By Subhashini Prabhaker | Project Leader
Expressive Art Therapy workshop was conducted for the children of Special Education Unit at SAMADHAN, Dakshinpuri Centre on 12th July 2017 by Atreyu Samuel Balasundaram along with Ms. Aparna Samuel Balasundaram. Atreyu is a science student of grade 12th and Volunteer at SAMADHAN. He is the grandson of Mrs. Pramila Balasundaram (Founder of SAMADHAN).
Atreyu with his interaction from early years with SAMADHAN, has developed a keen personal and professional interest in the Special Needs/Intellectual Disability space and a mission is to learn, grow and work in this field, from a neuroscience perspective. Ms. Aparna Samuel Balasundaram is a Psychotherapist and Chief Service Officer, Light house organisation, New Delhi.
Art therapy has been used as an effective therapeutic tool with special need children. Expressing through art, involves different motor, somatosensory, visual, emotional, and cognitive aspects of information processing with the activation of the corresponding neurophysiological processes and brain structures.[Lusebrink,,2004]. Using art allows for an alternate means of communication and self-expression and also provides us with another avenue into the inner world, emotions, thought patterns and workings of a special needs person that might be inhibited in the ways they can assimilate, share and communicate.
The session was on ART and my FEELINGS. It focussed on - “what makes me angry and what makes me happy”. The resource persons used visual aids (on the computer) to show the children faces that depicted anger and happiness. Then asked them about what made them feel angry/happy. With the help of the teachers, the resource persons attempted to communicate with the children. With the use of visual aids and demonstrating [role modelling] of facial expression, the children drew on the paper using colours of their choice. It has been observed that three of the children could comprehend and express through art in the workshop. The children had great fun with colours and enjoyed the session.
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