ABSTRACT
The extent to which any drama lesson is pre-planned will depend on the teacher's agenda and the kind of learning experiences he or she wishes the class to have. Drama's subject matter essentially is human experience, aspects of which are explored and illuminated as characters get to grips with some problem to be solved or dilemma to be faced. Drama offers opportunities for participants to reflect on why people think and behave as they do. It also offers the chance to experiment with different ways of engaging with others and to discover the consequences of their actions and behaviour. This happens in the safety of the make-believe, enabling children to learn from successes and mistakes made by their fictitious roles. This chapter looks in depth at the drama process, and the planning necessary for more open-ended drama with children with autism, which aims to challenge and extend their symbolic play.
