Adapting Art Education for Exceptional Children

Henley, David R., School Arts

A current theory in art education calls for the teaching of studio art in concert with the disciplines of art history, criticism and aesthetics. Each of these areas can have an enriching effect upon a child's learning experience and artistic development. However, for the child with physical, mental or emotional special needs, the introduction of academic material into the studio experience carries with it serious implications. In recent years, studio art has been widely called upon to be the first (and sometimes only) opportunity for the special needs child to be mainstreamed into regular classes. Art is widely regarded as a more "forgiving" subject in which successes can be achieved despite a child's other deficits.

With some modifications in lesson structure, or adaptations of media or techniques, exceptional children have been able to reap the rewards of being in a mainstreamed environment. These rewards include access to more normative peers, greater educational challenges, lessening of social stigmas and increased opportunities to …

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Publication information: Article title: Adapting Art Education for Exceptional Children. Contributors: Henley, David R. - Author. Magazine title: School Arts. Volume: 90. Issue: 4 Publication date: December 1990. Page number: 18+. © 1999 Davis Publications, Inc. COPYRIGHT 1990 Gale Group.

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