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ART THERAPY FOR DIFFERENTLY ABLED CHILDREN,
Trichy, 4, December 2010:
International Day
of Persons with
Disabilities is annually observed on 3 December with an objective to
promote an awareness of disability issues, the fundamental rights of
persons with disabilities and integration of persons with
disabilities in the main stream of each aspect of the social,
political, economic and cultural status of their communities. The
day extends an opportunity to initialize action to reach the target
of full and equal pleasure of human rights and contribution in
society by disabled persons, launched by the World Program of Action
for Disabled Persons, declared by the UN General Assembly in the
year 1982.
Dr.K.Govindaraju, Director, SEVAI, Trichy thanked the authorities of
SSA, Trichy District Differently abled, Medical team and also the
District Collector and spoke that our purpose in life is to help
anyone whose life is touched by autism and special needs. There are
so many ways to save time, money and frustration while making your
life easier, better and more joyful.
WORLD DIFFERENTLY ABLED DAY has been observed by Society for
Education, Village Action and Improvement (SEVAI), Trichy for
Mentally retarded children with autism, Cerebral palsy, spastic and
other associated disabilities. More than 100 children participated
in Drawing and arts competition in Trichy and these children are
from various parts of Trichy District
The little ones jumped and pumped their fists in joy during the
sports festival that was celebrated a day in advance of the ‘World
Diff.abled Day.'Organised by SEVAI, Tamil Nadu, the one-day sports
show is conducted annually to bring the best out of these ‘special'
lot. There were many who hopped, skipped and jumped with difficulty.
But, they braved the situation in a commanding manner. “It was
jolly, jolly all the way,” said Revathy, a physically challenged
girl with a large smile on her face.“I liked it so much. I ran and
threw the ball. I want to come here every day,” said Ranjini, a
nine-year-old mentally challenged kid from Special Bridge Course
residential centre, Allur.
Most of them
expressed similar views and urged for more such events. “I can
understand their feelings. In fact, they look forward to this meet
every year. All of the differently abled have some special talent.
And, they understand only a meet like this would do a world of good
to their confidence.”“These events will not only build their
confidence but also develop a lasting relationship with people
around them. It's time we conduct more such events,” added Pauline.
She urged the public and the parents to cooperate with special
educators.“There are difficulties hard to define, but if we keep
looking at it then we will deprive these little ones of their joy.
“It's going to be
barrier-free. We are on a progressive path. They have provided ramps
at most bus stops, public buildings, private colleges and hospitals.
Even special toilets are being planned. There is something being
invented and implemented every day to make life easy for them,” said
Deivakumar.Differntly abled children mind
are unstable, but not their interests. SEVAI organised a painting
competition for the mentally disabled students of in Trichirappalli
District.
Society for Education, Village Action and Improvement (SEVAI),
Trichy
has been organising such events for mentally disabled kids since the
last 15 years. And since activities such as sports, drawing and
painting help them to enhance their skills and their focus, SEVAI
tries and organise more of such events," For the competition, the
students were divided into three groups -, 10-15 years and below 10
years. All were provided with drawing sheets, and colours to draw
and paint whatever they felt like portraying on the
canvas.K.Govindaraju further added, "Ten best pictures from each of
the above mentioned groups were selected and they were given a token
prize. More so, the best of all the paintings are selected as a face
of a greeting card."Deivakumar, coordinator of Inclusive Education
in SEVAI said, "Around 80 students from 3 centres in Trichy had
participated for the aforesaid competition. But this year, for the
first time ever, 32 best paintings are exhibited at Kalaiarangam on
3rd and 4th December,2010.
Dr.K.Govindaraju,
SEVAI spoke to special educators that many art therapists work with
clients who have an autistic disorder. Art therapy is a beneficial
form of treatment for working with individuals who have autism and
related disabilities. Society for Education, Village Action and
Improvement (SEVAI) applies therapeutic use of art making, within a
professional relationship, by people who experience illness, trauma,
or challenges in living, and by people who seek personal
development. Through creating art and reflecting on the art products
and processes, people can increase awareness of self and others cope
with symptoms, stress, and traumatic experiences; enhance cognitive
abilities; and enjoy the life-affirming pleasures of making art. He
also mentioned that Art therapists are professionals in SEVAI,
trained in both art and therapy. They are knowledgeable about human
development, psychological theories, clinical practice, spiritual,
multicultural and artistic traditions, and the healing potential of
art.
Mr.Deivakumar, Coordinator of SSA-SEVAI
project expressed that Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder
that typically lasts throughout a person's lifetime. It is part of a
group of disorders known as autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Today,
1 in 93 individuals is diagnosed with autism. It occurs in all
racial, ethnic, and social groups and is four times more likely to
strike boys than girls. Autism impairs a person's ability to
communicate and relate to others. It is also associated with rigid
routines and repetitive behaviors, such as obsessively arranging
objects or following very specific routines. Symptoms can range from
very mild to quite severe.
In SEVAI, Art-based assessment instruments are
used by many art therapists to: determine a client’s level of
functioning; formulate treatment objectives; assess a client’s
strengths; gain a deeper understanding of a client’s presenting
problems; and evaluate client progress. To ensure the appropriate
use of drawing tests, evaluation of instrument validity and
reliability is imperative. Special educators expressed that special
efforts is being taken also trained for taking care of the diff,
abled children.
Art therapy, no matter what type of disability a child has, was
found to be an effective tool to incorporate in a program. The
artwork of children under art therapy has found to increase in
detail throughout the duration of the program, suggesting that the
child’s individual abilities are increasing and providing ways for a
child to cope with their disability. Special Education involves many
students, as well as those who are placed into it even after being
under general education for years. It can be inferred that something
lacks within these children and the use of focused attention and
creativity involved with art therapy can increase the possibility of
long-term success in life. Building communication skills,
self-awareness, balancing emotions and ego strengths has also been
found in children who were under art therapy. Giftedness and using
art therapy alone should also be examined to support effectiveness
throughout the entire population of students in schools.
NNS
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