Exploring Their Artistic Side Boosts Confidence In Kids With Ld
December 3rd, 2008

Art can be and is so much more than just a way to play or take up time. It is even more than just their imagination at work. Art gives kids, especially those with learning disabilities, a way to build their self-esteem and confidence. A proud parent, who displays their child's art works through the house, shows their child that they are proud of them. It is more than even just drawing. Any type of art such as dancing, music, or acting in a play can be a great confidence booster for children with a learning disability. It helps give them discipline, sense of accomplishment, and teaches them to have drive and dreams. Art gives children a way to express themselves through interpretation and nonverbal communication. This type of accomplishment for children with learning disabilities is huge.

The confidence kids gain through art helps them become individuals, raises their self-confidence, and makes them perform better overall academically. The appreciation they are given through art gives them a drive to better in all areas. This creative outlet can also help learning disabled children to better control their emotions. So instead of acting out, they can express themselves through their artwork. Proper expression of anger, rage, sadness, and over excitement is sometimes hard for a child with LD. Giving them a pad of paper and markers, a musical instrument, or a dance class can help them learn to channel their behavior in a positive way. For some children with LD, art therapy is a good way to help them improve many skills that they have trouble comprehending or accomplishing.

During art therapy children create or view art to learn how to better handle their feelings. Instead of focusing on just the art itself or the beauty of it, art therapy focuses on the process of creation. The art is used as a healing process or way to convey the child's feelings. Most of the artwork will not be seen outside of the therapy and the one's that are should be made a big deal of by the parents. This will give the child a sense of achievement and self-esteem. It is believed that art therapy triggers physical, emotional, and spiritual healing just through the creative process alone. For children who are not able or comfortable creating art, going to a museum can be helpful. This promotes relaxation and can have a calming effect. Playing music or making noise can also help children with LD release tension and regain self-control.

Most regimes of physical therapy incorporate art in their programs. This helps not only the LD child relate him or her but also works to aid physical rehabilitation that also improves self-esteem. Many learning challenged children have a hard time using verbal expression and can get easily frustrated. It can be extremely difficult for them to put what they are feeling into words. Art therapy gives them a nonverbal outlet to show what and why they feel the way they do. When they convey a message and are understood and recognized it gives them a boost of confidence. It makes them feel important and heard. Actually, making art can help improve hand-eye coordination, offers exercise to the hands and eyes, and can even make new neurological pathways in the brain to the hands. These new connections help a LD child in improving their overall motor skills and have fewer problems.

An art therapist usually works with a physician or as part of a medical team to create the best program for the individual child. Most sessions will last no more than an hour so concentration doesn't get lost. Sometimes it is recommended that a child be placed in an art therapy group. This allows the child to communicate and learn how to handle other children as well. Children can feel good to know they are not alone and confident with other children seeing what they are doing. Promoting praise amongst peers is an excellent way to build self-esteem and confidence. Children with LD need to know that they are not the only ones that have a disability. That everyone is different and different is good. Expression through art can heal a broken heart and make a child feel good about them again. This will promote better behavior and success

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