The journey of an art therapist turned education technology expert
NBC is airing a profile of David Finch, on Rock Center with Brian Williams tonight at 10 p.m. Eastern / 9 p.m. Central. The ten-minute segment will relate his success story with Asperger’s Syndrome, marriage, and fatherhood.
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Check out this creative by the Autistic writer Julia Bascom about abuse, sensory differences and therapy:
“In a classroom of language-impaired kids, the most common phrase is a metaphor.
“Quiet hands!”
A student pushes at a piece of paper, flaps their hands, stacks their fingers against their palm, pokes at a pencil, rubs their palms through their hair. It’s silent, until:
“Quiet hands!”
I’ve yet to meet a student who didn’t instinctively know to pull back and put their hands in their lap at this order. Thanks to applied behavioral analysis, each student learned this phrase in preschool at the latest, hands slapped down and held to a table or at their sides for a count of three until they learned to restrain themselves at the words.
The literal meaning of the words is irrelevant when you’re being abused.”
Check out this video where Alvin Roy is interviewed about his work teaching art to developmentally disabled teens and adults.
Parent, Doctor Swear by Art Therapy for Special-Needs Kids: MyFoxHOUSTON.com
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Interview with artist Pum Dunbar, from Project Ability:
“I have Asperger’s and I painted for a number of years in the Project Ability studios, which provided me with materials and a safe space where I could paint. Later in 2000 I began training as an art therapist but I didn’t complete my training, because after two years I discovered that it didn’t matter how proficient I was at understanding the landscape of psychotherapy, I needed to understand myself and learn how to have real relationships with myself, the world and others.”
To learn more about Project Ability in Glasgow, check out their website here
I recenlty listened to a telephone seminar by Karyn Harvey, PhD, regarding positive identity development with people with intellectual disabilities. Based on positive psychology (the work of Seligman) and Erikson, Karyn offers a wonderful treatment meathod that can easily be meshed into the Recovery Model, as well as more “traditional” models used with DD clients, such as the Behavioral Model.
In her seminar, Karyn spoke briefly about her book, Positive Identity Development: An alternative treatment approach for individuals with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities, published through the NADD. She also offers free downloadable worksheets, which are excellent. Here are the topics available:
Check out this slide show offered by Discover Magazine.
Also, here’s a link to the book by Jill Mullin—the inspiration for the slide show.
Creativity Explored, a non profit located in San Francisco, is a studio for developmentally disabled artists. The artists are taught by other professional artists, and their work is sold in the Creativity Explored galley, as well as during art exhibitions.
It’s a wonderful place to visit and the artwork is stunning. In fact, some of the artwork has been purchased by CB2, a furniture company, and is currently for sale on pillows and handbags. A percentage of each of these three items sold will go directly to Creativity Explored…how much of a percentage, I don’t know.
You can also purchase artwork and related Creativity Explored products online. According to the webiste, 50% of the procedes go directly to the artist. The other half, I’m assuming, goes back into the non profit organization itself.
A new film, Autistic Kids with Cameras by Alex Rotaru will be available in the near future for purchase. View the trailer below.
Last week I had the privilege of attending a small DBT training by Julie Brown LICSW hosted by Telecare, the company I work for. WOW is she a dynamic speaker! She systematically broke down and explained DBT theory in a clear, concise and accessible way- something that tends to be rare with DBT trainings.
Julie has extensive experience as a DBT trainer and works in an outpatient environment with people who are developmentally disabled. She is in the process of coming out with a book through the Guilford Press where she relates DBT to the treatment of individuals who are developmentally disabled. I anticipate this will be a fabulous book and one that will become a much needed resource, since I find it difficult to wrap my mind around discussing things like “wise mind”, a complex and dynamic concept, in a concrete way. Julie has not titled her book yet, nor does she know when it will hit the shelves, but this has been 10 years in the making, is scientifically grounded and should make anyone’s “must read” list who works with developmentally disabled people.
Lastly, I couldn’t help but blurt out towards the end of the training how the creative arts in therapies are extremely useful in solidifying DBT ideas and that because of the inherent mindfulness in being creative, art + DBT mesh together almost effortlessly. I was pleasantly surprised by all the nodding heads and smiles from the attendees, as well as Julie’s positive response to my comment. Maybe it’s a west coast thing, but it seems that people are so welcoming of the CATs here.