So the blog has been very quiet for a while. Apologies! Big transitions at work - my clinic is moving - and I broke my leg. I've been out of commission but I'm hoping to get back on track.
Am reading a great book right now: "The Girl Who Spoke with Pictures: Autism through Art"
Do any of your daughters / clients / students express themselves creatively? How have you been able to encourage this?
Hi Shana,
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry about your leg!! Just happened to be going through the daily search of my book and found your blog. Kim says she hopes your leg gets better real soon.
Take care,
Eileen Miller
I broke my left ankle and fibula January '07. I had to stay off it and keep it elevated for 2 months. Surgery and therapy was not fun, but I got through it ok. I hope your recovery is shorter and easier than I had.
ReplyDeleteTheresa
Just found your blog and am looking forward to reading your book. Sorry about your leg!
ReplyDeleteMy dd with AS is a wonderful artist. Her art is very realistic and detailed, rather than interpretive--though lately she's been expanding on that.
She is 17, and has always been encouraged to express herself through art. I remember taping huge sheets of paper to the walls and tables when she was a toddler so she could play with markers and crayons. When the weather was nice we used water and chalk outdoors. We did lots of finger and easel painting, too. Art was always available to her, and messiness was never an issue.
My dd attended school for awhile, and though I was intially impressed with the elementary art teacher, I learned after we left school to homeschool that my dd had not enjoyed art there because "there was never enough time" and "the teacher always touched up the work."
Once we started homeschooling we were free to experiment with nature journaling, collage, pottery, crafts, community art classes, etc. etc. etc. Her talents took off from there. I remember many field trips to the zoo and art museums, for example, where we sat on a bench and sketched for hours. Sometimes college students from the local art school would stop by and comment on her work!
I think the most encouragement you can give a budding artist is freedom. Freedom with time and materials. Freedom to experiment at will. Freedom to create without too much intervention and "well-intended" direction. Freedom to let her true self shine through.
Hi Shana,
ReplyDeleteMy 13 yr old daughter has always had a lot of stories going on in her head... usually fan-fiction based on characters from her favorite video games. I've tried to encourage her to write her stories down, but for the most part she speaks them to herself while pacing around the house (or classroom at school). Pacing and talking to herself about Sonic the Hedgehog... yeah, a bit of a socially odd behavior.
Anyway, recently, she's been spending hours drawing and coloring the characters that she has created. I believe that her goal is to scan them into the computer and then creating some kind of flash animation movie using them. We'll see how it goes!
Thanks everyone for your well wishes! My leg is healing and things are beginning to slow down with the transition at work. What is everyone planning for their daughters for the summer?
ReplyDelete