Painting and modeling
Whenever people are isolated from their peers in society, they experience a strong urge to prove themselves worthy of their inclusion. Extreme cases of social repression causes the victims (the disabled people) to get into desperation that leads to protests and activism. Such desperate measures, however, do not help the victims to qualify for inclusion in the social classes they target so they can feel normal (like everybody else seems to enjoy normality). For instance, most activities normal children participate in, may not be open to those with special needs. The frustration builds and causes not only bitterness and hatred but also low self-esteem and inferiority complexes among the victims. The children with special needs are, therefore, under these circumstances, more likely to perform poorly than the rest of the children. It is, therefore, extremely important to include these children in activities and fun-games especially the ones their peers will be involved in too. To avoid and minimize victimization, this study seeks to reveal the importance of arts that allow children with special needs to participate comfortably among their peers. Painting and modeling is an activity that all children (including those with special needs) can participate.
Painting and modeling enable one to construct their own perception of their environment. Painting does not involve vigorous movements and motions but actively engages the creativity of children's brains (Ruth, 2008). Moreover, participants can be confined in a room throughout the painting sessions. It allows most disabled children to participate and compete with their fellow children fairly despite the fact that they may need to use other body parts to hold the brushes. For instance, children with dysfunctional hands prefer to use their toes to hold the paint-brush and those without both functional feet and arms use their mouths. Visually-impaired children can focus on modeling materials with varying textures and sizes. All children love to play with paint to illustrate their environment. While painting, children have the opportunity to relate their real life and display how they perceive the world (John, 2011).
Confidence and esteem
The UN study on Violence against Children with Special needs (2008) reveals increased unreported cases of sexual harassment. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children (UNCRC) focuses on minimizing all forms of discrimination that violate the human rights of victims (especially people with special needs)
Impact of seclusion
Trauma and depression are the results of consistent seclusion and rejection. Most affected children end up completely locking themselves away from their peers and instead revert to care-free lives (John, 2011). These children mostly grow up with negative attitude and insensitivity to emotional issues.
Conclusion
Regardless of their disability, parents and teachers should point out the positive traits and achievements of the children to encourage them to exploit them. By cooperating with other parents in the same situation, a parent will avoid mistakes by learning and sharing crucial tactics to get the best out of their children. These parents should also keep records of their children's achievements in order to monitor their progress. Moreover, they should avail various alternatives of modeling and painting materials
References
Butler, Ruth. “Rehabilitating the Images of Disabled Youth.” Cool Places: Geographies of Youth Cultures. Eds. Tracey Skelton and Gil Valentine. New York: Routledge, 2008. 84-101.
Ahn, John. “The Effects of Social Network Sites on Adolescents’ Social and Academic Development:Current Theories and Controversies.” Journal for the American Society for Information Science and Technology. 62.8. (2011):1435-1445
