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ART IN FOCUS |
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Art
in Focus is a series of therapeutic art sessions offered for children and
adolescents with a developmental age of at least 6-years with developmental or
physical disabilities, behavioral or emotional difficulties, including students
on the Autism Spectrum. Children must be
able to function in a small classroom setting, with individualized assistance. Art
in Focus greatly benefits these children in a multitude of ways:
·
Increases
communication skills –
Each child describes his project at the end of the session in front of the
entire group with his/her therapist at his/her side, if needed. This allows the children the opportunity to
make eye contact with the other students, parents, volunteers and therapists. It allows them to practice speaking in
public and work on expressive language skills.
For those children who are non-verbal, the art itself is an outlet for
the children to speak in other ways, thus giving them an avenue for nonverbal
expression. It is a method of
expressing thoughts or feelings through visual representation. Since we take a photo of the child with
his/her creation at the end of each session, children, then, also learn to look
at a camera while working through issues such as shyness, and self-confidence
in a safe environment.
·
Develops
Social Skills – Often many of our students find it difficult to make friends. This group environment allows them to meet
other children, sit next to them, and practice relationship building and
socializing in an appropriate manner. They
benefit from modeling and positive behavior supports set up to encourage good
behavior, reciprocity, sharing of art materials, and playing fairly. It also teaches them patience, as they may
have to wait in line to retrieve art supplies, take their turn at an art
station, or raise their hand to be called on before answering.
·
Improves Sense of Self-Worth - Children are
able to take pride in their
own work. Showing off their work to
others and receiving positive feedback for their creations helps them
tremendously.
·
Allows for fine motor skill improvement – Often projects require the use of small
beads, shells, beans, and sequins just to name a few. To utilize these items properly without dropping them takes good
in-hand manipulation and dexterity skills.
Utilizing plastic and darning needles to learn to sew also improves
eye-hand coordination and visual closure skills. Mixing and stirring concoctions such as colors for paint, sand,
and various recipes insures good use of tools and hand strengthening.
·
Facilitates Sensory Integration – Using art techniques improves our
ability to organize sensory information in the brain and make adaptive
responses to environmental demands such as roller skating, rocking or using a
hobby horse.
1. Input
to our touch system -
Desensitizes tactilely defensive children by working with various media such as
clay, beans, seeds, bird seed, pastas, papier-mâché, carving and gutting out
pumpkins, sand play and sculpture, painting with funny foam, shaving cream,
finger paint, pudding, peanut butter, lentils, bark, sawdust, plaster, and, natural
materials, just to name a few. Working with
tactile art media helps to improve attention span, enhances our self –image,
improves our body scheme and helps balance emotional response.
2. Input
to our proprioceptors –
Proprioception is the ability to know where a part of your body is without
looking at it. To do this we must
appreciate position, balance, and equilibrium during movement through our
muscles, tendon and joints. An easy way
for a child to develop good proprioception is to utilize deep pressure
treatments to gain a calming sensation.
Art is a great way to provide deep pressure or heavy work to the
muscles. Various techniques used such
as working with clay, wedging it, pulling it pushing it, squeezing it, rolling
it, all provide excellent deep pressure.
Other art media which also lend itself to deep pressure are hammering
wood pieces to make picture frames, weaving frames, building bird houses, nail
string art, etc. Children also work on
tearing paper with their hands, which tells their brains where their body parts
are and what they are doing. Knowing
where your arms and legs are to complete various activities is important for
coordinated and efficient movements.
·
Releases stress and alleviates anxiety – Working with art allows the child to focus
solely on the activity at hand and shut out other thoughts that may be
intrusive. When you place purposeful
items such as art materials in children’s hands it gives them a way to engage
themselves in purposeful behavior rather than hand flapping, rocking, or head
banging. It serves a similar purpose
just as giving a fidget device to a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
·
Builds Imagination – Children with Autism and Pervasive
Developmental Disorders often lack imagination. They may use a toy in a perseverative way and lack the ability to
change the way in which they play with that toy. Using art materials such as clay one week to build masks, and
another week to make pots changes their mind set and behavior and helps them to
develop problem solving strategies for the future. Art allows children to engage in creative thinking in a safe and
secure environment.