Friday, February 22, 2013
Uniquely Chinese Factors
Recently I have been looking into why children might be in orphanages. I want to understand why many more children have been entering orphanages in China. I hope that by understanding why children may end up in the orphanage that I can find targeted art activities that can help them with any problems that may result from their unique cases.
The one-child policy. Most people have heard of this policy in the People's Republic of China. It restricts urban couples to only one child, allowing additional children in several cases such as twins, rural couples,ethnic minorities and couples who are both only children them selves. Few are exempt from this law. But many may not realize the impact this has on the number of children that are being abandoned and then put in orphanages.
Often girls are abandoned because parents desire a son. Due to the one-child policy, they would have to pay if they were to have a daughter as well. Up to a million orphans are abandoned each year in China, the majority being healthy girls. I am curious to see if there will be a larger ratio of girls to boys. In my case study, to be as accurate as possible, I wish to also account for gender. Especially with differences between how both genders are treated, they may react in a different manner to therapy. Perhaps through targeted activities I can help both overcome any barriers that restrict them.
~Anjani
Brian Woods, "The Dying Rooms Trust", Population and Development Review, Sten Johansson and Ola Nygren, The Missing Girls of China: A New Demographic Account, 1991)
Thursday, February 21, 2013
And you thought you were neglected...
Most us of go through childhood believing our parents did not pay enough attention to us, or play with us enough. But at least we had parents. As the number of children orphaned or abandoned worldwide rises, there have been an increase in concern over their welfare and rights. Children without parents or loving guardians are vulnerable to neglect, poor health care, and diminished education. Many come to live in institutions where they may experience a host of long-term problems such as: malnutrition, growth retardation, sensory processing difficulties, behavioral and attachment disorders, and also cognitive and language delays (e.g., Rutter, Quinton, & Hill 1990; Judge 1999; Zeanah 2000; Beckett et al. 2002).
In China’s social welfare institutions, one caregiver may be responsible for feeding, bathing, and diapering 10 to 15 children in addition to carrying out many household chores. The children assigned to a caregiver may vary from day to day, making a bond between child and caregiver impossible. Children spend most days lying in cribs or propped in wooden chairs, with little opportunity for stimulation or interaction.
This lack of quality bonding and permanent and positive role models has extremely negative effects on a child's development, causing issues that can range from delinquency to depression. There have been many attempted solutions but the basic problem is a lack of caretakers.
Art Therapy is one promising solution that overcomes that issue. Instead of relying on more caretakers, Art Therapy allows each individual child to become their own solution to their problems. Each child is encouraged to look within themselves and discover their identities through art in order to deal with any issues that could happen in life.
~Anjani
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Communication Through Drawing
Studies finally confirmed what I have believe about Art Therapy.
While I was researching factors that would indicate how a child is responding to art therapy I came across a paper: Interpreting Children's Human Figure Drawings. Though it is intended as a basic guideline for school counselors, I found relevant material that provided insights and tips on my senior research project.
Children tend to be receptive to art therapy. This is because children naturally use art for creative self expression, conflict exploration, and control over their realities. Art activities provide a safe and enjoyable method for children to represent their thoughts without using words. Usually children that are shy, quiet, and have speech and language difficulties, or speak a different language respond well to drawing activities. Drawing can help people communicate across cultural barriers because it allows children to communicate with others of different culture or language through their creations. Children from some Asian cultures are uncomfortable with spontaneously drawing and prefer to copy another drawing in the beginning. It will be interesting to see if this will apply to the Chinese children I will be working with at the orphanage.
When a child creates a picture, taking it from his or her mind onto a piece of paper, the drawing becomes and external object that the child can control. Interpreting the drawing helps children to accept painful thoughts and feelings and deal with internal conflicts. This allows people working with the children to develop hypotheses on how to help the children with their problems.
~Anjani
While I was researching factors that would indicate how a child is responding to art therapy I came across a paper: Interpreting Children's Human Figure Drawings. Though it is intended as a basic guideline for school counselors, I found relevant material that provided insights and tips on my senior research project.
Children tend to be receptive to art therapy. This is because children naturally use art for creative self expression, conflict exploration, and control over their realities. Art activities provide a safe and enjoyable method for children to represent their thoughts without using words. Usually children that are shy, quiet, and have speech and language difficulties, or speak a different language respond well to drawing activities. Drawing can help people communicate across cultural barriers because it allows children to communicate with others of different culture or language through their creations. Children from some Asian cultures are uncomfortable with spontaneously drawing and prefer to copy another drawing in the beginning. It will be interesting to see if this will apply to the Chinese children I will be working with at the orphanage.
When a child creates a picture, taking it from his or her mind onto a piece of paper, the drawing becomes and external object that the child can control. Interpreting the drawing helps children to accept painful thoughts and feelings and deal with internal conflicts. This allows people working with the children to develop hypotheses on how to help the children with their problems.
~Anjani
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Seventeen Days Left to Prepare
February 26, 2013. The days seem to pass quickly as that day of my departure to China approaches. Until then I am
focusing on preparing for my trip. Luckily, I have my school adviser, Ms. Amy Quist, to consult. As an art teacher, she has much to offer, especially in
regards to lesson plans and supplies that will be necessary in China. I shall meet with her a few more times before I leave. Her years of expertise as an art teacher and multiple books on how to teach art to children are a great comfort as I delve into an area unknown to me. Supplementing
her advice, I am also researching Art Therapy techniques online and at my local
library.
For the first few days after my arrival at the orphanage, I will be observing and recording the children's behavior and social skills. I must first assess their initial conditions in both areas. To do this, I am creating essentially a check list. It will outline specific actions that shall establish a baseline prior to receiving Art Therapy. This is what I am working on currently. Ideally, I would love to consult a psychologist or Art Therapist that could give me certain actions that would indicate behavioral changes. However, for now, I turn to stacks of books, hoping they can give me insight.
Most importantly, through out all my preparations, I remind myself to keep an open mind and accept change. My guidelines may change once I observe the children in the orphanage. Perhaps I will no longer need to observe how many tantrums the children throw when assessing behavior, but instead observe how long they stay secluded and quiet. Though I will be carefully planning, I know that there is one thing I can never truly prepare for: the impact these children will have on me. As my seventeen days slowly count down turn to sixteen, my excitement grows. Until next time!
~Anjani
For the first few days after my arrival at the orphanage, I will be observing and recording the children's behavior and social skills. I must first assess their initial conditions in both areas. To do this, I am creating essentially a check list. It will outline specific actions that shall establish a baseline prior to receiving Art Therapy. This is what I am working on currently. Ideally, I would love to consult a psychologist or Art Therapist that could give me certain actions that would indicate behavioral changes. However, for now, I turn to stacks of books, hoping they can give me insight.
Most importantly, through out all my preparations, I remind myself to keep an open mind and accept change. My guidelines may change once I observe the children in the orphanage. Perhaps I will no longer need to observe how many tantrums the children throw when assessing behavior, but instead observe how long they stay secluded and quiet. Though I will be carefully planning, I know that there is one thing I can never truly prepare for: the impact these children will have on me. As my seventeen days slowly count down turn to sixteen, my excitement grows. Until next time!
~Anjani
Friday, February 8, 2013
A Slight Change of Plans
Unfortunately, change is expected when planning to travel to another country. A terrible fired occurred at a Western run orphanage killing several children. As a result, all Western run orphanages in China are beginning to be shut down. The children are moving from Western run orphanages to Chinese run ones. The orphanage that I expected to volunteer at, no longer has children for me to work with. At first I thought I would no longer be able to continue my project with orphan children because the Chinese run orphanages would not allow me to volunteer in their facilities. Turning to other sources, I found a hospital in Bei Jing where I could volunteer. but there was no guarantee that I would be able to work with a set number of kids for a long enough period to fully carry out my case study research project. Happy to work in a hospital, I still wished to pursue my original project. Thanks to a contact in China, I have found a Chinese run orphanage in Bei Jing where I can volunteer and carry out my senior project. Despite multiple obstacles, I am excited to inform you that my project shall continue!
~ Anjani
~ Anjani
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Welcome to the World of Art
Hello! My name is Anjani Patel and today I begin blogging about my senior research project. I shall be exploring the following question: To what degree can Art Therapy affect the social skills and behavior of orphan children in Xi'an, China?
Through hands on experience at an orphanage in Xi'an for a month, I shall observe and record the effects of various Art Therapy methods on orphan children. I have taken art every year in high school. However, I never imagined using art to heal until I took AP Psychology my sophomore year. I immediately fell in love with the subject and began to search for a volunteer opportunity that would allow me to combine my two interests in a manner that could benefit others. I stumbled upon an organization called Free Arts of Arizona, which used artistic expression to heal abused and homeless children. Though I was unable to participate in the organization due to my age, I was inspired to pursue the concept of Art Therapy as my senior project.
Join me over the next few months and dive into this rising field, experiencing the world of art.
~ Anjani
Through hands on experience at an orphanage in Xi'an for a month, I shall observe and record the effects of various Art Therapy methods on orphan children. I have taken art every year in high school. However, I never imagined using art to heal until I took AP Psychology my sophomore year. I immediately fell in love with the subject and began to search for a volunteer opportunity that would allow me to combine my two interests in a manner that could benefit others. I stumbled upon an organization called Free Arts of Arizona, which used artistic expression to heal abused and homeless children. Though I was unable to participate in the organization due to my age, I was inspired to pursue the concept of Art Therapy as my senior project.
Join me over the next few months and dive into this rising field, experiencing the world of art.
~ Anjani
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)