Painting with Feet
One topic I am strongly committed to is inclusive art. When my firstborn Alex was a toddler, this artist mama was extremely pumped to give him his first pack of crayons. When I was pregnant, I didn't really dream about what he'd look like or be when he grew up, I was just super pumped to put his first scribbles up on the fridge. I think all my preconceived notions of motherhood culminated in the expectation that we would do art projects together when he was little. Then he was born. He had Angelman Syndrome. His needs and abilities were not what I expected... I handed him his first crayon and a piece of paper. He bit the crayon in half. I modeled scribbling for him, and handed him another crayon. Same thing, he ate it. He was only interested in licking and chewing the crayons. Part of Alex's diagnosis is PICA, or the disorder in which a person eats things that are not food. His only interest at that age in ANY toy, was whether he could eat it/mouth it or not. He experienced everything through the sensation of what it felt like in his little pie hole. He had no interest in the functional purpose of his toys. I understood that, but for some reason, the crayon munching really deflated me. After a little pity party, I rallied and came up with a few new strategies that made it possible for us to do art together. It may not have been the conventional scribbles I expected, but it meant the world to me to create something with Alex.
I started with edible art projects so that I wouldn't have to fuss over the munching. We squished blueberries on paper. We made edible play dough. Epic fail. He put too much play dough in his mouth and nearly choked to death. Whep, lesson learned. That was very scary. Stick to berries. I got my first berry stained scribbles on the fridge, and Alex got to enjoy making a mess, which is to this day, one of his favorite things.
Over time I applied some ABA therapy basics. I ignored it when he put the "paint" in his mouth or anywhere but the page, and applauded any contact he made with the paper. After awhile, it worked. Alex is a big fan of applause. 7 years later, he can paint with real paint for the sake of painting, and does not mouth it! He'd much rather smear it ha!
Alex doesn't do "conceptual art," or "representational art," aka, a drawing of his dog or me or whatever. His is all about the process, like Jackson Pollock! So over the years my family has found ways to adapt and make art fun for everyone. The goal is not to have special art projects just for him, but to find projects that level the playing field. Projects that organically support any level of ability. Recently we had a blast painting with our feet in the yard. I got a big box out of the basement and opened it up so we had a giant surface to paint on. I squirted paint out on it, and we went to town. Alex isn't confident walking on slippery surfaces so we pulled up a chair. He sat down and painted with his feet. Little Lyra was sliding all over the place. The mess was epic, so was the fun. Then I hosed them down, which is probably Alex's favorite thing in the world. Win/win/win.
My tips for creating art with a developmentally disabled family member:
1. Let go of any conceptual expectations. Lots of folks think of art in terms of the final product. They expect a portrait, landscape, or an object to be represented. If their child can't accomplish that, they think they can't do art at all. Teachers will often reinforce that belief as well. I've received countless doodles drawn by the sweet professionals who accompanied Alex to his classes, because it was assumed he couldn't or didn't need to participate. While he may not be drawing conceptually, I'm not sure how on earth it helps him for someone else to draw it for him. Try thinking about art in terms of how it is made, instead of a product. Jackson Pollock painted with his emotions, he threw paint, dirt, or even thumb tacks onto his canvas! He wasn't interested in landscapes or neat lines. There are all kinds of artists in this world. The process does not discriminate, only our own expectations of the final result. Anyone can participate in the process. Think outside the box!
2. Start where your child is. You know your kiddo best. If they can't paint without eating it, try edible paint first, if they can participate without eating the supplies, but can't hold a brush with their hand, try finger painting, foot painting, etc.
3. Find a safe space. Don't set up an activity on your grandmother's heirloom dining table. Find a place where you can relax about the mess, so that you can enjoy the process too. If you fuss about clean up the whole time, it will not be successful. My dining table is a big paint pile at this point. I also don't really care about my dining table... If it were valuable or important to me, I'd find somewhere else! Outside is my personal favorite. Don't forget to consider clothing, an apron would not be enough for my son, I put him in an entire outfit that can get stained. For my typical daughter, an apron is good enough.
4. Celebrate the smallest victory. Every minute Alex paints is a minute longer than some professionals claim he can paint to this day. They aren't as invested as his mommy. I might wish a certain project could occupy him for 30 minutes, but his attention span is brief. I have to adjust my expectations to fit his abilities and celebrate that he participated at all. Every time we celebrate, he feels encouraged to keep trying. If I became a disappointed grump because the activity was short or small, it wouldn't do much to help future attempts.
5. Try choosing projects that will be fun for your whole family. Organically inclusive activities, in which there is no need to contrive anything special to include everyone, are ideal. Foot painting might be something Alex CAN do, but I picked it because it would be extremely fun for everyone. It's something everyone can do together worry-free, without accommodations, because all barriers for all parties involved have been removed. Another fun one we all like to do is photography. Alex loves to take pictures with his iPad. So does Lyra. Since she doesn't have an iPad, it's that much cooler to her to be able to take and view pictures with him.
Stay tuned I'll post more inclusive projects in the future!
I started with edible art projects so that I wouldn't have to fuss over the munching. We squished blueberries on paper. We made edible play dough. Epic fail. He put too much play dough in his mouth and nearly choked to death. Whep, lesson learned. That was very scary. Stick to berries. I got my first berry stained scribbles on the fridge, and Alex got to enjoy making a mess, which is to this day, one of his favorite things.
Over time I applied some ABA therapy basics. I ignored it when he put the "paint" in his mouth or anywhere but the page, and applauded any contact he made with the paper. After awhile, it worked. Alex is a big fan of applause. 7 years later, he can paint with real paint for the sake of painting, and does not mouth it! He'd much rather smear it ha!
Alex doesn't do "conceptual art," or "representational art," aka, a drawing of his dog or me or whatever. His is all about the process, like Jackson Pollock! So over the years my family has found ways to adapt and make art fun for everyone. The goal is not to have special art projects just for him, but to find projects that level the playing field. Projects that organically support any level of ability. Recently we had a blast painting with our feet in the yard. I got a big box out of the basement and opened it up so we had a giant surface to paint on. I squirted paint out on it, and we went to town. Alex isn't confident walking on slippery surfaces so we pulled up a chair. He sat down and painted with his feet. Little Lyra was sliding all over the place. The mess was epic, so was the fun. Then I hosed them down, which is probably Alex's favorite thing in the world. Win/win/win.
My tips for creating art with a developmentally disabled family member:
1. Let go of any conceptual expectations. Lots of folks think of art in terms of the final product. They expect a portrait, landscape, or an object to be represented. If their child can't accomplish that, they think they can't do art at all. Teachers will often reinforce that belief as well. I've received countless doodles drawn by the sweet professionals who accompanied Alex to his classes, because it was assumed he couldn't or didn't need to participate. While he may not be drawing conceptually, I'm not sure how on earth it helps him for someone else to draw it for him. Try thinking about art in terms of how it is made, instead of a product. Jackson Pollock painted with his emotions, he threw paint, dirt, or even thumb tacks onto his canvas! He wasn't interested in landscapes or neat lines. There are all kinds of artists in this world. The process does not discriminate, only our own expectations of the final result. Anyone can participate in the process. Think outside the box!
2. Start where your child is. You know your kiddo best. If they can't paint without eating it, try edible paint first, if they can participate without eating the supplies, but can't hold a brush with their hand, try finger painting, foot painting, etc.
3. Find a safe space. Don't set up an activity on your grandmother's heirloom dining table. Find a place where you can relax about the mess, so that you can enjoy the process too. If you fuss about clean up the whole time, it will not be successful. My dining table is a big paint pile at this point. I also don't really care about my dining table... If it were valuable or important to me, I'd find somewhere else! Outside is my personal favorite. Don't forget to consider clothing, an apron would not be enough for my son, I put him in an entire outfit that can get stained. For my typical daughter, an apron is good enough.
4. Celebrate the smallest victory. Every minute Alex paints is a minute longer than some professionals claim he can paint to this day. They aren't as invested as his mommy. I might wish a certain project could occupy him for 30 minutes, but his attention span is brief. I have to adjust my expectations to fit his abilities and celebrate that he participated at all. Every time we celebrate, he feels encouraged to keep trying. If I became a disappointed grump because the activity was short or small, it wouldn't do much to help future attempts.
5. Try choosing projects that will be fun for your whole family. Organically inclusive activities, in which there is no need to contrive anything special to include everyone, are ideal. Foot painting might be something Alex CAN do, but I picked it because it would be extremely fun for everyone. It's something everyone can do together worry-free, without accommodations, because all barriers for all parties involved have been removed. Another fun one we all like to do is photography. Alex loves to take pictures with his iPad. So does Lyra. Since she doesn't have an iPad, it's that much cooler to her to be able to take and view pictures with him.
Stay tuned I'll post more inclusive projects in the future!
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