everyday life is observed 2.8. Abstraction of concerns A reduction in repetitive verbalizations of aspects that cause concern is observed 2.9. Satisfaction Participation in all sessions of the programme without showing any type of refusal. 2.10. Positivism The participants are observed calm, showing a receptive attitude to the realization of the programme Benefits of dance as a leisure activity on the quality of life of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Analysis of the perceptions of coexistence professionals Espiral. Cuadernos del Profesorado | ISSN 1988-7701 | 2025, 18(38), 95-114 110 generated by the programme but also strengthens the ecological validity of the results by being based on direct observations in real contexts. One of the research prospects that could add the most value to the recognition of DMT as a leisure practice to improve the QoL in individuals affected by an Autistic Spectrum Disorder, with an impact on their mental health (Reviriego et al., 2022), would be the achievement of trials with a larger amount of participants that provide support for the findings. This emerges as one of the challenges encountered, since the specific characteristics related to people with ASD and ID have limited the intervention to a small sample of programme participants, which restricts the possibility of generalizing the results to broader populations. However, it is estimated that this numerical restriction of participants cannot be greater, as this would be detrimental to the care and quality of the intervention. Given the significant impairments commonly observed in this population, research within the field of ASD establishes as one of the most important challenges for a real advance with a real impact on those who suffer from it, the evaluation of interventions taking into account the voices of those who work and live with this group. To summarize, it is necessary to gather evidence from practice, thus giving validity to studies with small samples and the reports and perceptions of coexistence educators (Guldberg, 2017; Verdugo et al., 2009). For this reason, this study used the testimonies of professionals who lived with the participants in this programme. Knowing that this implies a limited potential for generalization, the results obtained provide knowledge about experiences that have had a real impact on the lives of these individuals. The challenge will therefore be to find a balance between research methodologies, building new scientific paradigms (Guldberg, 2017; Lapresa et al., 2021) that consider the characteristics of the population with ASD and ID. Contribution of each Author: "conceptualization, N.O.T. and E.G.Z.; methodology, N.O.T.; analysis, N.O.T. and E.G.Z.; manuscript writing, N.O.T. and E.G.Z.; revision and editing, N.O.T and E.G.Z.". Funding: "This research has been supported by a Research Grant from the Institute of “Estudios Riojanos” of the Autonomous Community of La Rioja. Call 2023". Conflict of Interest: "The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest." 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