Take A Creative Approach To Dealing With Learning Disabilities
Children who struggle academically due to a
learning disability are, by definition, in possession of average or above
average intelligence. Their disability doesn’t mean that they cannot learn,
only that traditional teaching methods have not reached them. Gardener’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences
describes differential ways of learning. There are people who take in
information auditorily, visually, or by performing physically. There are people
who learn best from books, or from interacting with others. By exploiting these
multiple avenues of access, educational goals become more attainable. We have
to tailor the approach, to the individual strengths and weaknesses of the particular
child. Children with learning disabilities often struggle in the classroom.
This can damage their self-esteem and lower their expectations for academic
success. But kids with disabilities such as autism, dyslexia, and attention
difficulties are frequently inventive, creative, and very intelligent. They can
flourish, if their instructors are willing to think outside the box.
Using The
Arts In Education:
Music therapy, in the form of music instruction,
dance, or learning to play an instrument, can improve academic performance in
students with learning difficulties. Studies demonstrate Improvements in
communication skills and behavioral outcomes, along with an elevated mood and
sense of self worth, among participants receiving music education. The art of dance teaches mathematical skill, integrating
emotional and cognitive development. It can help them to express emotional
states, and address concentration, aggression, and conflict behaviors.
Performing in plays can help remediate social language skills and helps
autistic students develop theory of mind and increased empathy. Creating visual
works of art, in the mediums of paint and clay sculpting, can improve dexterity
and reinforces math and spatial skills. Art therapy can allow nonverbal
children, or children with communication difficulties, to find new methods of
self expression and actualization.
The
Practical Arts:
Making handicrafts allows children to experiment
with texture, color, and arrangement, and reinforces spatial understanding.
Creating something beautiful brings with it a sense of real accomplishment that
restores self-esteem and a sense of autonomy and independence. Visual and
kinesthetic learners, who struggle with academic concepts in traditional
educational approaches may benefit from a more hands-on, directed method such
as making something with their own hands. Sewing, knitting, and crochet are
practical life skills that allow personal creative expression that will benefit
the student for the rest of their life. Sewing, and the other activities, can
be frustrating if you don’t have a good starting point of resources. Fortunately
there is help online, such as this list from HomeAdvisor. In the same vein,
classes in cooking and preparing food
teach self-reliance and creative expression, while improving manual dexterity
and skill level. By focusing on a child’s particular interests, and targeting
the ways in which they learn and retain information, we can meet their
educational needs while encouraging their creativity.
Utilizing the arts for therapeutic and
educational interventions benefits students with learning disabilities
by allowing differential access to learning, according to each child’s
individual talents. The acquisition of skills and expression of creative
impulse enhances self confidence and self-worth, and can even yield practical
applications that help guide the student towards greater personal autonomy and
sense of self. Academically speaking, such strategies improve hand-eye
coordination, dexterity, physical spatial sense, mathematical and communication abilities. But arts
education in the US is in a time of crisis, with budget cuts targeting music, art, and drama
across the country. Home economics and shop left in the eighties, depriving our
students of many hands-on learning experiences and the opportunity to enjoy the
act of creating something meaningful with their own hands. We owe our children
the opportunity to learn by self-expression. We need arts instruction, so that
all our students may benefit from its advantages. For children who have trouble
learning in a classroom setting, such instruction is more than helpful, it is
absolutely necessary.
Thanks to guest blogger Lillian Brooks
lillian@learningdisabilities.
LearningDisabilities.info was created to offer information and understanding to parents of children with learning disabilities, as well as adults who are in need of continued support to succeed
LearningDisabilities.info was created to offer information and understanding to parents of children with learning disabilities, as well as adults who are in need of continued support to succeed
