Art Therapy for Early Intervention Children

Thank you to everyone who has followed Peggy’s journey so far. This is the next chapter of a small girl whose progress unfolds through carefully shared moments. 

Peggy (a pseudonym) is a non-verbal, four-year-old girl with learning disabilities and limitations in body movements. Because she has smaller white matter in brain, Peggy has a short memory span and finds it difficult to adapt to new people or unfamiliar situations. At the moment, Peggy is now walking more steadily and shows growing curiosity about other children’s play. 

In an art therapy session, the therapist begins by going to Peggy’s classroom to fetch her. The therapist lowers herself to Peggy’s eye level and cheerfully invites her to stand up together. The therapist says “One, two, three”, and then they rise at the same time. Peggy now mirrors the movement to stand up with the therapist, responding to the shared rhythm of the moment. 

Once inside the therapy room, Peggy often walks directly toward the paint bottles. With paint already on their hands, the therapist holds her palms open toward Peggy. Peggy responds by grasping both of the therapist’s hands. This precious moment, like Peggy’s own way of doing “high-five” with the therapist, supports her broader learning goal: expanding her range of hand movements. The therapist assisted Peggy to achieve the goal through connection. 

Music has also become part of Peggy’s growing world. Knowing from past records that Peggy likes to listen to music, the therapist brought a ukulele into the session. Peggy often places a toy piano into the therapist’s hands, signaling that she wants to listen to the therapist singing. In one session, when Peggy made this familiar request, the therapist responded by singing a children’s song. This time the song was accompanied by the ukulele. Peggy’s face lit up with a wide smile. Without words, she had asked, and she had been answered. 

Progress for Peggy is built through patience, consistency, and presence. Each shared movement strengthens her ability to connect and learn. Thank you for walking alongside Peggy so far. With your continued support, we can keep building these moments together.

With Regards,

Mavis Tsai

Links:

• TFCF Taichung City Child Development Center FB (in Chinese)
• Find all TFCF projects in GlobalGiving