Art Therapy for the Healing of Tribal Kids with Special Needs - A Case of Multiple Intelligence

Abstract

Healing in the lap of nature is an intuitive insight amidst discourses on the mental health of aboriginals. While the wilderness offers a therapeutic exploration of the tribal mind, socio- political marginalization often impacts the wellbeing of minority groups. Children fromindigenous families are most vulnerable to the witnessing of such victimization and isolation. While parents struggle to make ends meet, with drug intake and alcohol addiction - the recipients of frustrated living conditions in harsh geo-social settings, are kids born into tribes. Art having a language of its own allows for this transcendental healing to occur, in a multilingual context of diverse cultural histories. Performance and visual arts offer tremendous potential to mitigate ADHD-related violent tendencies, as well as help adults to abate reactionary behaviors while holding a healing space for differentially-abled minds. Parents of indigenous origins, and teachers from special-needs inclusive schools - involved in the learning processes of adolescents and toddlers from settlements of aborigine - must be equipped with techniques to channel disruptive behavior such as restlessness or rage. The environmental setting offers immense potency to reconfigure the socio-ecological descent of aggression and hyper attenuation. Using environmental sciences as an extra-curricular subject to involve students in interpersonal skills development, assessment was structured to be holistic of varied learning styles and integrative of disciplines.