Aaron Lopez is new to TLS’s inclusion department, but he’s not new to a groundbreaking intervention called the Hunter Heartbeat Method, which has successfully broken through the communicative blocks of many children with autism.

Aaron is one of only 40 or so people who have been trained in the Hunter Heartbeat Method. And with a special Saturday program beginning in January, the students at TLS have an opportunity to benefit from it.

What is the Hunter Heartbeat Method?

Created by Kelly Hunter in England nearly 10 years ago, the Hunter Heartbeat Method uses a series of sensory drama games produced from Shakespeare’s text to improve spacial awareness, develop facial expressions, and increase motor skills in children on the spectrum.

Kelly is an actor and director who specializes in performing Shakespeare. She developed the program because she saw the potential in using Shakespeare’s work to help children with autism.

The games allow children to safely and comfortably understand the world around them, and their own feelings and voice. The program uses the rhythm of the iambic pentameter from Shakespeare’s text, which is like a heartbeat common to us all, to put the children at ease and create a calm, safe environment.

It then uses an “exploration of the mind’s eye” that lets children explore imaginary worlds that might otherwise be locked away. Through the games, the children pretend to be monsters, wizards, other people, and jokers, and learn through play about concepts they typically don’t understand.

About Aaron

As a graduate student at The Ohio State University, Aaron participated in the Shakespeare and Autism project. He and a small group of students had the opportunity to be trained in the Hunter Heartbeat Method by Kelly Hunter in England for two weeks in June of 2013.

Aaron has since used the method to work with many children on the spectrum, and has seen children become calm, make eye contact, and understand concepts such as personal space. He says the program lets us enter the world of a child on the spectrum and make a connection – no matter what their age or what part of the spectrum they are on.

Workshops for TLS Students

TLS will be offering the Hunter Heartbeat Method to TLS students next year. While still in the planning stages, the workshops will be offered on Saturdays in January, and continue throughout the semester.

More information and details will be coming soon!