THE USE OF CREATIVE ARTS FOR PEOPLE WITH DOWN SYNDROME IN EDUCATIONAL SETTING Towards a Definition of Creative Arts Therapy As Storr (1972) observed, creativity offers a means of “coming to term with, or finding symbolic solutions for, the internal tensions and dissociations from which all human beings suffer in varying degree”. Numerous and often conflicting definitions of creative arts therapy have been advanced since the term first emerged in the late 1940s (Waller and Gilroy, 1978). According Naumburg model described the therapy as the release of unconscious through spontaneous arts expression with the roots in the transference of the client-therapist relationship on the encouragement of free association and on a continuous effort to …show more content…
There seems to be no doubt that creative arts therapy can be effective for the mass population. Yet, a question popped into my head when I was reviewing the relevant literature - is creative arts suitable for people who may not function “normally”, for instance, those with Down Syndrome? This paper, which the major characteristics of down syndrome patient are integratively analyzed with various theories and art modalities, will satisfy my own inquiry. Hong Kong education context will be applied, in particular, as I aspire to be a special education teacher in the future. Is Creative Arts Therapy Suitable for People with Down Syndrome? Major Characteristics of Down Syndrome & …show more content…
Malpass (1963) writes that the tempo of DS children in which abilities are acquired during motor development is clearly slower. As a result of developmental delay, the mentally handicapped DS children usually have problems with fine motor skills, including coordination and manipulation; as well as hypotonia, having low muscle tone which affects each DS child differently and can affect different parts of the body differently (Winders, 1997). Moreover, mentally handicapped DS children are on average less strong, have less stamina and more problems in the execution of complex motor tasks; other problems in eye-hand coordination, dexterity (the ability to use hands skilfully) and reaction speed are also recorded (Groden,1969). Visual Problems DS usually has negative effects on the developing eye and vision. Eye problems, like tear duct abnormalities, eye misalignment, “lazy eye” (relying on one eye to see), jerking eye movement, are evident in about two-third of individuals with DS, and resulting in vision impairments (Holbrook, 2006). Hearing and Speech
This class allows Melinda to get comfortable with expressing her emotions through art. This development eventually leads her to articulating her emotions. Mr. Freeman inspires Melinda through his ways of teaching art and how to express one’s self through
In experiment one, Thomas-Sassi, et al. examined the similarities and differences of the response rate and response latency during baseline, acquisition, and maintenance conditions. The subjects included four adult men who were diagnosed with mild to moderate mental retardation. One subject communicated through limited signs and gestures, while the other three men had vocal communication skills in their repertoire. Sessions were held in a therapy room with moderately preferred leisure activities. The target behaviors that were measured for each man consisted of vocational tasks, such as hole punching and dialing phone numbers.
Therapeutic art is used to assist people in understanding who they truly are and how they have grown from their past and any traumatizing experiences they may have experienced previously. Author, Laurie Halse Anderson explains the struggle of being the high school outcast through character Melinda Sordino. Anderson uses Melinda 's evolving tree artwork to symbolize past calamities in Melinda 's life, as well as how Melinda is growing as a character throughout her freshman year of high school. While Melinda is struggling most, she struggles with finishing her trees the way that she wants them to look.
This is a hypothesis I will be testing and analysing throughout the art therapy group I will facilitate with the children in the
Preamble According to “Deseret News National”, The ten (10) common disabilities American children have are; Autism, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, Epilepsy, Spina bifida, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Intellectual disability, Depression. There are other disabilities such as neurological, genetic, chromosomal abnormality, developmental, metabolic, childhood, brain, delays, disorder/ disability, traumatic brain injury, birth defects, Auditory Processing, Visual Impairment, Emotional/Behavior Disorders. “The most common developmental disorder is mental retardation” (L. Straus). According to the CDC, more than one out of every 100 school children in the United States has been diagnosed with some form of mental
The brain and central nervous system problems, with a child on the spectrum, will include issues such as: poor coordination, balance, memory, attention, processing speed, reasoning, intellect, judgment, mood regulation, and difficulties with hyperactivity. Even though this list of challenges is long, it is important to know that there are just as many social and behavioral problems as well. Children with FAS tend to have difficulty in school. Their ability to stay on task and set goals, such as research papers present a large challenge to children with FAS. They also have poor social skills, causing trouble getting along with others.
To Whom It May Concern: I have had the pleasure of working with Jacob Kasik for the last 5 years as his Arts Integration Instructional Coach. My involvement with him and his teaching was a requirement for his participation in a federal grant program entitled, Mastering the Arts. This program provided teachers instructional workshops, resources, and mentoring for integrating standards-based arts instruction across core curricula. Teachers in the program created standards-based lessons for implementation in their classroom to use the Arts to leverage the skills and habits of creativity to improve the academic performance and critical thinking of students, which in turn helped prepare them to exceed the expectations of state education standards.
The therapist never critiques the client’s work. After a client has finished his or her artwork, the therapist may ask the client to interpret the art, linking it to current issues and events in his or her life. This increases awareness of self and others and promotes personal development and coping
ADHD affects behaviour and social development in that they get easily frustated, which could be the same children with Autism this affects there Emotional and social development. Dyslexia is a condition that affects learning literacy so what they think they are reading may not be what is actually there so they get stuck with understand letters they may
Merleau-Ponty tells us that, “the real has to be described, not constructed or formed” (1969, p. 17). Phenomenological art therapy as explicated by Betensky (1995) is a clearly formulated art therapy approach that attempts to understand the phenomena of the artwork and the creative process from within itself through "intentional observation" and reflection. The three main features of the phenomenological method are 1) the attention to the description of the perceived phenomena; 2) focus on capturing the essence; and 3) the essence is found by intuiting and not by deduction or induction. The 5 key concepts of phenomenology concepts outlined by Merleau–Ponty in the introduction of Phenomenology of Religion (Bettis 1969) can be applied to art therapy (Carpendale, 2002).
Robert Latchman is a 37 year old man who has suffered from learning disabilities and schizophrenia for his whole life. At the age of 19 he was enrolled in an art therapy program called the League of Education and Treatment Center, a nonprofit day program for adults with neurological disabilities. In 2011 Latchman got hit by two cars and had to undergo multiple surgeries to fix the physical damage. But what about his psychological damages? With the help of the art therapy program he became an example of someone who has benefited from the power that the arts hold to heal the mind.
Art therapy is defined as a form of expressive therapy that uses the creative process of fabricating art to improve a person’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Well known psychologist Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud both had theories of the subconscious and unconscious. They believed that art therapy is based on the premise that images and visuals are the most natural form of communication to humans. The feelings that stem from the subconscious mind are more easily expressed in visuals rather than verbally because people usually cannot explain emotions in such detail. Creative art therapy is offered in many hospitals, outpatient centers, and private practices as a form of depression treatment.
The information provided in this essay is evidence that children are more artistically inspired when more time is spent “doing
These needs demand to be encountered beforehand we can thrive. After these needs are encountered we can grasp self-actualization and are nowadays free and cosy plenty to express ourselves in a creative manner. Creativity is central to our development and discovering procedures and as such aid us to advance ourselves inside society. Adler quarrels that our main motivation for creativity is to compensate for an observed physical or intellectual disability. The humanist school of believed leans towards the progress of methods that stop defensiveness, and growing belief, agreement, lack of judgement and crafting a freedom of expression.
In recent years, our public education system has heavily shifted to focus on STEM subjects, specifically math an science. But as we’ve undergone this shift in our educational priorities, fine arts education has been viewed more as a luxury, or even a waste of time. This assumption is false. Helping children and young adults learn to appreciate visual aesthetics is just as important as learning to measure angles, and definitely more practical in comparison to knowing the phases of mitosis. Art is more than just painting or sculpting, it can come in the form of visual learning and inventiveness, or becoming more culturally aware.