Success, Failures, and Methods of Teaching Art to Students with Autism Kristin Kowalski Summit Academy Elementary K-8 Art Teacher Toledo Ohio.

Success, Failures, and Methods of Teaching Art to Students with

Autism

Kristin KowalskiSummit Academy Elementary

K-8 Art Teacher Toledo Ohio

Topics • Pre-Assessment• Growth and Development may be slow, but its

worth it: Patience • Diversified Instruction to Keep students Motivated

and Focused• STRUCTURE:

Classroom and lesson Structure• Understand the Students Sensory Needs• Methods for Motor Skill Development• Try to understand their thought process before

discounting or blaming on behavior • There could be a hidden talent that can be

embraced• Adapt the classroom environment for success• Fixations: Battling Them and Embracing Them

Pre-Assessment

Growth and Development may be slow, but its worth it: Patience

Stories of James

James

• 8years old• 4th year at the school• Sensory needs• Will have huge fits it made to do work that

he doesn’t want to do.• Very affectionate • Very dramatic • Speech problems

James 1

The paper Mache disaster

Diversified Instruction to Keep students

Motivated and Focused

Donavon and Amelia • 8 years old• 2nd year at the school• Difficulty staying on task • Obsessive actions • Daydreams continuously• Struggles with retaining

lesson information • Comes from an abusive

home environment • Struggles with social

skills• Skilled drawer

• 8 years old• 2nd year at the school• Difficulty staying on

task• Very imaginative,

struggles with separating reality from imagination

• Obsessive actions • Above average

academically• Struggles with social

skills

Stories

Smart Board Interactive Activities

•Handouts•Redirection

•Games•Stencils

STRUCTURE:Classroom and Lesson

Structure

• Lesson Structure • Material Preparation • “Show me you are ready for art

today” • Seat Assignment (Relation to

other student and stimulus)• Classroom routine • “My Friends”, voice tone • Control of Behavior • Alternative options for lesson

Eli

• 10 years old • 1st year at the school• Very energetic• Above grade level academically• Seeks continuous reinforcement • Detailed oriented with art projects• Remembers all information about

concepts and history.

Understand the Students Sensory

Needs

• Plan for the meltdown and try to avoid it.

• Talk to teachers • Discuss the experience prior to the art

making• Creative ways for dealing with sensory

challenging materials. • Alternatives• “Its all how you word it”

Kevin• 13 Years old • 6th year at the school 4th year as my

student • Delayed Cognition • Very personable • Lack Motivation• Multiple sensory issues in art:

Construction paper, Styrofoam, cotton balls or anything fuzzy.

• Loves Painting

James 2

I Killed My Fish

Methods for Motor Skill

Development

Logan

• 6 years old• 2nd year at the school• Verbally echoes • Delayed Cognition • When he started school:

-Couldn’t render letters-Verbally very limited-Only scribbled and pounded drawing materials-10 minute maximum attention span in class-Couldn’t retain any lesson information-Made continuous noise and hand gestures

January 1st year

Beginning of 2nd year

2nd year September

October 2nd Year

November 2nd Year

2nd Year November

December 2nd Year

2nd Year December

2nd Year January

Try to understand their thought process before discounting or blaming

on behavior

Jonathon

• 9 years old• 2nd year at the school• Verbally repetitive • Can not identify feelings • Refuses to complete work or tasks

often• Can not relate to peers• Defiant behaviors

There could be a hidden talent that can be embraced

Mo• 12 years old • 2 years attending with a year

between at a different school• Minimal verbal skills• Very short attention span• Imaginary word distracts from most

school activities, art discussions and demonstrations.

• Loves to draw from cartoons and video games.

James 3

Tints and Shades

Adapt the classroom environment for

success

Demetrius

• Not diagnosed due family not wanting special education services

• 2nd year at the school• See imaginary objects and talks to

them• Can not focus of academics • Yells out unrelated topic frequently• Has multiple fixations• Behavioral problems

1st year

1st year

1st year

September 2nd year

October 2nd year

2nd year November

2nd year January

Fixations: Battling Them and

Embracing Them

James 4

Even spilled ink is an artistic experience

•Laugh •Relax

•Love them

Kristin Kowalski

kkowalski@bex.net(614)260-4891