By Wesley Spectrum High School (WSHS) in Whitehall, in partnership with The Andy Warhol Museum, has developed an art program that helps students on the autism spectrum and/or with behavioral health issues identify facial expressions, body language and social cues.
“It helped me mature and better express my emotions,” said Ryan, 15, a sophomore with autism spectrum disorder who has been in the once- or twice-weekly class at the school for several years. By using various modalities in art, techniques and references to contemporary artists students enhance the learning of social skills. The ability to recognize emotional expressions is invaluable for successful social interaction and effective interpersonal communication.
The program is implemented by art teacher Lynda Abraham-Braff and speech and language therapist Janice Kustron of WSHS, along with artist educators from The Andy Warhol Museum.
From the very first year of Wesley’s art program in 2009, “We noticed all of the sudden these kids didn’t have tunnel vision; they weren’t isolated in their own world,” Ms. Abraham-Braff said.