InternationalArt therapists and a new school open doors for autistic children in Armenia
by Betty Panossian-Ter Sarkissian
Published: Saturday June 09, 2007
Mher’s paintings, prepared in Armineh Arakelian’s care. Vincent Lima / Armenian Reporter
Yerevan - On June 1, Mher, 11, celebrated International Children's Day by showing his paintings and pottery at the Gevorgian Gallery here. The artwork was in bright, cheerful colors. The paintings depicted faces and a farm animal. The pottery, which he had made from scratch, was a bit crooked, but really lovely.
The exhibit featured the work of autistic children, aged 9 to 13, all clients of art therapist Armineh Arakelian. Ms. Arakelian says she carefully directs the children into the world of shapes, colors, and emotions, but refrains from any interference.
Their paintings open the doors to a sweet and innocent world, where colors and expressions speak of inner planets in which the children so often lock themselves.
The paintings on exhibit were the fruits of long and patient work. Ms. Arakelian and the children had in some cases worked together for years to reach to the point where the child could not only make good use of paints and brushes, but could also delve into colors and express himself or herself and relate to others through the medium of painting.
The opening reception was well attended. Mher's mother, Karine Sardarian, was beaming, as was his brother Armen, who had graduated from high school a couple of days earlier.
"I am very happy that so many people are interested in paintings by children with developmental problems," Ms. Arakelian said. "This is an opportunity for my students to mingle in a social event, to meet new people, make new bonds, and see their work valued. They feel good about themselves here."
All children are open to expressing themselves through art. But progress tends to be slower and demand more patience and perseverance on the part of adults when the child is autistic or faces other developmental challenges. But the result is rewarding. "What I wish for my students is to become full-fledged individuals and fully realize whatever potential they might have. I want them to be relaxed in social settings. And painting helps a great deal," Ms. Arakelian said.
Art is also an outlet for excess energy. Mher's pottery teachers, Gevorg Baghdasarian, Aram Mouradian, and Kostia Petrossian, started working with children with physical and mental development problems three years ago. From their experience, Mr. Baghdasarian says, "Our students are easily into pottery, because pottery has the characteristic of taking energy, and the students have a lot of energy in them. After using most of that energy in the pottery class, the students feel more relaxed."
A school with an individual approach
Like other autistic children, Mher has trouble expressing himself and interacting with other people. Far from being isolated, however, he has a busy scholastic, artistic, and social schedule. The doors of his inner world are now ajar thanks in great part to the loving and caring people who surround him.
At the Armenian International Child Development Center (AICDC), opened a year ago, Mher has learned to expand the range of his self-expression through a one-on-one teaching approach.
The center is an international branch of California-based Pacific Child and Family Associates LLC, which offers applied behavior analysis and other services for children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities.
The center in Armenia, located in central Yerevan, "strives to become a comprehensive center for treating developmental disorders caused by autism," to quote its literature.
The center is not a mere shelter for autistic children, says executive director Heghineh Koshtoyan. It provides them with a high-quality education through a one-on-one approach, providing the students with essential social and educational skills.
Special-needs schools in Armenia seldom meet the basic human and educational needs of children, several parents and other individuals involved in the education system report. The establishment of the AICDC is a hopeful sign that things may be changing.
The seven children who attend the AICDC begin their day with a gathering to say hello. They have play and music hours and group activities, as well as one-on-one lessons that include various activities to teach basic skills at the child's level. They end their day with a goodbye gathering.
The staff receives ongoing training and evaluations.
"The ultimate goal for each student is to reach to a point of self-realization, and feel himself or herself an integrated member of the society," Ms. Koshtoyan says. "We set individual and more tangible goals for each child. It may be language acquisition and speech improvements for one, and basic self-help skills for another."
"We work with children taking into consideration each child's personal abilities and potential," says Nelly, the one-on-one teacher who works with Mher. She carries out exercises that help him get the concept of time, work with numbers and math, letters and picture-reading, differentiating between "you" and "me," and so on. The teaching materials include colorful and bright picture cards.
The teachers are pleased to report that after a year at the center, some students now recognize some letters, colors, and shapes. Others have made progress in speech. Still others can communicate more easily with word and picture cards, which are important milestones for them.
