Thesis Statement
Autism is indeed a mystery. Heated debates emerge across
every single city in this nation and around the world each and every day. Doctors, scientists,
researchers, educators, and parents argue ideas about various causes and genetic predispositions.
One thing for certain is that nobody has found the proverbial needle in the haystack or missing
puzzle piece to cure this enigma. Educators have discovered that certain therapies have been proven
immeasurable in success with the treatment of autism. Art therapy is one of the most valuable
treatments utilized. In this blog I will explore the various techniques and therapies broadly used with art
therapy to awaken and stimulate the importance of communication and expression in children and adults
with autism.
Introduction
Autism is a very mysterious
generally rears its ugly head in toddlers at the ages of about 1 ½ to
2 ½ years of age. This genetic
disorder most commonly disrupts
a child’s learning cognition,
communication skills, social interaction, occupational abilities,
gastrointestinal functions, and ability to retain learned information. Many children
diagnosed with autism often develop seizure conditions, which in turn, affects the child’s ability to
learn and concentrate on activities. Kids will often become intensely frustrated and act out by crying,
screaming, throwing themselves on the floor, or even banging their heads off of walls. Many just become
completely disheartened, give up, and shut down all together, or resort to becoming anti social and non
verbal.
With the rise in autism diagnoses rates, this issue has been
brought right to the forefront of American and global consciousness. Almost everybody these days either has a child or
knows of somebody with a child afflicted with this perplexing disorder.
The cost of treating children and adults with this condition is continuing to skyrocket every year
and therefore cannot be ignored. The current national annual totals for treating autism are estimated at
about 90 billion dollars. These numbers are projected to increase as high as 200 to 400 billion in 10 years. Art therapy is a highly effective and fairly inexpensive avenue for the treatment of
autism. With such cost effective treatments as traditional early intervention and art therapy, these staggering
projections could be lessened by 2/3 percent (Art-therapy,
2012). This topic is incredibly important to me because, for starters, my love
of art, but more importantly I have three children on the autism spectrum, and I am always looking for new therapies and treatments. I feel it is also very important to communicate and share what I know; this knowledge could possibly help somebody in need. I most definitely feel it is my duty and honor to get the word out.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
or DSM, is published by the American Psychiatric Association and
is essentially the standard “go-to” guide for professionals to make diagnoses
and evaluate patient conditions according to strict guidelines and detailed
psychiatric behavioral criteria. Under the current guidelines as of the last
revision in 1994, a child must display six or more behaviors from three
different categories such as: limited social interaction, impairments in
conveying one's own feelings such as facial expressions, eye contact, and the
body language, inability to share activities and interests or lack of pointing
out or presenting objects. Other behaviors which fall under the current guidelines
include lack of or delayed communication skills or flat-out refusal, inability
to sustain conversation, repetitive or echolalia language or “scripting”,
failure to play at a proper developmental age level, lack of imaginative play,
repetitive behaviors, preoccupation with restricted activities, adhering to
strict routines or ritualistic behavior, repetitive motor behaviors,
preoccupation with minute or nondescriptive parts or components of objects
(Autreat, 2012).
Because
of this drastic surge in debilitating and obstructive autistic- like behaviors,
many folks wish to add to the specifications of the existing criteria. The
autism community has been at odds and embattled in heated argument over the new
changes set to occur in the fifth edition of the DSM, scheduled to be published
in 2013. It has not been revised in 19 years. Some parents and professionals
feel that criteria may not be clear enough and that some children will potentially
become overlooked and not receive services. The fifth edition would basically
lump many behaviors under one large “umbrella” of autistic spectrum disorders.
Personally, I feel that this is an extremely positive proposal. Children with
behaviors such as Asperger’s, PDD (Pervasive Developmental Disorder), and the
newly created “Social Communication Disorder” will be placed under the new umbrella
of diagnoses. The creation of these new categories are important because
children diagnosed with PDD-NOS (Not Otherwise Specified); with speech delays
and poor communication skills, will more than likely be placed within these
guidelines as opposed to potentially falling through the cracks (Brigham,
2012). What I have personally observed is that autistic children are incredibly
intelligent and always choose the path of least resistance. Parents more often
choose to appease their children to escape or avoid the terrible shrill of what
looks to be a torturous tantrum. These kids actually appear as if they are in
severe pain. They can also turn it off and on like a light switch. This may
sound cruel to an uneducated bystander or onlooker but tough love is one of the
only remedies to this sort of situation.
Traditional Art Therapies
Traditional art therapies are utilized
to
help the patient essentially emerge out of their shell. A
qualified art therapist needs to have extensive
schooling and a post master’s degree and training.
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| Denise's children at school |
dealing with sensory integration issues (Betts, 2012).
Many autistic children have the ability to speak but choose
not to due to their lack of, or understanding of communication
skills and social nuances. Some simply need therapy to open a pathway to an underdeveloped part of the brain. Art is a
wonderful medium to help foster the development of a more direct
level of communication and help to organize effective thought processes (Betts, 2012).
A very popular method in general, when dealing with children
or adults on the spectrum is to sort of mimicor mirror their actions or styles of art expression. A
therapist can copy the way they finger paint, play with sand, or sculpt with play
dough perhaps. When the patient sees that the therapist is copying them, it
essentially enables and encourages them to open up and let that person into
their world. This is an extremely
effective mode of therapy; I have seen it work with my own eyes when utilizing
this method with my own children. It’s sort of like a light bulb going off in
their heads, or they see it as the therapist speaking their native language.
When the child is more comfortable, and develops a stronger attachment to the
therapist, there is a much greater chance of effective and more meaningful communication
(Henley, 2001). These types of therapies are known for their ability to calm
and soothe patients, which in turn facilities communication and social skills.
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| Sophie and Marge K |
I recently had an interview
with expert Marge K, Certified Special Education Instructor, about the
benefits in treating autistic children with art therapy. Mrs. K has had
over 17 years in teaching autistic and special needs children at ___ __ _____ in C, Pennsylvania, and now serves
as an instructor at M School in B, PA. Marge has used art therapy
techniques on a daily basis and feels the correlation between self expression with
autistic children is immeasurable. She states that art therapy is indeed
invaluable in helping develop self-expression, interpersonal skills, managing
behaviors, increased self-esteem, and self awareness which is the cornerstone
for relating to others (K, 2012). One classic symptom of autism is
difficulty with verbal and social communication. Art therapy helps to improve
the ability to imagine and think symbolically, she states. It also improves
their ability to recognize and respond to facial expressions, and manage
sensory issues and fine motor skills. Since many autistic children show signs
of the disorder at age 2 1/2, The Early Learning Institute has children
enrolled from the ages of 3 to 5 years. Many five-year-olds continue on to a
regular or mainstreamed kindergarten class
with the help of an aid. Early intervention is key.
When giving examples of what
Marge has used quite frequently over the years, I will say that painting and
sculpting are definitely in the forefront. Finger-painting is a very popular
activity. Autistic children will often scream, cry, and the tantrum because
they have no other means to communicate their frustration. Fingerpainting can
help with that because the children love to get right down into the paint, rub
it in, swoosh it around, and let out their frustrations. It is a wonderful
medium which helps with sensory issues. Painting with watercolors tends to be
an incredibly relaxing activity. Working with clay, putty, or Play-Doh, can
also be very relaxing; it can be immensely therapeutic with anger and
frustration issues as well. The children love to pound and rip apart the clay
and Play-Doh. The children also love to use cookie cutters to make shapes to
receive instant gratification; as waiting for anything patiently is often a
great challenge in typical children, it is an even greater challenge to
children with autism. Drawing with chalk on the outside pavement is always a
hit because these children love the feel of chalk in their hand and how it
addresses sensory issues by going over bumpy surfaces. She has mentioned how
fun and effective the use of puppets has been over the years. She will actually
make the puppet teach the children how to paint. This tends to work very well
because many autistic children have severe problems with basic human
interaction and direct eye contact (K, 2012). Marge K has worked
intensively with my children over the years. She has done a phenomenal job. The
difference in every single one of them, since they began early intervention, is
truly night and day. I can remember several years ago observing some of the
activity in those classes and sensing an aura of calm and
collectiveness, a stark contrast to a normal or typical day at
home
or in public, which would usually consist of chaos and tantrums. Mrs. K
also mentions how much fun she has had over the years using shaving cream as an
art medium. She says that the children love smooshing around in the texture,
drawing little pictures with their fingers, and practicing writing their ABCs
and 123's. Shaving cream is great because cleanup is a snap.
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| Cassie T, Kathy M, Sophie, Graham, and Nate |
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| Ken O |
It is no secret that it is notoriously difficult and takes a lot of effort, encouragement or simply practice to have an autistic child engage, without disruption in a “non-preferred” activity (Meuller, 2012). Art therapy usually does the trick. My son will attend to such an activity in peace without the need for stimming or making loud verbal repetitive noises. He stims quite frequently as a means of self soothing, and escaping or sometimes taking in and deciphering intense stimuli. Kathy and her team of TSS therapists, Ken O and Cassie T have indeed become an extension of our family. I cannot even begin to measure the love and support we have so gratefully received over the years!
New Technology
The iPad is now being deemed
as a miracle therapy for those suffering with autism.
This breakthrough treatment was just featured in a
recent segment of 60 minutes
(CBS News, 2012). This
technology is so incredibly valuable for nonverbal children of
all disabilities, especially autism.
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| Photo courtesy of Blogher.com |
communicate and express
themselves for the very first timeand break through their
“wall of silence” (CBS News, 2012). Iknow that my children use
the iPad daily in their special-ed classroom. I plan on buying
one in the very near future for use at home or out and
about; especially after doing this research
and finding all of this information on the
wealth of apps available!
Shannon Des Roches Rosa is a
contributing editor on a popular site called “Blogher.com”, writes for her own personal
blog titled “Squidalicious.com”, and is also a cofounder and editor of the “Thinking
Person's Guide to Autism”, which is website containing information on everything
autism. In the beginning of the article, “The iPad: a Near Miracle for My Son
With Autism”, Shannon states how they came across the iPad completely by
accident. She had mentioned that they had already bought their son an iPod
Touch, but were blessed enough to have won a brand-new iPad by purchasing a
five dollar raffle ticket.
She states how she cannot even begin to explain how
her son Leo's life had been transformed shortly thereafter.With the iPad, she specifically says,
“Leo electrifies the air around him with independence and daily new skills!”
She also mentions how she's not big on “miracle speak”, but may even, “erect a
tiny altar to Steve Jobs
in the corner of the living room.” The irony of the whole situation is that
Shannon never considered buying her son an iPad due to its perceived
awkwardness and fragility. Within 5 minutes she realized the iPad was a tough
little device. She states that her son may have had a hard time writing on
paper or typing on a computer keyboard, but he has become a “world-class”
“swiper and tapper” (Blogher, 2010). Shannon says in only the span of one day
Leo had the iPad interface entirely mastered. Leo now feels more free and
encouraged to practice drawing like never before on his iPad via apps such as,
“Draw Free” and “Magna Doodle” type programs.
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| Photo courtesy of Art of Glow |
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| Photo courtesy of Art of Glow |
There are many art therapy apps available on
the iPad and Android tablets as well. One app is called, “Art of Glow –Pro” by
Natenai Ariyatrakool (Art of Glow, 2012). This particular app is available
through iPad and sells for the very affordable price of 99 cents. The app
claims to make children feel more relaxed. This app has the ability to save and
record all animated texts and artworks for future playback and communication.
Some of its features include: colorful animated glow particles, fireworks,
twinkle stars, and animated text arts. This may indeed prove to be extremely
beneficial, especially in “sensory seeking” children.
Another exciting autism app for the iPad is “Faces iMake!” by iMagine machine LLC. This app has actually received the Parents Choice Gold Award for 2010. “Teacherswithapps.com” has labeled the game as today’s modern updated version of Mr. Potato Head by making collages with brightly and beautifully colored images of everyday objects. Faces iMake has been described by users as being incredibly addicting, yet fun, relaxing, creative, and liberating. Apps such as this can indeed prove to be priceless and groundbreaking with helping children and adults with autism recognize facial gestures, feelings, and body language, and more importantly, to use their imaginations (Faces iMake!, 2012).
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| Photo courtesy of Faces iMake! |
Another exciting autism app for the iPad is “Faces iMake!” by iMagine machine LLC. This app has actually received the Parents Choice Gold Award for 2010. “Teacherswithapps.com” has labeled the game as today’s modern updated version of Mr. Potato Head by making collages with brightly and beautifully colored images of everyday objects. Faces iMake has been described by users as being incredibly addicting, yet fun, relaxing, creative, and liberating. Apps such as this can indeed prove to be priceless and groundbreaking with helping children and adults with autism recognize facial gestures, feelings, and body language, and more importantly, to use their imaginations (Faces iMake!, 2012).
Autistic Artists Who Have Transformed Their “Disabilities”
into Assets
Stephen Wiltshire
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| Stephen Wiltshire |
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| Panorama |
One of
Stephen’s most famous feats involved him flying over London in a helicopter and
briefly taking mental notes of all points of interest including buildings,
landmarks, parks, and street layouts. This observation ended with an amazingly
intricately detailed illustration of the city. It is genuinely beyond
astonishing; it is indeed breathtakingly extraordinary! He quite literally has a photographic memory. Experts
have examined and critiqued his work and discovered nothing was omitted, even
down to the number of windows in a skyscraper (Wiltshire, 2012)! Stephen
received his degree from the prestigious City and Guilds of London Art School.
He later successfully graduated with an expertise of printmaking. In 1996
Stephen was introduced to Margaret Hewson, a literary agent who helped him
field incoming book deals and eventually became a trusted mentor. She helped
arrange Stephen's first trip across the globe to New York City. This was the
beginning of his never ending trek around the globe drawing, sightseeing,
observing, and exhibiting his works and talents. He developed a great love for
the city and announced that he knew he was going to live there someday. He even
stated that he designed his own penthouse on Park Avenue. While in New York he
became acquainted and developed a friendship with author Oliver Saks. This trip
was also the basis for his second book called Cities which was published
in 1989. Since then, at age 16 he went on a world drawing tour of Moscow,
Leningrad, Amsterdam, and Venice.
Stephen's most famous accomplishments are his panoramas. His first work was of the skyline of Tokyo in 2005, he has since drawn Rome, Frankfurt, Madrid, Hong Kong, Dubai, New York, Sydney, Shanghai, and Brisbane. Contrary to popular belief, Stephen prefers to sketch portraits of close friends and celebrities. He keeps these in his private notebook. He started drawing caricatures of his teachers.
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| Stephen Wiltshire Gallery, London |
Katie Miller
Katie
Miller is an extraordinary artist. Her talents are incredibly rare, as is the
fact that she’s among the small group of women diagnosed as autistic. Katie is 27
years old and lives in Parkton, MD, which is 30 miles north of the city of
Baltimore. At a much younger age, she was initially diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder because of her inflexible obsession with getting every single detail
of her paintings perfect or as close to realistic, as humanly possible (Marie
Claire, 2012).
As a child, she would consume an entire day sketching or copying
pictures or photographs from books. Initially her parents brushed off her
obsessive, unusual behaviors and simply concluded these were typical quirky
artistic attributes. Katie earned both a bachelor's and an MFA from the
Maryland Institute College of Art. Forever feeling something was amiss; she
began self diagnosing and researching her symptoms on the Internet and
concluded that she just may have autism. It wasn’t until the age of 19 that she
was officially diagnosed with having Asperger’s Syndrome. Asperger’s falls
under the category of Autism Spectrum Disorder. This diagnosis is much rarer
than PDD or Social Communication Disorder. Asperger children are tremendously
academically gifted with an incredible eye for detail and excellent artistic,
music, and math capabilities. This type of behavior typically becomes evident
by the age of 5 or 6. Repetitive behavior or obsessions may be the key to an AS
person’s gift for remembering minute, often overlooked details of objects or
favorite topics. They tend
to dwell on specific, specialized narrow
topics of interest. The difficulties in AS lie in the fact that social
interaction, empathy, and judging social or innuendo cues are often very
difficult, if not impossible for these folks. From what I know from experience,
AS children are actually very kind and social. They do not have the ability
though to “shoot the breeze” or engage in our social equivalent of “small
talk”. They tend to talk about their fascination du jour. It is usually a one sided discussion
because the AS individual does not realize the other participant’s need to
talk, nor do they properly decipher the other person’s body language or facial
expressions. As is common among many autistic children, Katie would tantrum or
throw a fit if her work was not done to her exact wishes or specifications and
expectations. Tantrums, rigidity, and lack of patience are classic symptoms or
behaviors in autism. It is not that these children do not wish to socialize;
they sadly do not know how, and eventually stop trying to create new
friendships due to years of rejection. This is an unfortunate defense
mechanism.
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| Katie Miller |
to dwell on specific, specialized narrow
topics of interest. The difficulties in AS lie in the fact that social
interaction, empathy, and judging social or innuendo cues are often very
difficult, if not impossible for these folks. From what I know from experience,
AS children are actually very kind and social. They do not have the ability
though to “shoot the breeze” or engage in our social equivalent of “small
talk”. They tend to talk about their fascination du jour. It is usually a one sided discussion
because the AS individual does not realize the other participant’s need to
talk, nor do they properly decipher the other person’s body language or facial
expressions. As is common among many autistic children, Katie would tantrum or
throw a fit if her work was not done to her exact wishes or specifications and
expectations. Tantrums, rigidity, and lack of patience are classic symptoms or
behaviors in autism. It is not that these children do not wish to socialize;
they sadly do not know how, and eventually stop trying to create new
friendships due to years of rejection. This is an unfortunate defense
mechanism. |
| "Baby, Baby, Baby", Katie Miller, Oil on Linen. |
Approximately 80% of the
population diagnosed with autism is male. Females are often misdiagnosed or
their symptoms are simply overlooked. My daughter, for instance, is often
the only girl in her special education classes or therapeutic and socialization
play groups. “Girls are better at overcompensating for their autism, perhaps
because they usually have better communication skills or because the drive for
social conformity is more pronounced for them,” explains Simon Baron-Cohen,
director of the Autism Research Center at Cambridge University. If the name
sounds familiar, yes he is a relation to British comedian Sacha Baron-Cohen of
Borat and Bruno fame! Katie is a very beautiful and talented young woman. One
would never guess that she is diagnosed with AS. Her looks and funky, cool
personal style beg to differ. Due to her psychological condition, the concept
of meeting new friends or dating remains an elusive mystery.
Her love of babies
and attention to detail to their tiny little bodies pushed her to hound her
friends and family to allow her to photograph their newborns so she could
create some of her signature lifelike paintings. The attention to detail in
these paintings is nothing short of extraordinary. Only after close observation
can the onlooker determine that these are indeed paintings and not photographs.
Her persistence and dedication to her artwork has led to intense marathon
painting sessions which go all throughout the day and night. She stated that
she has become so extremely focused that she doesn't realize that she is even hungry.
She has resolved to posting notes on the walls to remind herself to grab a bite
to eat or go to the bathroom. Katie has become an intensely demonstrative
advocate for the “neurodiversity” movement which insists that autism is not a
disease to be cured but rather an alternative form of language or a different
approach of deciphering things. She believes that autistic-like symptoms should
not be “treated” but nurtured and encouraged. I was first introduced to
Katie through an article in the February 2012 edition of Marie Claire magazine.
I passed through the article several times and admired her artwork without ever
realizing that these extraordinary pieces of edgy pop art were paintings, much
less rendered by an autistic artist. At first glance I was convinced that the
paintings were actually photographs. Katie states that she definitely owes her
expertise in painting to a lifetime of focus and acknowledges that she notices
unusual things about shape, color, and pattern that most people would not. After
reading the article I was shocked to see such style and exuberance exhibited by
a person with Asperger’s! At first glance of Katie and her amazing, hip, and
whimsical style, one would assume that this girl would be a darling among fashionable
art circles with an abundance of friends and a thriving active
social life.
She admits that meeting people, something that is second nature to most people, is a mystery and seems like “magic” to her. She feels that many people would not be able to understand her idiosyncrasies. She is undoubtedly sensitive to overstimulation, which will often trigger a stimming effect. ”Stimming” is short terminology for “self stimulation”. Autistic folks will often stim when they feel over stimulated. Katie's stimming, for example, consists of humming or rocking back and forth. Crowds, loud music, even unappealing smells can induce crying, anxiety, or even vomiting. She will often preemptively dodge such scenarios by sporting large construction worker type headphones. She frequently has in her possession a piece of blue heavily jasmine scented or perfumed fabric to combat pungent odors. Even prolonged eye contact will make Katie feel incredibly uncomfortable; therefore she keeps a soft plastic dinosaur on hand and several other “stim toys” so she can retain focus by actively squeezing on them (Marie Claire, 2012). Katie has now seemed to graduate on to toddlers rather than infant subjects. These toddler images, innocent, defenseless, and young, oddly are depicted with alluring adult characteristics. After an observation of one of her creations, Katie ultimately came to the realization, that there is a convincingly direct correlation between herself and the beautiful little children in her paintings.
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| "Naked Babies on a Furry Coat", Katie Miller, Oil on Linen. |
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| "Portrait of Duke, Pacifier Punk", Katie Miller, Oil on Panel |
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| "Kitty Lil's Fresh Catch", Katie Miller, Oil on Panel |
She admits that meeting people, something that is second nature to most people, is a mystery and seems like “magic” to her. She feels that many people would not be able to understand her idiosyncrasies. She is undoubtedly sensitive to overstimulation, which will often trigger a stimming effect. ”Stimming” is short terminology for “self stimulation”. Autistic folks will often stim when they feel over stimulated. Katie's stimming, for example, consists of humming or rocking back and forth. Crowds, loud music, even unappealing smells can induce crying, anxiety, or even vomiting. She will often preemptively dodge such scenarios by sporting large construction worker type headphones. She frequently has in her possession a piece of blue heavily jasmine scented or perfumed fabric to combat pungent odors. Even prolonged eye contact will make Katie feel incredibly uncomfortable; therefore she keeps a soft plastic dinosaur on hand and several other “stim toys” so she can retain focus by actively squeezing on them (Marie Claire, 2012). Katie has now seemed to graduate on to toddlers rather than infant subjects. These toddler images, innocent, defenseless, and young, oddly are depicted with alluring adult characteristics. After an observation of one of her creations, Katie ultimately came to the realization, that there is a convincingly direct correlation between herself and the beautiful little children in her paintings.
Donna Williams
Donna Williams is a world renowned autistic artist,
author, composer and screenwriter. Born in 1960, to a wayward, broken, unstable family in Australia, at a time when
autistic
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| Donna Williams |
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| "Painting", Donna Williams, Acrylic on Canvas |
She had to learn how to effectively navigate through both, the world of autism and the brutal world of the streets. At the age of 18 a trusted
psychiatrist and social
worker assisted her in going back to school. She went from being illiterate
to a college graduate with a degree in linguistics, an honors degree in
sociology, and earning a post graduate diploma of education as a certified teacher. At the age of 24 she
wrote her first book titled Nobody Nowhere. This was the first of her 10 published books. In this
internationally best-selling book , Donna comes to describe a confused life growing up with autism. She states, “The
manuscript was the one place where my utterly
patchwork sense of self, my jumbled jigsaw mind, my straight
jacketed emotions, my mosaic roller coaster life came together as one tangible whole embodied in a
collection of paper”. She questions the point of living
in a shallow world where most people are obsessed with appearances and would
expect her to be an empty puppet or a façade of herself, and strives to find a deeper meaning in life. Many of her paintings mirror the feelings depicted in this book, featuring faceless, lost, innocent children.
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| "The Wall", Donna Williams, Acrylic on Paper |
As a child Donna loved to paint and was inflicted with what she called “exposure anxiety”, where she was much too nervous to show anybody her talents. She did not want anybody to know what it was like inhabiting her world. It wasn't until her 30s that her painting really took off. Painting and sculpting really has given her the freedom to express herself and experience true peace and spirituality. Donna has also written four autobiographies and four textbooks. In 1996 she became an autism consultant. Over the years she has worked one-on-one with over 1000 families and adults. (Williams, 2012).
Conclusion
I had always suspected that art therapy played an
integral part in my own children's quest in adapting within the ”normal” world. After performing this
research, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that art therapy is truly essential in aiding an autistic child or
adult to break out of their shell. I am not so sure that any other mode of therapy is actually quite as effective.
I have observed when children realize that they have no other option than to rely solely upon the aid of
others, they must look within themselves. This is the greatest gift a caretaker can give to a child with
autism. The results of these epiphanies of self-reliance are often incredibly extraordinary! I shudder to think where such folks as
Stephen, Katie, and Donna would be at this very moment now in their lives if
art was never introduced; quite frankly, anyone of them could have been institutionalized for all of
their lives and locked within themselves forever. We may have never been granted the opportunity to enjoy these
special gifts they have so generously chosen to share with all of us.
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