“Connect through colour, get closer through pictures”- art therapy in the protection and improvement of mental health of children and young people with developmental difficulties

U ovom radu prikazuje se korištenje art-terapije u svrhu očuvanja i unapređenja mentalnog zdravlja djece i mladih s teškoćama. Stigmatizacija s kojom se često susreću narušava njihovo mentalno zdravlje dok uspješna socijalna integracija djeluje kao zaštitni faktor u očuvanju i unapređenju mentalnog zdravlja. S tim ciljem proveden je projekt “Poveži se bojom, približi se slikom” u kojem su sudjelovala djeca i mladi s teškoćama, kao i njihovi vršnjaci tipičnog razvoja. U sklopu projekta provedeno je istraživanje čiji je cilj bio ispitati uspješnost metode art-terapije kao načina senzibilizacije djece i mladih, učenika osnovnih i srednjih škola, za potrebe i mogućnosti osoba s teškoćama te poticanja inkluzivnog promišljanja i djelovanja. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 359 učenika/učenica s područja Splitsko-dalmatinske županije, ujedno i sudionika/-ica projekta. Korišten je anketni upitnik koji se sastojao od pitanja otvorenog i zatvorenog tipa te su prikupljeni i analizirani kvalitativni i kvantitativni podaci. Rezultati su pokazali da art-terapija korištena kao alat za socijalnu interakciju pridonosi povećanju stupnja senzibilizacije i prihvaćanja djece s teškoćama od strane njihovih vršnjaka bez teškoća. Naposljetku dvosmjerna socijalizacija u poticajnom okruženju posljedično pridonosi zaštiti i unapređenju mentalnog zdravlja djece s teškoćama.In this paper, the use of art therapy to maintain and improve the mental health of children and young people with disabilities is described. The stigmatisation that such young people often encounter diminishes their mental health, while successful social integration maintains and develops their mental health. This has been shown in a study conducted within the project “Connect through colour, get closer through pictures”, in which the participants were children and young people with disabilities, as well as their peers without developmental disabilities. The fundamental aim of the project was to raise awareness and sensitivity of children from primary and secondary schools toward the problems, needs and abilities of people with disabilities, and to stimulate them to think and act in an inclusive manner. The research was carried out as part of a project in which 359 pupils from Split-Dalmatia County participated. A survey of open- and closed-ended questions was administered, after which qualitative and quantitative data were analysed. The results of this research showed that art therapy as a tool for social interaction contributes to the protection and improvement of mental health in children with disabilities, and increases sensitivity and acceptance from their peers without disabilities. The resulting two-way socialisation in the stimulating environment contributes to the protection and improvement of mental health of children with disabilities