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Children with special needs have a multitude of difficulties and problems but tend to struggle with one major thing, being able to express themselves.They tend not to be able to write clearly, if at all, and so some expression is needed. The pictures can be vague and even unrecognisable as long as the child knows what his intention was. The splodge on the page might look like nothing on earth but if the child can say what it was or what it represents then that's what is needed, even if they cant communicate what the picture is they have made an expression. The wild slashing of a paint brush or kneading of some play dough may look like its done as pure messing or born from anger but it is something that has come from the child, most importantly they have seen what they have done.

An important act for the teacher is to appreciate the effort made , only complain if its below the usual standards of the child or if they obviously didn't make the maximum effort. If they tell you what the picture represents to them then go with it, be careful not to second guess too much as you may upset the child if you guess wrongly. It helps if you are working to a theme and the child is trying to create a certain image with the materials. Its also critical to see if there are any messages hidden in the picture that are worrying. There could be problems in the family or at school that the child is trying to express that they do through art. This wont always happen but is a possibility.

Special needs with extreme problems may be able to make a degree of effort, no matter how physically or mentally restricted they are. With the right materials and the right supervision the child can get messy, paint with their feet or basically do whatever they need to. As with all special needs education try and combine as many subjects together as possible. If you are doing writing on a subject try and add art to the mix. If for example the writing and talking is about animals then after try drawing or making an animal. The combination can then be used together for future work and display, this is important for a childs esteem when they see their work on display where others can see. Anything that encourage a special needs child to work again and to work harder is always a plus and will make teaching easier.

Learn more about this author, Ashley Smith.
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