Creative Arts for All
It was a pleasure to be able to meet Dixie Trevarthen and be exposed to the work she does with adapted creative arts for children. Before she showed us some creative activities she does with the children she works with, she shared some about her life story. She spoke a lot about her experience with having a special needs child of her own. It was inspiring to listen to how she advocated for what was best for her son. She shared many stories of how she came up with adaptations to allow her son to participate in occupations and activities. Her stories encouraged me, as a future occupational therapist, to think outside the box and focus on the abilities of my clients.
It was exciting to be able to learn about different adapted ways to participate in art. For instance, we were able to try out a wheelchair fitted with a device that allowed the person seated to make chalk designs on the sidewalk. As I was watching a classmate wheel herself around and create a design, I thought how neat it would be to use this activity for strengthening for someone in a wheelchair. If the person was motiviated to make a picture with the chalk, this would also be a good activiity to work on wheelchair stearing and accuracy. A simple form of art such as this, could make learning to use a wheelchair exciting for a child.
We were also able to participate in a few other adapted arts activities. It was so neat to think of ways of grading the activity (making it easier or more difficult) based on the abilities of potential participants. The equipment and ideas that Dixie shared with us could easily be implemented into practice, especially with children. Some of the fine motor steps in the activities could be used to work on fine motor coordination. Motor planning and sequencing are some other areas that could be worked on in the area of cognition. These activities could also be used to help promote self-worth and the feeling of productivity. Some children may have never been fitted with the correct equipment or activity to successfully create a piece of art. Adapted arts can open a whole new world of possibilities for children with special needs.
Using arts activities not only benefits physically and mentally delayed individuals, but also those dealing with mental health illnesses. In Heenan (2006) art is described as being an effective approach to promoting positive mental health. While talking about creative art Heenan states "It can be a self-initiated activity providing a form of self-expression; it can be used to improve care environments; it can change the way society views mental illness; and can also provide service users with a voice" (Heenan, 2006, p. 182). This article offers insight on how art can be used for those with mental health illnesses. No matter what the reason for engaging in art, it is important to empower individuals with special needs with the tools and assistance they need to express themselves through art.
Reference
Heenan, D. (2006). Art as therapy: an effective way of promoting positive mental health? Disability and Society, 21, 179-191.
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