Children with special needs handle the
world differently from others. Engaging
in art activities can help a child with
special needs work on physical conditions,
emotional challenges, and behavioral conditions.
It is also meant to allow the child
to express themselves on their own terms.
Engaging in any kind of art leads to increased
motor skills, improved focus and a
better mood. Allowing a child to engage in
art-based activities helps facilitate positive
changes in all aspects of their development
and is one of the reasons MOSI focuses on
STEAM curriculum, not just STEM.
Exploring deeper, art impacts the neurological
system, as the artistic materials being
used are seen as a form of intervention. Art
as a form of therapeutic intervention can
present stressors and challenges as a child
with special needs learns how to manipulate
the material, having to sustain attention
and focus and how to deal with frustration.
This is incredibly beneficial because it helps
the child “unlearn” a behavior that has
previously been associated with a negative
emotion or situation and replaces it with
positive change and behaviors (Dalien,
Special Ed Resources).
Art allows for various sensory experiences
which are meant to be positive. Allowing
children to be creative provides opportunities
to express thoughts and emotions,
which are particularly difficult for children
with disabilities. Art activities are frequently
used in therapies such as Occupational
Therapy. “Children love to use paints,
markers, chalk and create pictures. We
are able to improve their fine motor skills,
motor planning skills an social interaction
skills through the use of art” states Kim
Lamke, Occupational Therapist and owner
of Believe It and Achieve It. Art facilitates
an environment of relaxation, allowing for
a sense of accomplishment in a world full
of frustrations.
To find out more about MOSI and their
inclusion efforts, go to MOSI.org or call
813-987-6000.
Tampa Bay — Summer/Fall 2019 5
/MOSI.org
