Art as Medicine: The Effects of Art Materials on Brain Function in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

摘要

The art therapy process engages a variety of proprioceptors. The tactile-kinesthetic stimulation that different populations and clients experience is limitless due to the different mediums that are used within sessions. An important yet challenging concept an art therapist must take into account is what media to use with a given populace that will ensure positive growth and progress. However, the understanding of how certain art materials can neurologically improve the client is vastly overlooked. Neuroscience can be explored and understood without falling into the literalism that so often stifles the joy of understanding the mechanisms of the therapeutic process (Chapman, 96). As art therapists, we must understand which areas of the brain are affected by the different disorders and diseases patients may have. Knowing how art materials such as paint, clay, collage and pencil can stimulate these affected brain areas should be a top priority. Having a firm understanding of this concept can eliminate the "guessing game" art therapists currently depend on to help patients.;The study conducted used a neuroimaging device called the Mini-Q on a ten-year-old child. Six Mini-Q readings were taken throughout the study. One reading was administered before any art activities transpired. Then, one reading took place during each of the art activities: paint, clay, collage, and pencil. And a final reading immediately after the art activities was completed. This study hypothesized that there would be a significant difference in brain area activation when comparing the effects of one art material to another. However, the results concluded that there is no single area of the brain devoted to a material. Multiple areas of the brain became activated in response to paint, clay, collage and pencil. But this study is significant because it proved there were more defined traits associated with certain materials. For instance, while one material increased brain areas that influenced attentional processes, another material enhanced regions correlated to emotion regulation. With further research, a comprehensive understanding of how art materials affect the brain can be achieved. The effects of art materials on different disorders/diseases will act as a foundation for what materials art therapists should use with certain populations. In addition, it will give the field of art therapy more validity as a concrete treatment modality and a credible adjunct for medication. Art can thus be medicine!