In Hong Kong, children with special educational needs (SEN) may experience difficulties in adapting to mainstream education. The non-verbal nature of the expressive arts-based approach has proven to be an effective means to help children with language difficulties convey their thoughts and emotions positively, as well as helping them assimilate knowledge.

To improve the efficacy of communication among teachers and underprivileged students with different educational needs, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust funded a three-year project titled ‘Jockey Club Expressive Arts Programme for Children’ between July 2017 and January 2021.

Organised by The Sovereign Art Foundation (SAF), the programme was conducted in collaboration with the Centre on Behavioral Health (CBH) of The University of Hong Kong (HKU). In order to disseminate the results and impacts of the expressive art programme, a virtual presentation was held on January 30, attracting educators, social workers and parents to join in.

The programme consisted of two main components: expressive arts-based ‘Make It Better’ (MIB) workshops, which aim to help children with SEN better integrate into the mainstream learning environment; and Train-the-Trainer (TTT) workshops for educators, to equip them with the skills to incorporate arts into the educational setting

The MIB workshops, which attracted 809 children aged 6 to 12 years from 40 schools and community centres, revolved around four main themes –self-awareness, interpersonal skills, community, and the environment. The children were encouraged to actively explore and express themselves through a series of individual and group art activities.

“The different expressive arts modalities, such as visual arts, body movement, drama and music embrace each student’s unique form of non-verbal expression and allow them to communicate their emotions in a meaningful way,” says Mimi Tung, Head of Programme Design and Lead Art Therapist of SAF. She adds that the four major modules help enhance a child’s holistic development and overall wellbeing.

The TTT workshops have, on the other hand, equipped 278 educators with the basic principles, skills, experiences and mindset to integrate expressive arts as a tool into their teaching and practice.

The results of the three-year project reveal that expressive arts have a positive impact on children’s emotional and social development. The children have reported a higher social competency score after participating in the MIB programme, suggesting that they felt more confident around other children and were more willing to interact with others.

“Through this programme, we’ve witnessed the enormous benefits that expressive arts can have on the vital relationships between children and their caregivers and teachers,” says Tiffany Pinkstone, Managing Director of SAF.

“We hope by sharing these results and testimonials, we can help promote a wider understanding of the importance of art as a tool for communication and the importance of a holistic education for our children,” she adds.

Professor Rainbow Ho, who spearheaded the research team at the Centre on Behavioral Health, believes that the results of this project fully affirm the effectiveness of arts as an intervention method. She suggested more resources be devoted to further the development of expressive arts-related research and job opportunities, so as to benefit more children in need.