The special issue presents 13 articles dealing with art education and art therapy for special groups. Included are the following titles and authors: "Art Education for Special Groups: The Emotionally Disturbed" (E. Ulman); "You Are The Early Warning System" (C. Stember); "School Art Therapist Rationale for DPI Certification" (V. Minar); "Art…

Described are the development, evolution, and creative art activities of a summer camp for handicapped, learning disabled children--Learning through Creative Arts With Handicapped Children--in Ashville, New York. (KC)

Investigated effects of group counseling using art activities in improving self-esteem among Hawaiian elementary children (N=50). Found subjects who participated in counseling had higher Social Peer-Related and Academics/School-Related Self-Esteem scores than children who did not participate. (ABL)

Discusses the use of various art and play activities to help facilitate healing in immigrant refugee children who have experienced trauma and grief. Describes the work of the Center for Grieving Children and pilot projects with refugee and immigrant children that involved self-healing through puppetry, cultural and ethnic diversity in art, and…

A qualitative research study documents the progress of an adult male art student enrolled in a grade nine art class of adult males in a federal, maximum security penitentiary. Analog drawings were used as part of the curriculum. An analog drawing is a symbolic drawing expressing one's emotions, ideas, and feelings, often used to identify and help…

Discusses when, how, and why elementary school counselors might use art materials in working with children. Discusses establishing a trusting relationship, timing, choice of media, using what emerges therapeutically, processing the session, projective techniques, and training and resources. (ABL)

Examined effects of directed art activities on behavior of two preschool children and one kindergarten child with disabilities. Results indicated that directed art activity had larger effect than control condition on social behavior of two children, whereas control condition generated little effect. Neither art activity had measurable effect on…

One solution for school counselors with regard to their dilemma of greater caseloads and less time is the use of brief or time-limited counseling techniques. Using art when counseling adolescents can achieve this same goal. Article aims to provide secondary school counselors with a step-by-step introduction to the use of art when counseling…

This paper presents therapeutic art practices carried out with 60 orphan children in the small town of Ugarchin in northern Bulgaria. In 1999, a group of artists and teachers developed a varied program of art activities for these children. These activities included two 1-week visits and the opening of five art workshops--Art History, Ceramics,…

Seven presentations are featured from a 1980 conference on the role of art in the lives of people with handicaps. Three major themes were addressed in that conference: roles and responsibilities of art educators and art therapists, training and professional development, and programing. Each theme is addressed initially by summarized comments from…

The article summarizes 12 group sessions intended to decrease inappropriate behavior and increase the self-esteem of 10-12 learning-disabled seventh and eighth graders. Art projects culminating in a group mural were a prominent part of the group activities. (DB)

Discusses four ways that art teachers can enhance the therapeutic aspects of their lessons: (1) recognize the similarities between the therapeutic and creative processes: (2) empathetically talk with students about their artwork; (3) understand Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC); and (4) work in collaboration with faculty and staff members. (CMK)

The role of art therapy is considered in working with such high risk groups as the institutionalized, mentally retarded, elderly, visually impaired, physically handicapped, asthmatic, hyper- and hypo-active children, hearing impaired, and patients on mind altering drugs. The special risks of infectious diseases (such as serum hepatitis), and…

This article explores art as a vehicle for self-expression in students with emotional disturbances. Art activities can help students understand themselves and empathize with others and can help educators understand students' feelings. Activities are presented for focusing on negative and positive feelings and on ambivalent feelings. (JDD)