Study On The Interest Development Of Autistic Children By The Art Therapy

Infantile autism, as a pervasive developmental disorder, is most commonly treated with continuous rehabilitation training, because its cause has not been discovered yet. In recent years, with the theoretical background of psychology, art therapy has been gradually applied into education and development of autistic children. Based on the theories and previous research results of art therapy, as well as the author’s internship in rehabilitation training institution for eXceptional children, this thesis intends to combine art therapy with professional methods of social work, attempts to apply art therapy into interest cultivation for autistic children, and eXplores professional social work mechanisms which can change their behaviors. In this research, interest cultivation groups for autistic children are developed, with art therapy theories applied in the process of group work, in order to demonstrate the validity of the approach. During the research,group work is guided by the theory “perspective of strengths”. Twelve group lessons are delivered to participants to cultivate their interests in painting, and all the participants and their families are observed and interviewed at the end of each lesson. It is e Xpected that with the joint efforts and group work and family assistance, certain progress can be achieved. With group work finishes, all the participants are reevaluated referring to the goals of each lesson, Autism Behavior Checklist, and interviews with their families. The conclusion is that the behaviors of autistic children can be improved with intervention of art therapy in rehabilitation training by avoiding obstacles in verbal communication and cultivating their interests in art.