Art helps build Matthew’s self confidence because it is a natural talent that he has. Art is a stress relief and something he can do when he is at loose ends. He is a visual learner and seeing things differently is a valuable thing when you are creating art.
I am an elementary school Art teacher. One of my first grade classes has two students with autism that I was challenged by how to include. I have been really pleased with the Abstract Face lessons because they were designed for students with disabilities. Yet by combining two of the levels in a lesson I could allow the other children to build on skills they already had. I found that the the lessons were very thorough, well written and easy to implement. I'm looking forward to using more of Danelle's lessons in my teaching because her approach allows students and their teacher to create projects that help build confidence in the artistic process.
I feel art in my memory; my head sees pictures. Danelle is a patient visual person, she makes me an artist!
Although my disability prevents me from using conventional ways to express myself, it has provided me with the courage to explore new areas of creativity I never even imagined!