“Give children a strong appreciation for curiosity, exploration, and persistence. This is the foundation upon which intelligence, creativity, success, and fulfillment are built.”
“Beyond Intelligence” ~Dr. Joanne Foster EdD
One of the billions of things that I love about improvisational theatre is that it is one of the only things that I can think of in life that is truly equal opportunity.
Planet Improv is reminded of that each time we are fortunate enough to work with students who are often excluded from most creativity and imagination related activities.
Below is a post on www.creativitypost.com that discusses creativity and special needs learners.
Creativity and Special Needs Learners
Joanne Foster, EDD
Are there specific creativity-related challenges that pertain to special needs learners? What should parents and teachers pay attention to? Here are some important considerations, and five targeted tips.
Special education is a vast topic. There are millions of children and teens who benefit from support services and provisions. (And countless who don’t have access to such. However, that’s the potentially contentious stuff of another article, for another day). For now, let’s briefly consider the nature of exceptionality across the spectrum of learners—and then think carefully about how special needs can have a bearing upon a child’s desire to be creative, and look at five ways in which parents and teachers can encourage creative expression.
A Bit about Special Needs Learners
Each individual has areas of strength and weakness, and it’s incumbent upon the adults who live and work with children to strive toward supporting all the dimensions of their well-being. This includes their social and emotional health, cognitive growth, moral and character development, and more.
With that in mind, a person’s creativity is a vital part of what makes that person unique. Creativity helps children solve problems and overcome challenges. It fosters resolve, inquiry, new perspectives, independence, positivity, confidence, and ingenuity. Thus, it’s important to nurture creativity. Yet sometimes that doesn’t happen.
Certainly, parents and teachers are right to focus on academics, including remediation, accelerated learning opportunities, or other special education programming modifications or accommodations, as required. All that can and should occur—while also paying attention to children’s creative potential.
As with every kind of learning, in any domain, special learning needs can fluctuate and change over time. Supports will vary, depending on the nature of the individual’s exceptionality and the recommendations set forth by a child’s Individual Education Plan (IEP). (For more on this, and for resources pertaining to special education, see the “Additional Resources” section at the end of this article.) Regardless of which placement option or service provision is being implemented at any particular time, there is inevitably some way to incorporate opportunities to trigger a child’s imagination and creativity.
Special Needs Learners and Aspects of Creativity
A child who is visually impaired writes a stirring poem, while another who is dyslexic composes a beautiful melody. A teenager who has a learning disability shares futuristic ideas during a discussion. A young child with autism creates a striking collage comprised of photographs. A student who is intellectually advanced draws an original web-design that is both insightful and intricate. Each of these special needs learners is stretching in different ways by engaging the mind, extending knowledge, and tapping creativity. It’s vital that they—and others – be encouraged to do so, even if it’s challenging. Creativity is a choice. It is something that people choose to do.
Adults have to help children make the right kinds of choices. That is, to take a chance, step outside of comfort zones, try new approaches, test limits… This can be difficult for kids who are struggling in various ways. Some may have trouble starting a creative activity, whereas others may find it hard to sustain momentum and see it through to completion. Even the most academically advanced learners sometimes have trouble identifying what makes them curious or enthused, or conversely, hesitant and less likely to be creative. Kids may need extra encouragement, or assistance in the form of help, reinforcement, or guidance so as to be able to maximize their strengths, talents, interests, energy, effort, and coping mechanisms.
Helpful Tips for Nurturing Creativity
Patience, choice, reassurance—these are fundamental for encouraging children’s creative expression. So is honoring the validity of children’s thoughts and feelings, without being judgmental. What else matters? Here are five suggestions for parents and teachers of special needs learners.
- Help children tap networks of support.Remember that kids’ needs, desires, concerns, and interests are always changing, as are family and school situations. Friends, family members, teachers, coaches, and others can offer incentive, support, and guidance. Children who perceive the adults (and others) in their lives as beingcaring, respectful, available, and willing to help, are more motivated to exercise their creativity.
- Consider what will inspire children and spark the imagination. Playfulness, language stimulation, multi-sensory experiences, and ample opportunities for unstructured play and discovery, alone and with others, can help get creative juices flowing. Kids benefit from exploring a range of different activities, such as music, art, puzzles, exercise, dance, and discovery walks. Use of technology (for example, assistive, or for broader resource access) can also be beneficial.
- Help kids stay balanced.Ensure that children have a healthy mix of learning opportunities, physical exercise, sleep, reflection, social activities, and family time. Also, meditation, solitude, and quiet time—for mind wandering, innovation, and exploration at a leisurely pace. Tranquility can occur both indoors and outdoors. Adherence to routines can also be calming. And all of these experiences can stimulate creativity.
- Encourage children to have faith in their own abilities.Kids can experience frustration both in their weakerand stronger subject areas. Help children realize and accept their limitations, and challenge their own thinking, including misconceptions (about self, capabilities, tasks). Learning about self-talk can also be advantageous. For example, working through the steps of a task, and recognizing and imagining positive outcomes, such as saying to oneself, “I will try!” and “I’m making progress!” Remember, too, that although creativity may seem challenging, it can actually be a means of overcoming challenge.
- Emphasize optimism.A fresh outlook can be empowering, and it can also bolster self-confidence. Celebrate the small steps and accomplishments. It’s about attitude. Kids can start small, and aspire to change hesitancy, reluctance, or negative points of view—if they want to. It also helps to ensure that IEP goals are effectively aligned with the child’s needs. When an educational program is well suited, such that a child is progressing and feels positive about learning, it sets the stage for inquiry, meaningful connections, a sense of purpose, and creative expression.
Scientists and researchers continue to learn about child development, and the intricacies of the brain. As more and more evidence comes to light about neural plasticity—the capacity for the brain to change over time—the greater the opportunity for strengths to develop.
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One of the things that keeps life exciting is that every single day (if we are fortunate) we meet those who have, literally or figuratively, walked a different path to meet us where we are at that time.
Planet Improv strongly believes in the adage about walking a mile in someone else’s shoes.
And that is what improv is all about.
You can be anyone, anywhere, anyplace, say and experience anything at any time.
And isn’t that how we learn and appreciate the talents of all the individuals who are different from us?
Other than their (and our) believe that EVERYONE deserves the right to be creative and use their imagination, no matter the real or perceived obstacles in their way.