Abstract

Autism spectrum condition is associated with differences in sensorimotor integration, emotional regulation, and social interaction that influence mental health, adaptive functioning, and quality of life. Although embodied interventions have shown promising clinical benefits, their underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain insufficiently understood. Drawing on more than two decades of clinical practice and research, including randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews, this lecture introduces the Neurophenomenological Framework of Dance in Autism (NFDA), an integrative model explaining how dance modulates brain–body dynamics through lived bodily experience. Rather than viewing dance solely as a complementary therapy, the NFDA proposes three interconnected neurobiological pathways: (1) sensorimotor integration, involving cerebellar and motor cortical networks that support prediction, coordination, and motor learning; (2) affective regulation, mediated by dopaminergic and limbic circuits activated through rhythmic synchronization and expressive movement; and (3) social brain modulation, involving mirror neuron systems, the insular cortex, and temporoparietal junction, supporting attunement, empathy, and social engagement. Together, these pathways may promote experience-dependent neuroplasticity, contributing to improvements in functional outcomes, emotional regulation, social participation, and psychosocial well-being. By integrating empirical neuroscience with embodied cognition and phenomenology, the NFDA bridges objective neural mechanisms with subjective lived experience. This framework advances translational psychiatry and integrative medicine by positioning dance as a scientifically grounded, non-pharmacological intervention for autism, with implications for clinical practice, inclusive education, and public health.