Art: The Key to Teach Kids with Autism

One of the most confusing and frustrating experiences in a parent’s life can be the diagnosis of his/her child with autism spectrum disorder. A particularly difficult disorder to cope with because a parent’s communication with his/her child can feel restricted or even invalidated. Fortunately, autism has in recent years also had many developments that have improved relationships between autistic children and their families.
Developments Within the Field
Many experts are optimistic that as the body of knowledge surrounding autism grows, autism’s core problems, involving methods of interaction between autistic children and others, will make significant strides in progress. Indeed, in only a few decades, our culture’s understanding of autism has made great inroads thanks to the work and cooperation of dedicated researchers, families, and autistic children themselves.

The Benefits of Art Therapy on Autism
One such development has included the use of art therapy in the treatment of autism, which as a field and form of psychotherapy attempts to widen the scope of communication that patients can have through means of artistic expression. Promoting a greater understanding on the part of autistic patients and the world around them, art therapy has helped numerous people with autism spectrum disorder gain a sense of control over their lives. As a disorder that has an enormous effect on abilities to communicate, autism can be particularly stressful for those who suffer from the disorder, in many ways because children and adults with autism often recognize the difficulties they have in communicating with loved ones and react to these difficulties with stress and confusion.

Different Forms of Expression
The last several decades have seen many practitioners of art therapy and other forms of psychotherapy exploring the benefits of the field. As a form of education and of communicating with children with autism spectrum disorder, art therapy has been shown to strengthen bonds between family members and teachers as well as to provide a positive element in the lives of patients and families. Allowing a child to express themselves through painting or video work, for example, can often provide a much-needed outlet for personal expression on the child’s part.

Seeking to Understand
Numerous studies have suggested that art therapy can benefit children with autism by establishing gentle parameters for communication and by making communication a less stressful process. While the connection between art therapy and the treatment of autism is still a new one, many therapists are also finding that its rewards are immensely helpful for parents’ relationships with their children. When a parent takes time to examine what the child has made during therapy, they’ll also be able to get a glimpse of the child’s understanding of the situation. Such an examination can act as a profound form of empathy to a child.

Connection to Self
Art therapy’s basic tenets of seeking resolution through personal expression seem particularly apt when it comes to the treatment of autism, for example. Autism tends to blur boundaries between the sense of self of the patient and others, so art therapy directly addresses the areas of life where autistic children are most likely to need help in communication matters. Art methods such as self-portraiture and other forms of expression can also provide a deeply personal way for children with autism to express themselves to parents and teachers in a way that creates a sense of profound connection between them.

Expert Advice
In a recent article in the American Art Therapy Association, author Nicole Martin suggests that the relationship between the treatment of autism with art therapy has been used to develop such key coping traits as symbol formation and socialization. While Martin concludes that the field still needs exploration by professionals to better establish its benefits on patients, the author is optimistic that with the right direction and work, the treatment of autism with art therapy can thrive. If so, art therapy may one day take its place as a major force for good in treatment of the disorder. By keeping up with strides being made in the field, parents can often learn much more about how best to connect with their children.