Special education in Romania is undergoing a time of acute change due to the increasing number of children having autistic spectrum disorders, severe intellectual deficiencies and associated deficiencies. There is a significant need for new methods, new teaching techniques, the development of professional skills of teachers working in this field, the adjustment and development of an educational design in correlation with the children’s needs. The project "Art for autism" wants to support institutional development as stipulated by the Institutional Development Plan and by the European Development Plan by means of sharing, practicing teachers in special education through specific knowledge on the subject of autism and also learning directly from specialists working with different art forms at a special European education institution with a similar profile, live. Our aim is for the teachers working with children with severe intellectual deficiencies and autism to develop specific skills in order to work more efficiently with these children, to become more confident regarding their work and thus to increase the quality of the teachers’ methods and strategies.Art therapy is based on the recognition that the fundamental thoughts and emotions, that come from the unconscious, get expression in images rather than in words. There is no right or wrong way to express emotions through art therapy. You do not have to excel in painting, modeling or sculpting. You just have to feel free and express yourself freely. Art therapy teaches children and the big people to express themselves, to give a free kick to creativity. Whether it`s art therapy through painting, art therapy by modeling, art therapy through gaming, art therapy through dance or theater, the child learns to become himself, to express himself freely, to become confident in his own forces, communicate and relate, in a word, to being a happy child. Art therapy is an opportunity for everyone to express themselves spontaneously and authentically, an experience that in time leads to personal fulfillment, emotional healing and profound transformation. Art is also a major form of learning. Art can teach a multitude of abilities and acquire knowledge that can form the basis of more complex knowledge. Because it is an attractive form of teaching various educational content, art therapy can be a novel way to develop basic knowledge, skills and competencies in children with autism. Involved in activities that are based on different forms of art therapy, we will stimulate pupils`interest in teaching, prevent school abandonment and diversify the educational offer We expect an increase in the efficiency of the educational act through the integration of new European methods and working techniques, the integration of the acquired experience in the classroom, the usage the theoretical knowledge, the competences and the practical experience gained from both the training courses and the job shadowing. The impact of implementing such an institutional project will be upon all teachers from our institution and from other special schools and even from the integrative mainstream schools, pupils (who will indirectly benefit from a better quality educational service), the parents of the students (who will have access to the materials produced within this project that will be free to access), and the Pascani local community who will become aware of the problems the children with autism and severe intellectual deficiencies are facing.
The project aimed to help the teachers to acquire sufficient knowledge and experience, to overcome students deficiencies through art, to specialize in effective classroom and to increase their professional motivation management and to increase their personal motivation. What we wanted to achieve in this project was to: To Increase the professional development of teachers working with children with autism by acquiring and using different forms of art therapy through the exchange of best practices. To Increase the quality of the educational act and to rise the awareness among teachers, specialists and parents, regarding the importance of using different forms of art therapy. To develop a new methodological basis of educational resources (methodological guide, video tutorials) for teaching educational content. To develop the material base of the institutions equipping with equipment, raw materials, setting up new workshops and cabinets for the development of the art therapy activity. To share new ideas, new work techniques with the use of different art therapy forms To conduct a comparative study regarding the use of art techniques at the level of each partner institution and to compare the benefits of different forms of art therapy.
Art therapy is an opportunity for everyone to express themselves spontaneously and authentically, an experience that in time leads to personal fulfillment, emotional healing and profound transformation. Art is also a major form of learning. Art can teach a multitude of abilities and acquire knowledge that can form the basis of more complex knowledge. Because it is an attractive form of teaching various educational content, art therapy can be a novel way to develop basic knowledge, skills and competencies in children with autism. Involved in activities that are based on different forms of art therapy, we will stimulate pupils`interest in teaching, prevent school abandonment and diversify the educational offer. At the school there is an art therapy workshop that has proven its educational effectiveness over time. We wanted to develop this project because we need to learn from the experience of similar institutions, how they use difrent Through this project we wanted to learn other forms of art therapy, to implement them at school level and to popularize the use of different forms of art therapy in special education.