| OCR Text |
Show Finger Painting i Aid in Paralysis OpensNew World of Action, Color for Physically Handicapped Tots. DURHAM, N. C The medium of finger painting is opening up a new world of action and color for physically phys-ically handicapped children who are unable to co-ordinate muscular control con-trol because of spastic paralysis. Children in the spastic dormitory of Duke hospital for the first time in their lives are able to express themselves without muscular tension ten-sion tension that sometimes can bring on a chaos of writhing movements. move-ments. The finger painting technique was originated by Miss Ruth Faison Shaw, famous painter, teacher and designer. The technique is simple children dip their fingers into colored col-ored paint and "daub" the colors onto a board. Remarkable pictures sometimes are created by the children, who are unable to hold drawing pencils or brushes in their hands. Occasionally Occa-sionally vivid and original designs are formed. The designs, adaptable to textile prints, may be a means of some of the "spastics" earning a living. Brushes Fail Bands. Miss Isobel Moore, who proposed a project in rhythmic drawing in color for relaxation, ran into difficulties diffi-culties when she found the patients could not hold brushes or crayons very well, and Miss Shaw suggested finger painting. There are no set rules In finger painting, and the child is left to create as he will. His senses are stimulated by the pleasant texture of the paint, and pupils who could not remain interested in one subject more than a few minutes were engrossed en-grossed for hours in finger painting. One child who has been unable to articulate an individual word saw the other children working and , pulled the hem of Miss Shaw's skirt to attract her attention. She turned ' and he asked: "Let me do it." Often, Miss Shaw says, the realization reali-zation of physical shortcomings in a child "builds up an emotional conflict con-flict that aggravates his condition. In our experimental classes here we find that the birth-injured child tactfully tact-fully but unremittingly trained to a determination to surmount his handicaps, han-dicaps, encouraged to a sense of accomplishment by work especially adopted to his individual needs, gradually acquires greater confidence confi-dence and assurance. This in turn helps him to be more oblivious of his condition." Technique Developed. Miss Shaw developed the technique tech-nique while abroad, opening her first school in 1923 in Rome. In 1932 she was called to Paris to give a public demonstration. She lectured lec-tured at the Sorbonne, instructed at the Trocadero school and arranged for six exhibitions of the work of her pupils. Later she came to America and demonstrated finger painting at the Dalton school in New York. Patients range in age from 4 to 14. Older girls, she said, produced patterns pat-terns that have suggested a possible vocational aptitude in the field of textile design. Dr. Earl R. Carlson, himself a spastic child, and author of a recent book, "Born That Way," said when he was not afraid, self-conscious or overanxious about what he was doing do-ing he was able to move his muscles successfully, although usually such an attempt such as moving a finger fin-ger was enough to cause writhing. He said the "best medicine" for the spastic would be to become financially self-dependent and that it was to be hoped finger painting might open a way. |
