Hands-On Art Camp for Children with Autism

Over the past week I've been helping with the Hands-On Art Camp for Children with Autism.  DMA educator Amanda Blake and autism specialist Dr. Stacy Calloway taught the camp, and various helpers joined us throughout the week.  There were eight kids in the camp, and many of them benefitted from having one-on-one help in the galleries and while making art.

Amanda Blake leads discussion about Japanese screens depicting the Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup.

Helping with this camp taught me a lot about working with kids with autism.  Each day started out with everyone sitting on a carpet and going over the schedule for the day.  The teachers always had small cards with a picture of a quiet face on them to hand to students if they needed a reminder to be better listeners.  Activities were clearly divided into separate time slots in case students needed to compartmentalize their work.  And while it was difficult to plan this, the teachers tried to make sure we weren't in the galleries when they were very busy and loud, as many people with autism have sensitivity to noise.  The studio also had a quiet space with blocks, squishy balls for fidgety hands, and a quilt to help absorb sound.

The DMA FAST cluster has been focusing on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in their teaching, and I think many of the lessons I learned during this camp could be applied to camps and teaching for all children.  Implementing clear order and structure to any lesson and having non-disruptive ways to keep kids on track would work with any group.  (Maybe I should do another post about UDL, as I think it will be in the front of my brain when I work on any educational material.)

Amanda teaches students about Jasper John's Device while campers try out the hands-on copy of the piece.

The most rewarding part of helping with this program was watching each child's personality come out.  One incredibly sweet kid thrived when given a task and completing it.  He was the first student to learn the words to their art songs, the first one to sit down on the green carpet for quiet time, and the first kid to raise a quiet hand to answer a question during gallery visits.  Because he was so well behaved and so high functioning - and therefore did not require one-on-one help like some of the other kids - I tried to make sure to give him a high five and let him know how proud we were that he was setting such a good example.  Another child had a few problems with his medication, but once I got him to stop panicking when he felt like he was getting hyper we channelled his energy into making an incredibly complex collage.  He was super happy with the project, and during parent presentations on the last day he told everyone that it was his favorite artwork that he made.

Campers paint canvases while jamming out to Pharrell Williams's Happy.

The most challenging part of helping with this camp was determining how best to help each student.  As they were at camp to learn and participate in the group, it was a priority to keep them on task and socializing with their fellow campers.  However, there were many times when the kids reacted strongly against noises (particularly when we were learning songs in the echo-y galleries), had problems keeping quiet bodies and voices while having group conversations, and were agitated knowing that their parents were staying in the museum while camp was going on.  Since I didn't know their individual needs and limits, I had difficulty determining when a kid was just antsy and when he or she needed some time away to cope with the situation.  By the end of camp I had a better idea of how to keep each kid engaged, which came in handy during the final presentation for the parents.

A camper and I examine an African mask to find cowry shells.

One of the aspects that surprised me the most was realizing how much support it takes to make a program like this successful.  Amanda and the education staff clearly put a lot of time and resources into developing programs for kids with autism, and much of what they do is innovative and experimental.  This takes a lot of energy and doesn't always guarantee that the first time the program runs it will go smoothly.  It also takes support from the museum leadership - the education director, the director of the museum, and the board - to continue allocating funds for these programs.  But the network of support extends further.  In the community, Dr. Stacy and students from occupational therapy programs in the area help develop the lesson plans and teach interns like me through example.  And that families continue to participate in camps and events is really a testament to the impact of all of these efforts.

I could not be happier about the time I spent assisting with this camp.  This was an ideal environment for learning from two talented educators how best to work with kids with autism, and seeing the kids' energetic and enthusiastic responses to seeing and making art reaffirmed my love for art education.