Art Therapy Activities for Autistic Children

Written by:  AlyssaAst • Edited by: Beth Taylor
Updated Mar 1, 2010
• Related Guides: Autistic Children | Autism

Teaching autistic children is often a difficult task. Art therapy has shown to benefit autistic children. There are many art therapy activities for autistic children to help them learn.

A form of expressive therapy has shown to have numerous positive results in teaching autistic children social responses. The benefits of art therapy, can allow autistic children to express themselves through art work. There are many activities for autistic children to do with art therapy.

Art Therapy

Art therapy has shown to help autistic children develop their social skills with art work. Art therapy involves letting children express themselves with different types of art materials such as, clay and paints. Art therapy has shown to help these children create visual representations of their emotions.

Numerous benefits can be produced from art therapy. It can increase a child’s self awareness and help them develop their social skills. This form of therapy has shown to be beneficial with changing a child’s behavior and allow them to learn to stay focused on tasks. Art therapy can help a child develop problem solving strategies and creative thinking.

Finger Painting

Finger painting is a great activity that allows autistic children to express themselves through art. For this project, all you need is a few finger paints and a large piece of poster board. Children can easily express their emotions with the paint and have fun getting a little messy in the process. After their art work is complete, proudly display it around the classroom.

Clay Sculptures

Another fun art project for autistic children is creating clay sculptures. This is an easy project for them to express their creativity. Let them use their imagination to create a sculpture, or find an object for them to look at and recreate. Great objects for children to try and recreate are toy trucks, a bowl of fruit, or their favorite animal.

Sponge Painting

Sponge painting is another great activity to allow children to express their feelings. You can find fun sponge cut outs in many different shapes and objects. On a few paper plates, lay our different colors for the children to choose from. Let children choose which fun sponge shapes they wish to use, and then paint on a big piece of poster board.

The benefits of art therapy have shown to help autistic children learn to express their emotions. You can find more information of autism at the Autism Society. The Autism Society has information about the latest techniques to teach autistic children.

Additional Resources

Art Therapy With Children on the Autistic Spectrum: Beyond Words

Creative Therapy for Children With Autism, ADD, and Asperger


 
blog comments powered by Disqus
FEATURED AUTHORS
Terry Ligard Barbara Cheryl Gabbert Christina Marcum Cavalier
Nicki H Sarah Malburg tracedreyer Jan Young
Email to a friend