Where's the Art in Autism Education? (& the music too)

Amid the endless litany of things to advocate for in regard to the education of my son and of other individuals with disabilities, art and music are frequently, and regularly, overlooked. The endpoint of Charlie's education is to teach him what he'll need to work and live as independently as he can, so emphasis gets placed on "the basics"---reading, basic arithmetic, writing, self-help and prevocational skills. It was a couple of grades ago that he had "specials" in the form of library, art, and music and he never fared too well in those, partially because the teachers had minimal (if any) training in teaching students on the autism spectrum.

While I wouldn't say that Charlie has super-unusual abilities in either art or music, he clearly has an affinity for both. He's long been drawn to colors, shapes, textures, and he's always, always liked music and not only for the sound, if that makes sense. He once had a toy guitar and was fascinated by the vibrations it made; I've tried to teach him to play the cello a bit and he used to have piano lessons. (I've made it a summer project to work on the latter again.) Charlie can't really read words, but he can read music, for both instruments.

It seems to me that there has to be a way to better integrate art and music into his education, precisely because art and music offer different ways of learning, experiencing, interfacing with the world. Charlie's struggles in school are for many more reasons than him being "differently abled," but that's no reason not to encourage him to learn in all sorts of ways.

Unfortunately, the picture for arts and music education in the US is not looking too good. Yesterday's New York Times reported that, according to a new survey by the federal Department of Education, "music and art instruction in American eighth-grade classrooms has remained flat over the last decade." American students' proficiency in these areas is said to be "mediocre" and I can believe it:

As the first federal effort since 1997 to examine instruction and measure student achievement in music and the arts, the survey has added new evidence to the debate about whether American schools are cutting back on the subjects they teach to concentrate on improving students’ basic skills.

In the test, formally known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress in Arts, administrators at 260 public and private schools were asked how much time they devoted to art and music instruction, and 7,900 eighth-grade students were tested on art and music concepts, a small sample compared with other federal assessments. For example, in 2007, the department tested 700,000 students in reading and math, and 29,000 in history.

Art and music aren't really part of Charlie's curricula, and only in so far as his class does the occasional art project (he seems to enjoy these, I'm told). And I'm not sure how much it would stoke Charlie's interest to be able to distinguish music from the Baroque period vs. the Classical, or to identify the Great Masters. Our school district apparently has a "very strong" music program, as in students playing in the orchestra and band "at a competitive level" (whatever that is). But I'm wondering if the emphasis on performing at this "high level" is not leading to less of a focus on music for everyone, throughout life, somewhat as school districts all over the US put (whether they admit it or not) a huge focus in student athletes competing and winning titles and tournaments, more than on everyone participating and getting exercise, learning to be healthy, and the like?---sort of the conundrum---problem---that's been raised regarding the Special Olympics: Is this about competing and winning, or lifelong fitness?

(And did that sound overly didactic in a middle-school-y sort of way? Let it be revealed, I once taught middle-schoolers, and enjoyed the experience much.)

It's very easy to get stuck in a rut with Charlie's education and only focus on "what he has to learn for his future" in terms of a job or taking care of himself. Am feeling quite tempted to mix up some modeling clay and paints; am thinking Charlie'll at least be interested in this mixing part.

And I'll let you know if we get anywhere further with the piano. My private goal is to teach him to use a music book we got at the music store, rather than the specially made music sheets his former piano teacher made. Every note played counts.

More on the study at EdWeek.