Integrating Art In Special Education Research

Thesis Statement

Exceptional learners who are struggling in the classroom setting may no longer have to suffer because research has proven that integrating art in the classroom can be beneficial for students with special needs.

Introduction

“Art has the role in education of helping children become like themselves instead of more like everyone else” - Sydney Gurewitz Clemens (Education Quotes, 2015). Researchers have stressed the importance of implementing art into the curriculum for special education students. There are several benefits of art integration in the classroom that can help special education students succeed, and there are various strategies teachers can utilize to implement art into the classroom. Additionally, there are various

Psychoanalytic art therapists must understand that the approach is symbolically meaningful to children who undergo this type of art therapy. The creative process is the most important aspect of psychoanalytic art therapy because it targets children’s unconscious thoughts as a means for symbolic expression. The developmental approach involves a substantial understanding of the stages of child development. This is important for developmental art therapists to understand because they design their treatment plans according to the developmental stages of children. Because art stimulates the right hemisphere of the brain, it triggers growth in the cognitive and emotional domains. The adaptive approach involves normalization, which means helping children with special needs to experience life just as children without special needs experience it. Another aspect of the adaptive approach is that adaptations can be made for all children so that their art-making experience may be maximized to its fullest potential. Adaptive art therapists must be aware of children’s unique, individual strengths in order to help them succeed. The cognitive-behavioral approach involves a substantial understanding of higher mental processes. Cognitive-behavioral art therapists study the mental processes of children to gain an understanding of how they have affected children. They decipher which mental

In terms of the physical environment, working in a large classroom space may affect students’ behavior and be a source of distractions. Therefore, a smaller classroom environment with fewer distractions may be more appropriate. In terms of adaptation in the art media and tools, there are some instances where students have difficulties grasping paintbrushes or drawing pencils. As a solution, these tools can be physically altered in various ways to accommodate for the needs of individual children. Some children may benefit from using alternative tools such as sponges or plastic squeeze bottles for applying paint. Students who are not able to use their hands may learn how to hold the tools using their toes. The students who have difficulties applying paint may also have difficulties applying glue. They can use the same strategies for applying glue or may benefit from using glue sticks or staplers instead. There also are variations of scissors for students who have difficulty handling them. These variations include easy-grip scissors and double-handled scissors, which allow adults to guide students with cutting. Students who cannot use scissors at all may need to have items pre-cut for them