Art Therapy Groups for ASD- How to Manage Behaviors in a Creative Environment

One of the challenges of conducting therapy groups for children is to balance structure with creative freedom. This is especially true for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, because their behaviors can be very unpredictable causing the group to become chaotic and unsettling. So therefore a structured environment is essential and very often what this population thrives on. So, how can the art therapist still allow for creativity and mastery when behaviors are getting in the way? Not an easy task, but it can be done.

 

What kind of structure is needed? Well, it basically depends on the functioning level of the group but all in all I find it best to have a set plan of art making within a theme that the children can enjoy and relate to. For example "The Beach" or "Zoo Animals" and then have materials to support the theme, even sensory toys and books related to the theme helps to have on hand. Although as art therapists we try not to influence the art making, I always try to make a "sample" of the project to allow the children to have a visual representation; this very often is helpful to get them started. It is also useful to have "group rules" established before engaging in activity; this serves as a behavioral structure and will set boundaries for unaccepted behaviors.

 

Building social skills are a big component to ASD groups. Art making can allow for this to occur by designing the groups to "work together" or cooperatively. Murals, group collages and quilt making can allow this to happen. While children are engaging in the art making process, the therapist should always be mirroring back the accomplishments of each child's successes. Something as small as sharing a crayon can reinforce the skills being built. In addition, commenting on art elements within the child's work is great way to encourage individual creativity and to engage others in sharing thoughts as well. Making connections within the group is very powerful too. For example saying, "Look Johnny….. Billy's painting has the same bright green that your picture has……is that one of your favorite colors? Maybe it's Billy's favorite color, let's ask him…."

 

Some children on the spectrum who are lower functioning will need more assistance in order to participate in the group. Until they are comfortable in their surroundings some children will require a 1:1 aide within the group to help manage behaviors. It will benefit the child as well as the therapist to have this extra help in order to maintain group cohesion. As the child becomes more adaptable, the aide can be less involved and eventually weaned out of the group. In addition, the groups should have a manageable number of children based on available aides and volunteers. The ratio should be determined based on functioning level as well. An ideal group size is about 4-6 children with a lead therapist and at least one assistant as well as an aide for behavioral children.

 

One last thing to keep in mind when working with children on the spectrum is the choice of materials for art making. Make sure you are aware of sensory issues within the group as well as allergies and aversions which children with ASD often have. It is best to build up a tolerance to messier materials which can often be regressive. Painting is fine, however put out small amounts and use spill proof containers. Make sure that when messy materials are being presented there are enough aides to provide support and "hand over hand" assistance. Letting parents know beforehand is a good idea for dressing down and having smocks is a good idea as well.

 

Hope this is helpful and will have more on this topic to come………

Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders:
Psychosocial Adaptation, Sibling Relationships and Parental Stress Factors
(This was a proposal/ assignment for a Research Methods class at Montclair State University, however, I do want to execute the study in the near future)

I. Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and discover how this condition along with parental stress factors influences their own psychosocial structure and the relationship with their disabled sibling.

II. Definition of Terms

1) Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD’s) are a group of developmental disorders which are derived from the disorder Autism (sometimes called “classical autism”) Autism is characterized by a variety of behavioral deficits such as impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and unusual, repetitive, or severely limited activities and interests.
The ASD’s include Asperger’s syndrome, Rett’s syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (usually referred to as PDD-NOS). (http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm#133693082)

III. Justification of Study
In recent years, Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have been receiving a lot of attention in both the educational as well as medical fields. Approximately mid-point during the twentieth century is when the name for this disorder first appeared; and now it affects an estimated 3.4 in every 1,000 children ages 3-10. It has been made clear that Autism can create disruption in families and unfulfilled lives for many children
(http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/autism). A lot of research is being done to investigate the causes of this disorder from an organic and biochemical perspective. At the same time, there is equal work and research being done to explore treatments plans, behavioral approaches and interventions for the ASD child in the educational setting.
Currently, there appears to be a growing interest in how this disorder affects families. A recent study investigated family resilience of children with autism; showing such effects as connectedness and closeness, positive meaning-making of the disability and spiritual and personal growth. (Bayat, 2007) However, Autism in any form is still a stressful condition to deal with; the parents and the other children in the family will in no doubt be influenced by this fact. Numerous studies involving the psychosocial adjustments, behaviors and coping skills of siblings of children with ASD have appeared in the last ten years showing the importance and interest in this area. (Kaminsky & Dewey, 2002; Roeyers & Buysse, 2003; Macks & Reeve, 2007; Orsmond, Kuo & Seltzer, 2009). Interestingly, these recent studies show inconsistencies. There are many reviewed studies that have discovered negative outcomes for the siblings; which include feelings of being alone and increased behavior problems due to the ASD of their brother or sister. However these fail to indicate the conditions of the environment and various circumstances that may have an effect on these conclusions (Rivers & Stoneman, 2003).
In a typical family, siblings play together and develop supportive relationships through intimate daily contact with each other during their childhood years. Both nurturance and conflict play a part in developing a sense of emotional understanding, self-regulation and feeling comfortable with their sense of belonging. (Orsmond & Seltzer, 2007) In families where there is a child with ASD, the sibling relationship may be compromised but at the very least, different than in a typical family; this is mainly due to the fact that the ASD sibling may lack such things as play or social skills. In addition, stress factors of the parents also have an effect on this dynamic. Sometimes parents may feel inadequate in handling their Autistic child and this stress may ultimately make regular family activities, such as trips or outings more difficult (Twoy, Connolly, & Novak, 2006; Higgins, Bailey, & Pearce, 2005). Changes in the family’s daily living and stressed behaviors of parents in connection with the ASD child may create resentment and subsequent difficulties in the sibling relationship.

IV. Annotated Bibliography
1) Bayat, M. (2007). Evidence of resilience in families of children with autism. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, Vol. 51, part 9, p.702-714.
In this article, the author explores the factors of family resilience and states that despite the popularity of this area of study, little has been done in families with children that have disabilities. The conclusions indicate that a significant number of families of children with autism present factors of family resilience. Participants in this study were parents only, with no siblings involved in the data. Also within the article, there are aspects that are noted but not fully explored, such as parents being advocates for their autistic child. These, the author states may influence the elements of resilient families and may need further examination. In addition, the study has a major limitation regarding demographics; stating that about 63% of the participants were from middle to upper middle white families.

2) Kaminsky, L. & Dewey, D. (2002). Psychosocial adjustment in siblings of children with autism. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 43 (2), p.225-232.
This article described a comparative study and used two other groups to measure the psychosocial adjustment of the siblings of children with autism; one being siblings of Down syndrome and the other siblings of normally developing children. It focused on feelings of loneliness and social support as well. There were several measures used: Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach, 1991), Social Support Scale for Children (Harter, 1985), Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction Questionnaire (Asher et al, 1984), Adaptive Behaviors Questionnaire, and Demographics Questionnaire. Ultimately, the study concluded that enhanced psychosocial adjustment of siblings of children with autism was associated with a larger number of siblings in the family. A major limitation noted in this study was that 80% of the siblings were older than the child with autism and because of the small number of younger participants analyses comparing these two were not possible. Therefore the findings may not be applicable to younger siblings.

3) Macks, R. & Reeve, R. (2007). The adjustment of non-disabled siblings of children with autism. Journal Autism Dev Disord., 37: 1060-1067.
In this study, siblings of autistic children were compared to siblings of non-disabled children. The outcome showed that having a child with autism seems to enhance the psychosocial and emotional well-being of their siblings when demographic risk factors are limited. Both children and parents participated in this study and were measured by standardized means. The children were asked to complete the Children Depression Inventory-Short Form (CDI-S) (Kovacs, 1992) as well as the Piers-Harris Children’s Self-Concept Scale (Piers, 1984). Parents completed Behavior Assessment System for Children-Parent Rating Scales (BASC-PRS) in relation to their non-disabled child. The study noted that positive results may have had some explanations. For example, siblings may have viewed themselves quite favorably as compared to their disabled brother or sister. Another factor from the parental perspective is that most parents of ASD may not have an accurate view of their typical child because they spend so much time caring for the child with autism. Discrepancies were noted between self-reports and parent reports; noting that most studies will have a single type of respondent however multiple types of respondents were advisable in this situation. Once again, demographics were emphasized in the discussion section indicating that future studies should examine race, religion, marital status, and gender of the ASD child.

4) Rivers, J.W. & Stoneman, Z. (2003). Sibling relationships when a child has autism: marital stress and support coping. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Vol. 33, no. 4.
This article is most relevant to my study because it involves the stress of the parents. As hypothesized by the author, when the marital stress levels were higher, the siblings and the relationships were more compromised. Overall however, the siblings did express satisfaction with their sibling relationships whereas parents were somewhat less positive. Parent-sibling triads were used in this study (1 parent, autistic child, typical child) and incorporated self- report inventories and questionnaires. Two main instruments were used in measuring results: Sibling Inventory of Behavior (SIB) (McHale & Gamble, 1987) and Satisfaction with the Sibling Relationship Scale (modified in 1989). Marital Stress was measured by a modified version of the FILE: Family Inventory of Life Events and Changes (McCubbin, Thompson, & McCubbin, 1996). The author stated that families who experienced extreme amounts of marital stress and sought a high level of formal supportive services outside the family, had more negative reports related to sibling relationships in comparison to families who sought lower levels of outside support. These findings, the author states, reinforce the importance of looking at family context as an important factor in assessing the qualities of the sibling relationship.



References
Achenbach, T.M. (1991). Manual for the child behavior checklist/4–18 and 1991 profiles. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont Department of Psychiatry.
Asher, S.R., Hymel, S., & Renshaw, P.D. (1984). Loneliness in children. Child Development, 55, 1456–1454.
Bayat, M. (2007). Evidence of resilience in families of children with autism. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, Vol. 51, part 9, p.702-714.
Harter, S. (1985). Manual for the Social Support Scale for Children. Denver, CO: University of Denver.
Higgins, D., Bailey, S., & Pearce, J. (2005) Factors associated with functioning style and coping strategies of families with a child with an autism spectrum disorder. Autism, 9(2), 125-137.
Kaminsky, L. & Dewey, D. (2002). Psychosocial adjustment in siblings of children with autism. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 43 (2), p.225-232.
Kovacs, M. (1992). The children’s depression inventory: Manual. North Tonawanda, NY: Multi-Health Systems, Inc.
Macks, R. & Reeve, R. (2007). The adjustment of non-disabled siblings of children with autism. Journal Autism Dev Disord., 37: 1060-1067.
McCubbin, H. I., Thompson, A. I., & McCubbin, M. A. (1996). Family assessment: Resiliency, coping, and adaptation. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin.
McHale, S. M., & Gamble, W. C. (1987). Sibling relationships and adjustment of children with disabled brothers and sisters. Journal of Children in Contemporary Society, 19, 131–158.
www.ninds.nih.gov (2009) National Institute of Health/ National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Orsmond, G.I., Kuo, H., & Seltzer, M. (2009). Siblings of individuals with an autism spectrum disorder: Sibling relationships and well-being in adolescence and adulthood. Sage Publications and the National Autistic Society, Vol. 13 (1) p. 59-80

Orsmond, G. I. & Seltzer, M. (2007). Siblings of individuals with autism spectrum disorders across the life course. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 13:313-320.
Piers, E. V. (1984). Piers–Harris children’s self-concept scale: Revised manual. Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services.
Rivers, J.W. (2008). Child temperaments, differential parenting, and the sibling relationships of children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal Dev Disorders, 38: 1740-1750.
Rivers, J.W. & Stoneman, Z. (2003). Sibling relationships when a child has autism: marital stress and support coping. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Vol. 33, no. 4.
Twoy, R., Connolly, P.M. & Novak, J.M. (2007). Coping strategies used by parents of children with autism. Journal of the Academy of Nurse Practioners,19, p. 251-260.



Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: by Pamela Ullmann is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Art Makes Sense- Sensory Art Therapy

Creative art making can offer unique ways for children to gain a sense of control and mastery of their environment, grow in self expression, self awareness and self-esteem. This holds true for children with special needs, ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), and other developmental issues as well. However, these children very often have “sensory” issues or sensory integration disorder which can affect their responses to various art materials.

That is why it is important to have a trained and credentialed art therapist or related professional assess the child and create a customized program that can help the child with sensory issues while at the same time engage in creative expression.

Children may experience deficits in one or several sensory areas; the most often observed is visual processing, auditory processing, and “tactile defensiveness” (an aversion to certain textures and touching). Art making with an experienced therapist can often break through these issues in a fun and non-threatening way; enabling the child to experience new and creative expression.

Visual Techniques:
Art making is obviously a visual modality, but those children with visual processing issues may need adaptations, concrete steps, and prompts in order to follow effectively. Sometimes using a page border helps contain the image making. Using dark colors on white paper or white chalk on black paper can create maximum contrast. Utilizing thicker crayons and markers can build a stronger visual focus. Also, the therapist can incorporate dotted lines as a “starter” for the child to trace around lines or shapes. Another processing technique is to present materials in a clock-like manner one by one; avoiding too many materials in the working space.

Helpful Techniques for Auditory Processing Difficulties
• Combine verbal instructions with sign language or hand motions
• Make sure the art making activity is presented in a quiet room or area
• Utilize pictures or “samples” of a particular art project when giving directions
• Use visual cues when transitioning from one activity to another along with instructions (such as flashing lights on and off in the room)

What is Tactile Defensiveness?
The main cause is neurological disorganization in the midbrain region of the brain which is basically responsible for filtering incoming stimuli, and, may not sufficiently screen out all extraneous tactile stimulation causing the child to perceive the input as extreme and uncomfortable. The central nervous system ability to process tactile sensory input is distorted causing the child great discomfort. Their brain may register subtle sensations as extreme irritation or even painful and he may respond in an abnormally reactive way such as grimacing or pulling away from the stimulus.

Sensory based art making is a fascinating modality that allows children to engage in creative expression with no pressures. Using this approach, an Art Therapist can assess the severity of tactile issues and can help the child build tolerance in this area. Depending on the nature of the tactile defensiveness, the art therapist can use materials within the art making or as a separate activity of just playing with the materials; this starts the process of de-sensitizing the child in a fun and non-threatening manner.

Here are some art and play materials that are often used:
• Cornstarch and water play (creates a “gooey-like substance)
• Feathers, chenille, pom-poms to create “texture collages”
• Water-play using food dye and various containers
• Play dough, putty, and other modeling compounds
• String, felt, other craft materials
• Sand –art
• Shaving cream finger-painting
• Rice, shredded tissue paper

The list goes on and the therapist can create recipes and projects that are tailored to the child’s interests to encourage engagement. The caution here would be to go slowly and not overwhelm or over stimulate the child with an abundance of tactile materials. Let the child take the lead and if the child responds negatively, make a note and try new materials.

Art Makes Sense-Sensory Art Therapy by Pamela Ullmann is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Painting with wheels!!

Although it has been a while since I have ran a "Wheel Art" workshop, I did find it very gratifying to help children create works of art with their own wheels!

What is Wheel Art?
Wheel Art is a unique activity for individuals who are wheel chair dependent. Each “wheel artist” uses the wheels of their chair to paint onto a large canvas secured to the floor. The artists all contribute their own style, color and unique patterns that create an amazing community mural to be shared.

Who Can Participate in Wheel Art?
The wheel artist may wheel themselves; either manually or through a powered wheel chair. Or, if they are not able to do so an assistant can help them move across the surface. Children, young adults and older adults all enjoy wheel art. Wheel art is empowering for the person confined to a wheel chair because it allows them to express their creativity in an exceptional way. Just as each person is unique, the patterns from their wheels are as well; they reflect a part of themselves which is “one of a kind”. After the piece is completed the artists can proudly look back and recognize their own tread marks on the canvas; feeling a part of a community of special individuals.

Painting with Wheels
Different painting techniques are used to achieve successful application onto the wheels. Non-toxic acrylic paints along with various brushes and rollers are used in conjunction with special additives to maximize paint vibrancy and fluidity.

Each wheel artist chooses a color to paint with. After successfully loading the wheels with their chosen color, the artist moves their chair through and across the surface of the canvas creating patterns and linear shapes throughout. Sometimes, a favorite song is played in the background while the painting takes place. The experience then becomes a “dance” with their chairs as well as a visual art activity. A wonderful process with a beautiful product!

For more information on having a "Wheel Art Day" for artists in wheel chairs, please email Pamela@colorsofplay.com

Autism and Creative Arts Therapy

An Emerging Need
Data released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in 2007 revealed a startlingly high prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders in New Jersey children: 10.6 per 1,000, or one child in every 94.
School systems, health care facilities, and community service agencies struggle to meet a rising need and demand for innovative services that can give children on the autism spectrum the best chance to develop intellectually and socially, to discover their talents and cope with their challenges. Parents and siblings of children on the autism spectrum also need supportive services to cope with the stress of their children’s special needs.
We aim to develop a comprehensive creative arts therapy curriculum for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders, including Art Therapy, Music Therapy and Dance Therapy. In addition, we will offer creative workshops and healing groups for overstressed family members.
Creative Arts Therapies for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Creative arts therapies offer many benefits for children on the autism spectrum:
• Engaging hard-to-reach youth: Simply put, creative arts therapies are fun. Even children who resist other interventions may participate eagerly in Art, Music, and Dance Therapy
• Sensory Stimulation and Integration: Because children on the autism spectrum have heightened sensory needs, they often respond well to the multisensory stimulation and concrete, hands-on approach inherent in art, music, and dance therapy. Music and dance help to integrate the body and increase sensory tolerance.
• Socialization: Sharing art and performing together can help children on the autism spectrum build social skills and bond with peers.
• Communication and Self-Expression: Creative arts provide a precious medium of self-expression for children with limited or no verbal communication.
• Building the Imagination: Creative art therapies have unparalleled capacity to address imagination deficit, a classic characteristic of autism. Art therapy can help children with autism to build abstract thinking skills, creativity, and flexibility.
• Strengthening Family Relationships: Art therapy can also help families discover new ways of relating to children with autism spectrum disorders, and foster an appreciation of these children’s unique gifts. Workshops and healing groups targeted to parents and siblings of autistic children will help family members develop supportive peer relationships and coping skills.

Working with Children and Families through CMO's

Colors of Play, LLC has just been awarded a MOU (contract) with Hudson Partnership CMO and very shortly will also be working with Bergen's Promise CMO (Care Management Organization)as a Provider of clinical services.


Once a child has enrolled through the ValueOptions referral process with the CMO's, a Care Manager (the person who will work closely to help a child and family manage their life until they can do it on their own) contacts the family to set up a meeting where they live or within their community. Each Care Manager has an average of ten families per caseload.

The Family Support Organization is also contacted to help link the family with a parent partner who will help provide peer support, education and advocacy to them. The Family Support Organization works in partnership with the CMO's, ValueOptions, state agencies and provider organizations to ensure that the system is open and responsive to the needs of families and children. The Family Support Organization provides a voice for families working with Bergen's Promise or Hudson Partnership, especially at Child and Family Team meetings.
The family and child's immediate needs and present strengths and interests are assessed. A plan for action is formulated in case another crisis or event develops. Who to call and what to do are clearly defined if anything should happen.

Additional family or community members as well as representatives from the professional community, including the Family Support Organization–anyone important in the life of the child–are identified. These people will constitute the members of the Child and Family Team. A date is set for the first Child and Family Team meeting to be scheduled toward the end of the next 30 days. All decisions relating to the child and family needs and supports are made at Child and Family Team meetings. All members have an equal voice in making those decisions.
A plan is created and implemented by the Team. The plan includes mental health services and natural support activities, designed to meet the needs of the child and their family.

A Partnership
Essential puzzle pieces – linked together:

1.ValueOptions - Contracted Systems Administrator (CSA)
2.Children's Mobile Response and Stabilization System
3.Care Management Organization (CMO)
4.Youth Case Management
5.Family Support Organization (FSO)

I am very excited that Colors of Play, LLC will be included in this referral process. Art and Play Therapy can be an effective clinical approach for children expereinceing trauma, behavioral issues and emotional difficulties. Referrals will be generated by the CMO care managers and I will be provding Art and Play therapy in the home.

See both organizations: http://www.bergenspromise.org/ AND http://hudsoncmo.org/

Pamela Ullmann, ATR-BC, LCAT, CCLS

Children and Creativity

Creativity in childhood is typically assessed through paper-and-pencil measures such as the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking. These tests are designed to measure divergent thinking, such as fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration. Signification criticisms have been raised about these tests as measures of creativity. First is the general problem that there are no universally accepted definitions of creativity. Second, critics of creativity tests argue that these tests do not measure creativity per se but instead reflect the specific abilities that are assessed by the tests. Third, the scores on these tests often depend partly on speed, which is not necessarily a criterion for creativity. A final consistent concern relates to the scoring of creativity tests, which by definition are somewhat subjective. Thus, the reliability of such tests is commonly questioned.

Infancy
From birth to 18 months, infants can be encouraged to engage in creativity by playing with a variety of safe household materials, such as margarine tubs, empty boxes, and large empty spools. Parents and caregivers can encourage experimentation by showing excitement and interest in what babies do.
Parents can encouraged infants to develop creativity by singing to the infant and playing music, moving the infant's hands to music, hanging a colorful mobile over the crib, placing pictures and photos where the baby can focus on them, and playing sound games with infants, such making up nonsense words or using rhyming words when talking to them.

Toddlerhood
From ages 18 months to four years, toddlers have progressively better hand and eye coordination. Caregivers should give them opportunities to develop this coordination by allowing them to draw with water-based paints, with chalk, and with crayons. Toddlers also can develop their creativity by pasting, tearing, cutting, printing, modeling with clay or play dough, or working with various materials to create collage, and for the older child, experimenting with fabric, tie dye, batik, printing, and simple woodwork. From around 12 months, children may begin to imitate things that adults do. Real fantasy play begins at around ages 18 to 21 months. This should not prevent caregivers from playing imaginatively from a younger age, since fantasy play is linked to creativity. Studies have shown that children with very active fantasies tend to have personality traits that contribute to creativity—originality, spontaneity, verbal fluency, and a higher degree of flexibility in adapting to new situations. Children who fantasize a lot have unusually good inner resources for amusing themselves. Parents can provide materials that lend themselves to fantasy play (dressing-up clothes, dolls, housecleaning sets, and stuffed animals), play pretending games with their children, and make suggestions and encourage new ideas when toddlers play alone. Adults should start involving toddlers with creative activities as soon as they feel the child will enjoy them. Adults need to remember that young toddlers are not skillful enough to consciously produce works of art. At 18 months they may be more ready for creative play and even at this age, they may spend no more than five minutes of concentration on any one activity.

Preschool
Preschoolers can use the same materials as toddlers but can use them in more complex ways. By age five, many children start drawing recognizable objects. By age six, they are usually interested in explaining their art works. They also like to tell stories and can make books of their stories, including drawing pictures to accompany the writing. At this age fantasy play becomes more complex. Preschoolers often direct each other on what to do or say as they play "Let's pretend." Play is a critical part of developing creativity, according to Mary Mindess, a child psychology professor at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. "Play allows children to construct meaning for themselves," Mindess stated in an article in the August 2001 newsletter The Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter. "Two children may share an experience, but each will process the experience differently. Very often during play, children take things they see in real life, or things they imagine they experience—like something they read in a book or saw on television—and make meaning of it," she wrote.

School Age
Early school-age children, six to nine years, incorporate lots of fantasy into their play, including action games with superheroes. Children of this age group spend much of their time daydreaming. Some daydreams become "real" as children begin to act them out in stories and plays. Many researchers believe that in order to foster creativity in schools, education should be based on the discovery of knowledge and the development of critical attitudes, rather than on the passive absorption of knowledge. They believe this applies whether the class is in art, history, science, or humanities. However, most school teaching in the United States is based on the child's ability to memorize. The highest marks are often given to those who merely studied their lessons well. The pupil whose creative side is more developed may be considered a disruptive member of the class. At ages nine to 12, children's creativity is greatly affected by peer influence. They increase the amount of detail and use of symbols in drawings. They also have expanded their individual creative differences and begin to develop their own set of creative values.

Adolescents
Teenagers are highly critical of the products they make and ideas they have. They try to express themselves creatively in a more adult-like way. Their creativity is influenced by their individual differences, physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially. In most high schools, classes that stress creativity, such as art, music, writing, and drama are electives and many may not be required. For many adolescents, high school is their last opportunity to take these creative classes.
Also, teens become more self-aware and self-conscious. This focus often causes them to conform to their peers, which stifles their creativity and makes their thoughts less flexible. Flexibility refers to the ability to consider various alternatives at the same time.

Common Problems & Parental Concerns
Rewards or incentives appear to interfere with creativity and reduce children's flexibility of thought. Studies show that any constraints such as structured instructions reduce creative flexibility in children. Many parents and teachers do not understand that children who are creative are often involved in imaginary play and are motivated by internal rather than external factors. Environment appears to play a greater role than heredity in the development of creativity: identical twins reared apart show greater differences in creativity than in intellectual ability. Family environments with certain characteristics have been found to be more conducive to creativity than others. One of these characteristics is a relaxed parental attitude rather than one that is overly anxious or authoritarian. On the whole, the families of creative children discipline them without rigid restrictions, teaching them respect for values above rules. Similarly, they emphasize achievement rather than grades. The parents in such homes generally lead active, fulfilling lives themselves and have many interests. Finally, they reinforce creativity in their children by a general attitude of respect and confidence toward them and by actively encouraging creative pursuits and praising the results. It has been found that creativity in both children and adults is affected by positive reinforcement. Schools as well as families can encourage creativity by offering children activities that give them an active role in their own learning, allow them freedom to explore within a loosely structured framework, and encourage them to participate in creative activities for the sheer enjoyment of it rather than for external rewards. (http://www.answers.com/topic/creativity)