Art as a Language for Autism

Art as a Language for Autism addresses the clinical challenges that are common in working with autistic spectrum disorder by exploring how artistic expression can provide a communicative language for younger clients who are set in their thought processes and preferences.

Jane Ferris Richardson is an art therapist, an exhibiting artist, a play therapist, and an associate professor of art therapy at Lesley University. Her developmentally based, integrative approach to working with children merges both art and play.

1. Introduction: The Rainbow Day 2. Listening to What We May Not Hear 3. A Strong Image of the Child with Autism 4. Finding a Language for Feeling 5.Chapter Five: Who is Diagnosis For? 6. A World Between Art and Play 7. Playful Art and Artful Play: an Integrative Approach to Art and Play in Therapy 8. Trusting the Process in Autism 9. Clay, Play, and Connection 10. From Perfectionism to Playfulness 11. Empathy: Understanding the Other Through Art and Play 12. Potential and Possibility for Adolescents 13. The Spectrum and the Continuum 14. Experience Becomes a Doorway: A Parent's Story 15. Conclusion