Reaching and Teaching Students With Special Needs Through Art

by Beverly Levett Gerber (Editor), Doris M. Guay (Editor)

Book by

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction

222 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2006

Reviews

[Florian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book, and in some ways it was very useful. In others it was very disappointing.

Broken down chapter by chapter to cover different types of disability and subjects related to the art room, this book is excellent at providing practical tips for educators who have little to no training in assisting students with special needs. There is much to be learned in the way of adaptive tools (a million different kinds of special nontraditional scissors for students with cutting challenges!), strategies for working with paraprofessionals, and plain old common sense techniques like clear instructions and teaching with questions that benefit all learners.

However, most of the contributors take a firmly medical and pathological stance on disability. Although they come from a place of wanting to help students with disabilities, it is clear that the majority of these writers are able and typical in most ways. They are not coming from a perspective of viewing neurodiversity or of diversity of ability as a natural part of the human condition. The language is also very dated even though it is barely a decade old at the time of this review.

So, pick this up for practical advice on making your art room more accessible to students with disabilities. Go elsewhere for sources that allow people with disabilities to speak for themselves.

[Brooke Gravett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as helpful as I’d hoped. I teach elementary art, including a self-contained multi-categorical class of children from kindergarten through grade 5, with moderate to severe disabilities. I hoped for ideas on adaptive art. I hoped for a few specific lesson examples. I hoped for hope. None of that happened. This book left me more discouraged than ever.