How the Fine Arts Influence Treatment

Monday, August 19, 2013

During this week's L.A. Talk Radio show for Struggling Teens, Diana Kon, Co-Executive Director, dianakon@uchicago.edu and Hague Williams, Fine Arts teacher, hwilliamsj@oschool.org at Sonia Shankman Orthogeneric School, Chicago, explained to host Lon Woodbury the many benefits of Fine Arts education/therapy for special needs children.

Background
Diana Kon, C.A.S., M. Ed., Co-Executive Director, holds a Post Graduate Degree in Educational Leadership, a Graduate Degree in Curriculum and Instruction and Undergraduate Degree in Elementary Education and Psychology from National Louis University. Prior to teaching at the Orthogenic School over thirteen years ago, she founded the Therapeutic Day School at Children's Memorial and taught there for four years.

Hague Williams earned an MFA in Print media at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2003 and today teaches classes in drawing, printmaking, photography, and digital imaging at Sonia Shankman Orthogeneric School. He is also the Junior Achievement Coordinator Educating students about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs. He has been with the school for ten years.

What Are the Benefits of Fine Arts Therapy/Education for Special Needs Children
During the course of the interview, the guests described how the Sonia Shankman Orthogeneric School is a coeducational residential treatment program for children and adolescents. The school offers a strong academic program, a relationally based therapeutic environment, and exceptional fine arts and recreational opportunities for students with severe to profound emotional factors. It provides young people, ages five to twenty, with a therapeutic and educational environment that recognizes their strengths and needs, while challenging them to grow by achieving important developmental and behavioral outcomes.

After discussing the origins of the orthogenic milieu treatment initiated by the work of Bruno Bettelheim, describing the types of students who attend, and defining the role of fine arts, the conversation focused on the many benefits of fine arts therapy for special needs children. In essence, the study of fine arts opens up a whole new world for the students. Learning art helps them to establish trusting relationships with others and develop a love for learning. The confidence students build up through studying art then makes them receptive to learning things related to art, including many of the traditional academic skills like mathematics. In fact, there is even a profitable small printing business called Infectious Tees that helps students learn how to design t-shirts and sell them.

By the end of their time in school, students graduate with a whole new identity, and go on to college or enter the working world with a new self-confidence in their ability to learn, think creatively and critically, and communicate their needs and interests.

Final Thoughts
By integrating the fine arts, the Sonia Shankman Orthogeneric School touches the core of the student's humanity by providing a safe place for them to learn how to express themselves, as well as learn academics and how to function successfully in society. The remarkable success rate of the students is a clear argument for the many benefits of fine arts therapy for special needs children.

To listen to the full interview, go to How the Fine Arts Influence Treatment on LATalkRadio.

Also available in Podcast