Visuals and Connections

I designed this fun and simple module for students with mental disabilities using the basic shapes like square and circles above.

Square Exercise


Circles and Squares


Triangles with Circles and Squares


Create a Scene


Symmetry and Asymmetry


And simple color fun using poster colors and fingers!


The objective is to keep it short, simple, and fun. Precision is not important but mental exercises keep them alert and interested with the things they see around them by providing them the tools to assimilate objects and scenes.

When my student Samir (with autism) stop his singing/monologues and start concentrating on the shapes even for a minute is already a huge success. When Samir manipulates space, sequence, visuals and give the signal that he is done, I give him a thumb up sign, we clap our hands, and give each other high fives!

Repeating Patterns

The repeated patterns of circles, squares, and the variations of it manifest itself in nature often. After all where else can art replicate these forms except from nature. For those with disabilities (retardation, autism, learning disorders, etc.) these patterns seem vivid in their minds and they provide connections and meaning which can be difficult for them to verbalize except through their creative mind expressed through various art forms: music, writing, drawing, coloring, movements like dance and relaxing yoga moves, etc.


In an art therapy session, I continued cutting out (by using scissors and by hand) various shapes that resemble circles and squares to create familiar shapes like flowers, butterflies, rocks, the sun! These are then pasted and colored on black paper to make the shapes stand out!


The art of creating movements by following a particular sequence (say a rounded line) is a great exercise to clarify thoughts and give order to confusing perceptions. Some abstract reasoning exercises are done to gauge the logic and keen analytical thinking even of professional adults!

The Hoya flower in the first photograph is from Heaven's garden.
The next two photos taken on a session with Samir and with permission.

Geometric Exercises

A fun and simple exercise for students with learning disabilities is to create spirals and circular movements. A meditative and calming exercise, it release stress. It may be surprising to know that a learning environment can be stressful for some people. Learning new things with strangers can be stressful: the pressure, the inability to execute or learn things and the terror of the consequence, etc. can be relieved by doodling or by simply rolling the arms in the air or shaking the hands.

Instead of drawing, images can be captured by forming shapes using other geometric shapes. In the session below for a child with autism, I cut out shapes like circles and squares to form a tree using colored glossy brochures (I do not throw them but keep and recycle them for this purpose!)


Autistic kids can easily grasp the exercise although they may appear distracted. I check this by making him segregate the squares and circles (90% accuracy) or to choose colors (50% accuracy rate) to select and paste on paper. Note: green color (paper used) lowers the serotonin and makes us calm and relax.

And to go a step further, why not a blue flower:

I prepared four cut flower shapes which can be assembled by pasting the circular core (a good exercise for coordination) and for 3D effects, to fold the first layer of petals to make the flower stand out! A lot of people (with autism) can clearly visualize the circle in the pattern even without lines which some normal adults can not.

And bright pink Desert Rose flower:


Someday, my student will learn to draw this flower just by looking at it. But it does not matter. What matters is that he can differentiate and construct the scenes around him using basic shapes. A very valuable lesson for children with special needs.

Art Therapy

I sat alone in the room for a full minute when somebody took a peep from the door. The boy entered and sat beside me without a word. He looked at the paper on the table took an orange crayon and began his favorite doodle.



He worked on this for sometime and when he was done he gave it to me. I smiled at him and gave him another paper. He took a yellow-green crayon and worked feverishly. Then he took a red crayon and doodled over the green. He showed it to me and I smiled and gave him an OK sign with my hand. He pointed to the window and we went together to look.



Yes, it is the tree!
I said as he pointed a finger to the tree in the distance.
We will draw the house now.



We went back to the table and worked on the house together. He finished happily and gave it to me. I smiled and gave him a hug. He looked at me and started tracing my face with his crayon stained fingers.


Next! he shouted.


You can draw anything you want, I said.



He made this drawing and showed it to me.
He said the balloon is him.
He made a drawing of balloons before.
But in black and brown. Dark colors.
He also told me the balloons were him.
This was the first time he made his balloons in another color.
He looked happy.


His name is Martin. He is 13 years old.
When we finished drawing, another boy walked in and made his own drawing of the same house.



They loved drawing this particular house with a tree.
Here's another version that day:



Jose is an 8 year old boy. Like Martin, they are referred to as special kids. When the other kids ask me why these kids don't draw well, I always say they do. They just do not draw like other kids and they see things differently. Unlike the other kids I conduct art workshops with, these kids undergo therapy daily which includes art workshop. I help and do art projects with them.


Here is another work but made by an adult with cancer:


She loves to draw her pain and every time she does, she gets some sort of relief from the excruciating pain of her sickness.


Art is the best therapy for pain and disabilities. I experienced working for children with learning disabilities, geriatics or older people, and those with cancer and dying of some illness. By expressing their fears and pain through an art media like drawing, painting, forming clay and sculpture, making collages, sewing, dancing, singing, acting and a lot of creative ways to express themselves, people were able to deal with their illness and disabilities and take some form of relief.


A woman who recovered from cancer watched her canvas for a few minutes. Unlike before, when she can immediately hold the brush and paint for hours, she was unable to paint again. Without her pain she seemed unable to work with her art. It took a year for her to finally see art as another outlet of expressing anything but her pain.