If you have an autistic child, or you teach children with autism, you may be looking for a way to positively stimulate their minds and enhance their basic learning skills. Teaching them art can do that, because the design, color, form and texture visually stimulates the child, and art techniques encourage fine and gross motor skills. In addition, creating art can have a meditative, calming effect that is especially useful for children who get easily stressed.
General Guidelines
Step 1
Choose art projects that focus on sensory activity, such as using the hands. They ideally can easily be done in a short session, or completed over several sessions, so you are not battling against the child's attention span and frustrating him.
Step 2
Break down your art project into simple, easy steps that the child can understand and do. Each step shouldn't take longer than about five minutes to do, and then the project should be able to be stored or left alone until the next time.
Step 3
Stand by while the child works on the project and be willing to step in if needed, but resist the urge to help him too much, or have a caregiver watch over every move. Having the child go through the creative process on his own, even if it doesn't get completed, is more valuable than having an adult do it for him.
Finger Painting
Step 1
Draw or print out a picture that has faint or blurred outlines, rather than sharp black lines as in a coloring book. If using a computer, you can use a blur or spray paint feature in a program, such as Paint, to go over the lines, or you can make them a light grey. This allows the child to have some inspiration, but still create without strict boundaries.
Step 2
Give the child some different colored finger paints, and show her how to apply the paint to the paper with her fingers.
Step 3
Demonstrate how different colors can be created by mixing more than one, and then let her use her imagination.
Hand Printing
Step 1
Apply colored water-based paint to the child's hands.
Step 2
Provide a piece of paper, and allow him to stamp his hand prints on it. If you have a classroom full of children, consider using one large piece of paper and letting all the students put their hand prints on it. This large artwork showcases the theme of "togetherness" or "teamwork."
Step 3
In between and around the handprints, let the child put another element--perhaps a picture of himself, a family member or pet that you have already cut out, or let him draw or finger paint a shape or image that inspires him.
Tactile Collages
Step 1
Spread a glue stick on some paper, or use adhesive sticky-backed paper.
Step 2
Provide a variety of tactile elements, such as fabric, craft foam shapes, pom poms, feathers or sand, and let the child stick them to the paper however she likes.
Step 3
Punch two holes in the top edge of the paper and hang it on the wall or from the ceiling with colored yarn.
Crayon Resist
Step 1
Give the child a piece of paper and some crayons to draw or scribble a picture, abstract shapes or anything he wants.
Step 2
Provide a large, soft paintbrush and some colored watercolor paints. Show him how to paint gently over top of the crayon design.
Step 3
Encourage him to apply paints, in one or several colors, to his whole drawing. The paint will bead up and flow away from the crayon, allowing it to still show as the main feature of the artwork.
Things You'll Need
- Paper
- Finger paint or other water-based paint
- Paintbrushes
- Crayons
- Safety scissors
- Glue
- Collage elements (fabric, craft foam, pom poms, feathers, among other items)
