Art Therapy: How Can It Help Children with Autism?

By Peg Dunn-Snow, www.ArtTherapyforChildren.com

Art is a normal childhood experience that provides hours of independent, enjoyable experiences. Art promotes a means of communication and illustrates what children understanding about themselves, others, and their environment. Using common yet personalized symbols, young children draw what they know.

Therapy is an activity that supports and helps individuals and families accept and transcend the unexpected “Ifs in Life” (to borrow from a popular insurance tag line)

Art Therapy is not yet a household word so what is it and how can children, especially those diagnosed with autism, benefit from this hybrid profession of art and therapy?

Art Therapy Training Defined

Art therapy is an established health profession represented by the American Art Therapy Association since 1969. Using art materials often yields self awareness that leads to changes in behavioral, cognitive, and affective responses to stress or complex situations. The art therapist can provide support to individuals, couples, families, and groups depending on the therapist's clinical training.

Today training as an art therapist is comparable to other mental health professions, including counseling, clinical social work or marriage and family therapy. Art therapy is a Masters level entry profession with training and national board certification, requiring supervision before and after graduation.

For more information about the profession of art therapy as well as online resources on art therapy and autism please consult the following websites

www.americanarttherapyassociation.org

www.art-therapy.us

Advantages of Art Therapy

1. We think in images … therefore art stimulates the creation of new images and ideas that promote the creative process both narrowly in an artistic way and broadly in a creation of solutions in living.

2. Art is another Language… that is used less often to communicate and therefore is not as easily controlled. Unexpected thoughts and feelings can burst forth in a picture or a sculpture and often form the beginning for insight, learning and growth.

3. Artwork is permanent…and is not subjected to distortions of memory. It remains the same. It can be viewed intact weeks and months later. Reviewing their artwork can help individuals develop new insights over time.

4. In art experiences and relationships occur in space …and are not limited to time. All at once the present time can be portrayed in artwork as it is influenced by past experiences and future wishes.

5. Art promotes more open and revealing discussions…as individuals are more comfortable talking about their artwork than having a face- to- face discussion with another person.

6. Art can be used in daily living…and individuals are taught how to use art therapeutically to help themselves after therapy sessions end ( Wadeson, 1980)

Principles of Art Therapy When Working with Children

· All children are reachable

· Making art is a normal activity for children

· Art therapy assessments are used to discover children’s strengths

· Follow the child’s lead. Children know what they need and want to communicate about.

· Provide children with good enough art materials and protect their artwork as you would protect them. Honor their artwork and view it as an extension of the child.

· Parent involvement is a necessity

Evaluating Strengths

The biggest benefit of art therapy is its ability to highlight children’s strengths. Following good teaching principles, art therapy supports what a child can do and how to tailor each child’s treatment for developing additional skills for learning and living. In the case of children diagnosed with autism those developing skills have three areas of focus: language development , a sense of self, and sensory integration to help children strengthen their gross and fine motors skills, build relationships with others, and help them relate to their world and their environment (Betts, 2005).

Some Art Activities and Techniques that Parents Can Use Language Development

· Traditional Language Development Materials (Example: Sequencing Cards)

· Language Experience Stories

· Read-A-Loud Stories

· Singing

· Rhymes and Poetry

· Puppetry

· Developing a Sense of Self

· Following the Child’s Interest

· Self Portraits

· Photographs of Self in Collage Artwork

· Three-Dimensional Life Size Portraits

· Mask-Making

Developing Sensory Integration and Building Relationships

· Finger-painting in the shower

· Sandplay

· Water-play

· Cut and Paste Art Activities (Example: Magazine Collage)

· Papier-mâché Art Activities

· Still Life Drawings

· Traditional Childhood Activities (Card and Board Games, Tic Tac Toc, Hop Scotch)

· Photographs of Self and Others to Teach About Feelings

· Interactive Scribble Drawing

· Corresponding by Email

· Annual Arts and Crafts Projects That Establish Family Traditions During Holidays

Peg Dunn-Snow may be reached at (305) 542-4033.