Earnest Parents, February 4, 2012
Raising children is hard enough, but raising children with ADHD and anxiety problems can be downright nerve-wracking. We simply aren’t taught how to communicate with a child who has such difficulties, since adults often gradually move away from the mindset of children and struggle to connect with kids who are anxious or have ADHD.
Luckily, there are a variety of possible solutions to this problem of bridging the gap of age, thinking styles, and even language. Several types of therapy have been proven very effective, but even they can be hard for kids. Many children simply don’t have the vocabulary to describe what has happened to them, if their conditions have an underlying cause, or how they feel. Such words aren’t a part of anxious kids’ vocabulary, but they are still bothered by the feelings, even if they can’t identify them with language. These emotions are, therefore, sometimes better expressed without the direct aid of language.
With art therapy, unlike other forms of therapy, children are often more free to express their true feelings. They aren’t restrained by their vocabulary, or even their artistic abilities, as emotions have a way of making themselves known even in the most rudimentary, “childish” art