How to Teach Art to Disabled Children
Many disabled students struggle to engage in the free thinking necessary for success in the field of art. While these students struggle, with additional instruction they can experience success in creative fields. As an art teacher, you will likely encounter students with disabilities throughout your career. By working closely with the student and providing specialized lessons, you can help the student experience the joy of success and the thrill of artistic creation.
Instructions
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Learn the child's strengths and weaknesses. Each disabled child has his own unique strengths and weaknesses. Before you can successfully plan art lessons for the child, you must understand what he can and cannot do. Look through his records and talk with his previous teachers to learn about the student.
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Modify general art lessons to fit the student's abilities. If the student's disability is not too severe, you may be able to modify the standard art lessons that you present to the rest of the class with some minor changes. If possible, give the child the same assignments, but require less written work or provide more hands-on assistance.
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Select lessons specifically for the student. If the student's disability precludes her from being able to complete the general art projects, create new assignments for her. Try to create assignments that focus on the same skills or artistic periods so that the student receives the same art information as her peers. Consider art lessons for lower grades, as these may represent the disabled student's level.
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Break the process into steps. Many disabled students become overwhelmed when presented with too much information or asked to do too many things at one time. To ease the student's frustration, create steps for the student to follow. Present him with one step at a time so that he can complete one task before turning his attention to another.
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Be flexible. If you try a lesson and it does not work, it is not a reflection on you as a teacher. Properly accommodating a disabled student requires flexibility and experimentation. Be willing to change plans if the initial ideas prove to be unsuccessful.
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Provide examples. Make it easier for the student to understand what she is being asked to do by providing her with examples. You can use successful examples from past students, examples that you created or works of established artists.
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Praise the student's abilities. Allow the disabled student to feel the joy of success by continually pointing out how well he is doing in improving his artistic abilities. As you lavish praise, the child will think more highly of his abilities and work more diligently on improving his skill.
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Record anecdotal notes about the child's progress. By jotting down notes about what the child has learned in your class, you create a record that you can refer back to when necessary, and you provide her future teacher with a reference to consult when planning her future art lessons.
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