Art and design at KS1 and autism spectrum disorder

These sections refer to high-functioning autism and Asperger’s syndrome. For communication difficulties associated with other aspects of autism, read the communication difficulties section. As there are often sensory processing issues linked with Asperger’s syndrome, they have been included here.

Begin by reading about the main challenges for children with autism and Asperger’s syndrome across subject areas.

The challenges

The child with Asperger’s syndrome may have difficulty developing ideas from their own imagination. They may have problems understanding historical ideas and ordering historical events. It may appear from their use of vocabulary that they understand historical concepts, and art in general, but they may be parroting words they’ve heard.

Pupils with sensory processing disorder may find drawing from first-hand experience difficult and need support to control a pencil or paintbrush. They may struggle with techniques for drawing what they see and in establishing the relationship between different angles and lengths of lines. They may concentrate on one area of the drawing and put in great detail only to find the scale is wrong in relation to the rest.

Some pupils with Asperger’s syndrome or sensory processing disorder may have a dislike of, or particular liking for, one colour.

Suggestions

You can:

• Help them find a starting point for developing ideas, a concrete example from which their imagination can start to develop.
• Use sequential questioning to lead the pupil to personalise something from the resources they’ve been given. For example:
• Q looking at a pattern of curves in different yellows, how could we make a different pattern
• A Use straight lines instead, or use a different colour
• Help pupils with sensory processing disorder think about the overview before they start adding detail to a picture.
• Offer guidance for evaluation and review. Establish a relevant vocabulary for the topic ahead of the lesson and discuss what each word means, with visual examples.
• Tackle a lack motivation (because the pupil does not see the relevance of a task) with clear boundaries and by choosing a topic that interests them. Use some negotiation if this is part of their behaviour plan.
• Use IT for artwork including digital photography and programs such as Paint.
• Use a timeline for concepts around historical progression and use DVDs for visual support.
• Encourage turn-taking and equipment sharing - a social story can help, for example use stickmen or faces to illustrate this scenario, with speech bubbles to model the interaction required:
• Tom (use child’s own name) is making a model and needs a glue stick. There isn’t a glue stick for every child in the class
• Tom has to wait until somebody has finished
• Tom will look around the classroom and see who has finished using their glue stick. Tom will ask if he can have theirs when they have finished
• Tom will use the words ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ when he asks to use the glue stick.
• Prepare the pupil in advance for an art activity as each new project will be a change of routine. Put each activity in context, to help the pupil to feel in control. For example if the task is to make a clay tile using Victorian designs, then ensure that the research has been done to show what the possible outcomes might be, and what the purpose of the activity is. (This might be to look at Victorian houses, or other buildings).
• Work on colour by looking at different shades of a pupil’s preferred colours. If it’s white, try different textures of white materials, gradually introducing other colours.