Saudi Gazette Drawing, coloring, painting, and practicing art in general have a number of positive influences on mental and motor skills development in children with disabilities. The average person may be amazed with what the so-called “handicapped” child can bring to life with his paintbrush. The special education teachers at the Help Center in Jeddah firmly believe in the strong role that Art plays in fostering learning and acts as a therapeutic measure. Ashaar, an art teacher at the Help Center in Jeddah told Saudi Gazette, “Participating in a wide range of art activities improves the children's attention span and concentration, helps them to learn make choices and decisions, and enables them to understand the visual information they receive from the world around them. Over a period of time, these benefits can be seen in their daily lives and not just in the art room. That is why we use art as a tool for children with special needs toward learning new concepts and coping with their surrounding environment.” Teachers at the center noticed that being engaged in artwork stimulates the child's senses, especially sight and touch. Through art, the child gradually develops language skills and learns the names of colors, shapes, and images. Among the art activities that the center encourages is having the students design greeting cards to give to family and friends; some of them are cards truly remarkable. Children at the center are exposed to many different textures of art materials and fabrics. Keeping the hand and arm muscles in shape will also help the child fine tune coordination between the hand and the brain. Specialists hope that the child will be able to better perform basic daily tasks like getting the spoon to her mouth or buttoning her own shirt. “Due to their disability, some of these children often lack self-esteem, are rejected by other children in social situations, and therefore may become overly shy, insecure, and withdrawn. Art allows these children to open up. By painting a pretty picture that is enthusiastically praised by the teacher, the child gains a sense of accomplishment and develops self-confidence,” said Ashaar. Incorporating art programs at the Help Center is not merely intended to keep the children occupied. Apart from developing their physical and motor skills, Art also helps children with special needs express feelings and discover their own personalities. More intensive Art programs should be added to all schools for children in the Kingdom. Those who are truly gifted in art and painting can even participate in Art competitions that may one day provide financial returns, in addition to emotional rewards. The Rehabilitation Hospital at King Fahd Medical City in Riyadh recently organized an Art exhibition with the help of the volunteer organization, Optimism Group. All paintings put on display were created by the disabled patients at the rehabilitation hospital. The exhibition served as a platform for individuals with special needs to showcase their talents and to sell their paintings. The artist, Hasan Basri, who attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition in support of individuals with special needs said, “Art narrows down the gap between those with special needs and other members of society. Participating in such event gives those with special needs the opportunity to prove their creativity and ingenuity and to interact with other people and make new friends. Such activities have a tremendous positive impact on their psychological health, and I hope to see more of these events taking place across the Kingdom.” One of the artists, Majed Al-Serayi, who greeted visitors while sitting in a wheelchair said, “For some people, suffering from a physical disability as a result of a traumatic accident is viewed as a dead end. Depression and despair may set in. However, for others the disability becomes a strong motivation for success and the beginning of a road that leads to great feats in the world of art, education, scientific inventions, and humanitarian work.” __
