*this
article was first published in the Autism Support Newsletter
"Harmonious
Times"
While some
autistic individuals are very artistic and do most of their
communicating
via painting or drawing, others are less drawn to the typical
art activities.
For these people we have to be a little more creative and
brainstorm
a little to find interesting and altered ways of taking part in
art.
Here are a few of the ways I've found to help the reluctant
autistic
person to
delve into art:
1.
Some children don't want to get their hands dirty or sticky so they
steer
clear of painting projects. A fun way to encourage participation
in painting is to first provide rubber gloves (like the hospital type)
if they prefer and then introduce them to print
making….there
are some really cool and tempting ways of painting that may win over
your
reluctant child. Using a train or car as the print maker put some
paint in a shallow pan and drive the vehicle through the paint being
sure
to cover the wheels completely. Now let your child drive the
vehicle
around on some paper and look at the resulting tracks left by the
painted
wheels! This is a fun activity that you can keep for later displaying
in
a frame, window or scrapbook. It's also fun to take a picture of
the child doing the project to display with the finished piece. This
acts
as a reminder and many times a prompt for repeating the activity.
2.
Using marbles, golf- balls, ping-pong balls or whiffle balls as the
printer
cover the bottom of a cake pan with paper. Now dip the balls in
paint
or simply roll them around in a paint container until they are covered.
Pick the ball up with tongs or gloved hands and place them on the paper
in side the cake pan. Now have the child slightly tilt the pan or
roll the balls using chopsticks or spoons. Look at the patterns
made
by the rolling balls.
3.
Some children are less likely to put pen to paper on a surface that is
flat. For a change try hanging large pieces of paper on the wall
or get a white-board mounted with dry-erase markers nearby. You can
find
end-roll newsprint at your local newspaper business at a low price or
try
looking at thrift stores for unused wallpaper rolls. These make
for
heavyweight extra long lasting paper for painting, and drawing and just
about any other use.
4.
Building with blocks or boxes is another form of artistic
expression.
We
keep a
camera handy to
capture extra-loved or unusual creations. We display them on the
art wall or in a booklet we keep by the block supplies. (This
also
serves as a reminder of play choices in the future)
5.
Water play is one of the nearly universal loves of children and even
this
activity
can be turned
into art we can keep and remember. You need regular
colored
construction
paper and a bowl of water and a paintbrush. Now, let
your child
paint designs
on the construction paper using the water. The water
will darken
the paper
leaving drips, splashes and handprints -while this will
only last a
little time
it is a lot of fun to do and even more fun to see the image disappear
as
it evaporates. (This same idea works outside with paintbrushes on
the dry sidewalk.)
6.
Clay and similar sculpting mediums offer another artistic option that
some
people really enjoy. Even the tactile-defensive person can find
enjoyment
in this sculpting idea: Take a lid from a jar or a pie tin or
other
small shallow container and fill it with air-drying clay. Now
provide
a variety of interesting items to stick into the clay, creating a mural
or mosaic or a 3-dimensional tower of intrigue. Suggested items:
plastic gems, ceramic tile chips, pipe cleaners, colored wire, nuts,
bolts,
paperclips, leaves, sticks, bottle caps or anything that catches the
child's
interest. Finally, put the creation up until it hardens.
7.
Scotch tape and colored electrical tape proves to be a great creative
tool
for some children, my own son can spend an evening taping designs on
paper
and sometimes even taping toys together or wrapping chairs in colored
tape.
I have an activity box devoted to just taping. We have a few pair
of scissors, scotch tape, and colored electrical tape and colored paper
for his interesting creations.
8.
Photography proves pretty interesting and fun for many children.
I have
found
looking at the
photos and videotapes that my son creates to be an insightful peak into
his perception. A video tape he made last year was full of
various
images of shadows, lines, mini-blinds and close-ups of peoples
faces.
It is a unique way of sharing the very different view point of the
autistic
mind.
Capturing
your child's art
My
autistic son is reluctant
to pick up a pencil, and even more reluctant to try his hand at drawing
or painting a picture. The few times he does write or draw
something
on his own it are nearly always the same thing. Creative expression in
a tangible form is hard for some autistic children to come up with but
we can show them an appreciation of their endeavors and a way of
sharing
their creations with the world by doing a few final actions to capture
what they really like, whether it be marbles, splashing in water,
bubbles
or ripping paper to bits. Whatever their unique interests, there
is
surely a way to share them in an art form with our friends and families
and to display them in a proud manner on our walls, windows or good old
refrigerators.
To capture
our children's unique joys and interests:
Cut 2
equal pieces of
clear contact paper and sandwich the creation - you may want to add
glitter
or colorful crayon shavings or sequins to add pizzazz. After sealing
this,
cut the edges with zigzag scissors and add a ribbon at the top for a
cool
window sun-catcher display. You can also do this to make
personalized
placemats, book-covers, small key chain decorations or special cards
for
Grandparents. This is one way of sharing your child's
efforts,
creations and obsessions with loved ones while helping to instill a
sense
of pride and appreciation in their work and play.
|
