Fridays with Dani

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Fridays with Dani

• How Art Therapy is Helping One Child With Autism

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Some Advantages of Art Therapy

• Art is a language and promotes verbal language
• Art is a thinking activity that evaluates
  strengths
• Art can express visual memories
• Art can hold a permanent record of thoughts and
  feelings
• Art is not a linear language
• Art is universal and a normal activity of
  childhood and beyond

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Principles of Art Therapy When Working with
Children

• Every child is reachable
• Making art is a normal, daily activity for
  children
• Art therapy evaluations are used to discover a
  childs strengths
• Follow the childs lead. Children know what they
  need to communicate about.
• Provide the child with good enough art materials
  and protect the childs artwork as you would the
  child
• Parent involvement is a necessity

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Four Goals For Dani

• Communication
• Sense of Self
• Sensory Awareness
• Relationships

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We are totally convinced the level of
communication in art therapy sessions is higher
than any other therapy Daniel participates in
March, 2008
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Dani Age 2
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Pictures Can Evaluate StrengthsIts a Small World
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Art Can Evaluate StrengthsJungle CruiseEscape
from Danger
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Pirates of the Caribbean
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Danis Visual Schedule Notebook
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Page 1 of the Visual Schedule
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Page 2 of the Visual Schedule
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Page 3 of the Visual Schedule
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Page 4 of the Visual Schedule
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Childrens Interests 4/28/2005 Pirate Costume
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Shower Finger-Painting
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This is Africa
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Language Experience StoriesThis is Africa

• These are giraffes
• The rhinoceros is beating the drum.
• This monkey is playing the drum.
• This is a hyena.
• This is Africa.

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One of Blues Letters to Dani
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Hallmarks Singing Piano-playing Snowman
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Danis House View 1
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Danis houseView 2
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Danis Small World
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Benny and the Singing Bon-Bons
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March 15, 2007 SessionThe Hallmark Moment
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Dani Van Gogh
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Dani Pollack
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Dani Kandinsky
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Still Life DrawingHallmark Easter Bunnies
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Still Life DrawingThe Bunnies
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Still Life DrawingDanis Drawing
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Little Red Riding Hood
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Goldilocks The Three Bears
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Emails From Dani 8/31/2007

• Dr.Peg
• I Want The Snowman With The Dog The Snowman with
  the piano the 2 snowman the snowman with
  thepenguins PleaseDaniel

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November 11, 2008 SessionThe Ghost Story
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Other Interactive ExperiencesArt,
Games,Camera,Computer

• Interactive Scribble Drawings
• Building Blocks Block Head
• Playing Cards Go Fish, War
• Board Games Candyland
• Other Games Tic Tac Toe
• Outdoor Activities Flying a Kites
• Drama and Song with Poems Stories

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Use Images of Real PeoplePhotos for Feeling Chart
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A Parrot from aBowling Ball Shape
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Commercial Materials
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Directions Draw and elephant balancing on top
of this pole.from Scribbles A Drawing and
Coloring Book by Taro Gomi
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The Skys the Limit
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If You Give Me A Moment

• I would like you to meet Dani participating in
  unedited, real-time art therapy sessions,
  including the Hallmark Moment Session, the
  session Dani discusses his knowledge of ghosts,
  and in a more recent session that included a
  mind-reading lesson about feelings.
• Heres Dani