# data[].attributes.body
Using an Ipad or Tablet of some sort, your students could make art digitally. This would help provide brighter colors and easier ways to blend colors together.

# data[].attributes.body
I am in Introduction to Drawing here at Tech, and my professor has used video instruction and photo uploading to help us out during the COVID-19 pandemic. These are all possibilities that can be implemented in the every day classroom as well.

# data[].attributes.body
This is a tricky one, and I think there are ways, but it depends on what you are needing to teach. But visually will be the majority of the work here, but I also agree with Tucker 3D printing is a creative way to incoperate it.

# data[].attributes.body
Having student use an ipad for art or an apple pencil can help students with special needs use fine motor skills and the technology makes using those skills easier for them to adapt

# data[].attributes.body
Art has so many branches of work, and one branch that is gaining popularity is graphic design. One thing you can do is work on the basic of graphic design. If your school has the money, a 3D printer would be something that would spark the interest in alot of students.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Maker culture is alive and thriving, thanks to endless YouTube how-to videos for any project imaginable, an army of creatives who love making things by hand, and new, lower-cost hardware for everything from 3D printing to laser cutting.

3D printing, like virtual reality, is one of those technologies that edges ever closer to mainstream every year. We've seen the 3D print concept play out for years on TV and in movies (what do you think a Star Trek replicator is doing?), and printing with a 3D printer at home is finally growing beyond a wildly exotic hobby for a small enthusiast audience.

Back in 2018, I started playing around with 3D printing, less commonly known as additive manufacturing, mostly to satisfy my own curiosity, with an unexpected result. I'm now completely addicted to 3D printing. Since then, I've doubled down, getting into 3D scanning and even laser cutting, which lets you sculpt real-world designs from wood and leather.

These creative tools, with a price range of under $300 to over $3,000, are awesome gifts for a creative person in your life -- or even better -- they're great for you to craft your own personalized creations. Having researched and tested many low and mid-priced devices, from rock-bottom Monoprice printers to step-up resin printers that produce a truly professional-level print quality for prototyping, my recommendations for every price range are below.

Keep in mind that every 3D print requires a little smoothing and filing with a hobby file to look their best (you can also prime and paint each print, fill gaps with filler compound and so on) -- but the sample Abe Lincoln busts presented below are right off the print bed, with no touch-ups after the printing.

One printer I have not tested yet, but hear a lot of good feedback about, is the Creality Ender 3, which currently costs an affordable $230 and has a large community of dedicated fans. Just note that some manual assembly and tweaking is required.

For what to print and how to start 3D printing, including quality materials with which to print (e.g., polylactic acid vs. ABS plastic) and 3D printing technology and software, see my latest tips and advice for 3D printing.

3D printers

Sarah Tew/CNET

Despite the low price, this is a pretty damn full-featured quality 3D printer, and a favorite affordable first step for testing the 3D print maker waters. Monoprice also sells a slightly less expensive, affordable entry-level design, called the Mini Delta (and the Monoprice Maker, which offers more volume), but this is superior quality for printing in just about every way -- and it's often on sale for $199, or even a little less.

But it's also a good deal harder to set up and use than some of the more expensive 3D printing models. One of the cons is that the print surface is exposed, so your printing is more vulnerable to the elements (or cats, or children), and it took much tweaking, calibrating and troubleshooting to get good print quality results. Despite the beginner price, it's not as beginner-friendly for printing as I'd like it to be. That said, it does come with a preloaded SD card, and we printed many a nice quality print from it, eventually. Read more.

Sarah Tew/CNET

This is my go-to printer for balancing price, ease of use and print quality. Flashforge is the manufacturer, and sells this as the Adventurer 3, while the Monoprice Voxel version is the same hardware, just sold under a different name (the Voxel screen even says "Adventurer 3" when you turn it on). It's not the fanciest of 3D printing, but it has a fully enclosed print area, a touchscreen interface and a flexible heated print bed that lets you pop off a quality print with ease.

The most important thing about this pair of printers (and I tested both versions) is that the setup was easy, and I was up and 3D printing in less than 30 minutes after opening the box and gathering materials. I did find the Wi-Fi connection on this 3D print maker could be finicky at times, but at least there's a USB port right on the front panel for importing your files to the machine via thumb drive. My other complaint is about the filament -- the enclosed filament housing only takes half-size 0.5 kg filament rolls, not the more common 1 kg filament rolls. See the Monoprice version here.

Read more: Best TVs for gaming with low input lag

Sarah Tew/CNET

The Inventor II is a step-up in quality from the Adventurer/Voxel, even though this 3D print maker is roughly the same size and close to the same build volume. The larger color touchscreen is a huge improvement in printing technology, making it much easier to tap in Wi-Fi passwords before printing. The enclosed space means 3D printing will pause automatically if someone opens the door, and the removable heated print bed is hefty, with a clever flexible top surface that peels off magnetically.

The manufacturing speed was a little faster than the Adventurer's speed, with more calibration and fine-tuning options for 3D printing. But despite the faster 3D printing speed, it also gets the same knock, an enclosed filament housing that only fits smaller 0.5 kg filament spools, which are less economical and harder to find than other filament spools. In our Abe Lincoln test, it printed the cleanest, most detailed print quality of the filament-based printers with a resolution of 50 to 400 microns. Read more.

Read more: Best gaming chairs we've sat in for 2020

Sarah Tew/CNET

No matter how fine, a 3D print is still just a plastic design layered one drop at a time. That means layer lines when printing, surface imperfections and a look that's not as clean as professionally molded plastic. Resin printers are the next step up in rapid protoyping technology when you want your print to look as high quality as anything assembled in a factory. Instead of 3D printing your object with a hot nozzle with high temperatures depositing bits of plastic filament, resin printers use UV light to cure liquid resin, one paper-thin layer at a time, on an upside down print bed that rises at a slow speed from a vat of semitoxic slime.

Yes, it's as unpleasant as it sounds. The resin smells bad and requires rubber gloves to handle (and a well-ventilated room for printing). You'll also need isopropyl alcohol to wash the print after it comes out, and a UV lamp to finish the curing process. It's a lot of work and mess. But the printed model we got from the Anycubic Photon was simply amazing and the best 3D printer for sharp details. (Resolution is 25-100 microns.) Cured resin feels almost like glass, and holds quality design detail. The print quality from the printing process is astounding -- just be prepared for what you're getting into when 3D printing.

Read more: Best gaming keyboards under $100 for 2020

Related accessories

Sarah Tew/CNET

Recreate pretty much anything by putting it on this 3D scanner, where a rotating base and camera create a 360-degree copy, which is then editable in any 3D program and printable on your 3D printer. It's $599, which is a hefty price, but the accuracy is impressive, the turntable spins itself automatically, and even the color accuracy is spot on.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Glowforge laser cutters can sculpt projects from wood, leather, lucite and other materials, making it an interesting alternative to filament-based 3D printers. Prices range from $2,500 to $6,000 for different models, but they all cut various kinds of wood, leather or lucite.

Most of the projects I've tried use thin 1/8-inch (3mm) wood panels, although thicker 1/4-inch wood will work, too. The most impressive thing about the Glowforge is how fast it is. What would take a FDM 3D printer hours to do, takes just minutes instead.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Maker culture is alive and thriving, thanks to endless YouTube how-to videos for any project imaginable, an army of creatives who love making things by hand, and new, lower-cost hardware for everything from 3D printing to laser cutting. 3D printing, like virtual reality, is one of those technologies that edges ever closer to mainstream every year.

# data[].attributes.body
One way to use technology in art classes to have some additional lessons on graphic design. I know that some schools have separate classes for this, but if an art class spent a week or two introducing graphic design could expose students to a different kind of art and expand their interests and experience.

# data[].attributes.body
Hi! So I think using technology for students with autism could be a good way to incorporate it. My mom uses i pads for her students that can't talk or hold a pencil, but they enjoy using the i pads to learn on. So doing having them draw on there is something they enjoy a lot. I think this is just a good way to use technology with your future special needs kids.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Special Education & the Arts

[ What I Need to Know | Classroom Management | Lesson Advice

Instructional Strategies | ADD/ADHD | Visual Impairment | ESL ]
This page was started as a result of Gail's Getty TeacherArtExchange List post - March 2004. From Gail:
I will be teaching art to 6 classes of special needs students from ages 3-21. Most of these students have multiple handicaps and most come in with an aide for one on one or one aide per three students. Any ideas?
From Sidnie Miller:
Our special needs kids do really well with clay.Â Depending on their level--some just come in and pound on it -- their aids help them to build projects--some can't build, but can paint on glazes.Â For some, just being with regular kids and acting appropriately is the goal, so what they do is secondary to being there.Â Weaving is a good activity if they can do it.
From Sandra Barrick:
This is a wide range but doable and don't be intimidated by their handicaps. Most if not all want to be independent and do things on their own. They are a very determined group as a whole. Last year I worked with deaf children 3-11. A few had other disabilities as well, learning disorders and rare skin diseases (where the fingers were just little nubs and the child actually would bleed and blister if touched or from his own clothes. I also had a special needs child who had a rare form of dwarfism. Besides their disabilities you will be amazed by their spirit and the more severe the handicap the more chances and independence they may want. I also worked for (HC) MRDD, which is the division for our special needs kids, the age was 3-21. Through MRDD, I came in contact with severely handicapped and they really couldn't do anything but lay and look. The most severe had aids but also mentally were no older than a 3 -6 month old. Definitely get catalogs for supplies.Â If you come in contact with their caretaker/parent ask then what their interests are and if they have any supplies they could keep there. I am not sure how large your class will be but the child I had who didn't not have fingers had his own supply box, all of them did but his had scissors for his hands and crayons which had knobs on the end, etc. I also did a lot of sensory material/lessons with them for fine motor. Coming from Montessori - the punching tools and exercises really helped them. - Sandra
From Maggie White:
Concentrate on what the students CAN do, not on what they can't. Don't accept at face value what their teachers or aides tell you the students can't do; they will always surprise you and especially the people who think they know the kids so well. Don't hesitate to give the students something more challenging. Read the book Exceptional Children, Exceptional Art (from Davis). It provides a lot of insight into the physical, psychological, and emotional needs of a range of disabilities and ages. You can adapt a lot of classroom tools like pencils or brushes by using large foam curlers or the sponge-like foam (not the Styrofoam) that cushions computers and such. You can saw it with a hacksaw blade so it fits their hands comfortably. Stencils work better if they're tracing around the INSIDE of the stencil, rather than the outside. It seems they have a harder time keeping their pencils up against the outside edge rather than the inner edge. Shapes cut from sponges make neat stamps. Also weather stripping foam, which is sticky on one side, can be cut into shapes and stuck to film canisters to make an easy-to-grip stamp.
From Judy Potter:
Checkout at this site as a resource, http://www.wiu.edu/thecenter/art/
From Sue Freeland:
Here are some ideas off the top of my head... Clay projects.. The tactile feel of the clay might be good for dexterity. Model magic... create an animal, blend clays to create new colors. Read them a story then draw the ending or their favorite part. Give them shapes & pieces of stuff (whatever) to glue down in a pattern or face or whatever. With Kinders, I took a large sheet of yellow paper and cut a hole in the top to represent the window on a bus, the kids colored their self portraits and I taped them in the window. All the yellow papers side by side made up the bus. Also a good one is printing in shaving cream or pudding if you think they may eat it. Shaving cream is loved by all, even High school and leaves my counters and tables very clean! I used to teach Autistic kids but they were very low functioning.
From Betty Bowen:
My special needs campers love the beads you make designs with and iron into a solid form - now they come in larger sizes, too. They really loved the camp spin-art machine. I found their bead-stringing patience to be inspiring. They also enjoyed making decorations for their wheelchairs or walkers, like foam-core flames or sparkley things to go on the wheels.

In response to an Art Education List post asking for high school lesson ideas
From Kathy Douglas:
I would not bother too much with themes and subjects... leave that to them.Â When you look at Outsider Art, sometimes made by artists in this population, it is raw, personal and sometimes amazing.

If your students are not tactile defensive they might enjoy using plaster gauze over an armature of half a gallon spring water jug to create masks.Â You can help them create great 3D effects and then they can use their paint knowledge to add color.Â Also beads, feathers, etc for decoration.Â I would have examples of Mardi Gras, theater and cultural masks.Â What they often have in common is exaggeration of features. They could also choose animal masks.Â But I would let them decide what sort of mask they want to make, from a list of options.

I have had some younger students on the Autism spectrum who were very uncomfortable touching certain wet things... if that is the case in your class I would strongly suggest an alternate project available, so that they can find their comfort level. And one of my students overcame his discomfort when he saw his friends using the plaster.Â Because he was able to decide when he was ready to use it, he felt in control and was proud of himself when it was done.
From Terri Noell:
I teach at a Special Needs Magnet school... With the Autistic students, I find that adding scents and textures to the paint will very much interest these students... I have some students that touch and feel everything and some that taste everything so these were very exciting for them... I use finger cover tip brushes with my younger students since a lot of them have trouble holding paint brushes effectively... also great for other students with coordination issues... I would advise a lot of lessons that effect their other senses besides just the 2-D art...
From Sandy:
I teach in aÂ magnet school for Cognitively Impaired kids, pre-school toÂ 6th grade. I have foundÂ that theseÂ kids areÂ often fabulous painters.Â I do limit all black & brownÂ paint though!Â More abstract workÂ seemsÂ toÂ workÂ best for most of them. PrintmakingÂ works well,Â perhaps withÂ pre-cut stamps,Â StyrofoamÂ orÂ found objects, at least something that they don't have to cut themselves. 3D constructionsÂ are great,Â and what I offerÂ may be more suitable forÂ Elementary. ButÂ weÂ useÂ clay,Â wood scraps,Â cardboard,Â (tubes & flat pieces).Â Old puzzle piecesÂ for jewelry, etc.Â I doÂ papier macheÂ sculpture or masks etc with them even thoughÂ some are tactile defensive and hate to touch theÂ paste. I offerÂ plastic glovesÂ if they need them. We'veÂ done basic weavings, &Â simple sewingÂ withÂ big needles. Some of the kidsÂ love to draw, othersÂ not, but it is good toÂ let themÂ tryÂ and theyÂ tell great stories about theirÂ work! This is the first yearÂ that I haveÂ tried aÂ TAB (Teaching for Artistic Behavior - Choice Based) approach with these kids and it has beenÂ wonderfullyÂ successful. The kids just love it.

See Resources compiled by Bernie Poole and Yvonne Singer [Archive]
Includes resources for elementary and secondary education.

Sax Arts and Crafts Catalog has a section for special needs students and has a separate catalog available. Adaptive Product index is on page 588 in the main catalog. 1-800-588-6696.

From Pam Whisenhunt - Working with LD Students
Lesson Plans:
Lesson Plan tips for LD Students - from Pam Whisenhunt
P. Buckley Moss Foundation lessons [Archive] "For Special Learners: Growing Through the Arts" P. Buckley Moss Foundation Find out more about P. Buckley Moss

Art for Children and Adults with Disabilities:
http://www.kinderart.com/special/
Some Helpful Links: IAD's Special Education page
Great Ideas for Special Artists - for clay, drawing and painting (Archive)
Easy to follow directions for clay bowl and other clay projects.
Special Needs Supplies from Dick Blick

Links for children with Autism:
http://www.lessontutor.com/autismgenhome.html

Activities for Teaching About Disabilities:
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson115.shtml

Keystone Arts Education Network ( home page)
http://www.keyarts.ws/content/view/18/156/ [Archive]

Special Education - Disability Links:
http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/special_ed/disabilities/

Special Education Links:
http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/special_ed/

Teaching Art to Students With Special Needs - page by Sara Green
http://www.saragreen.net/mh.html

National Arts and Disability Center:
http://nadc.ucla.edu/
ArtExpress - Lessons Adaptable to children with disabilities:
http://www.harcourtschool.com/menus/art_express.html

Adapting Art Materials for Children with Disabilities:

http://www.wiu.edu/users/mfkls1/artexpress/adaptat.html

Special Education and the Arts
http://www.southernct.edu/~gerber/SEDarts/index.htm [Archive]
On this site is an extensive list of resources:
http://www.southernct.edu/~gerber/SEDarts/SEDArts%20References.htm [Archive]

Organizations:
http://www.southernct.edu/~gerber/SEDarts/SEDArtsOrganizations.htm [Archive]
Teaching Art Safely to the Disabled
VSA arts:

http://www.vsarts.org/

Teaching Special Needs Kids - Online Resources from Education World:
http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr139.shtml

Arts & Activities article: Making art activities work for students with special needs by Anne Vize (Archive)

Creativity Explored - nonprofit visual arts center where artists with developmental disabilities create, exhibit, and sell art.
Artists with Disabilities
Dan Keplinger - He calls himself King Gimp. Visit the Virtual Gallery and be awed.

Brett Eastburn - He was my art student when he was in 4th grade. He is now a motivational speaker.

Books:
Exceptional Children: Exceptional Art : Teaching Art to Special Needs
by Authors: David R. Henle y
The Power of the Arts: Creative Strategies for Teaching Exceptional Learners
By Sally L. Smith

Flag House is an organization and a catalog for activities and supplies for disabled student/people.
http://www.flaghouse.com
Another resource

http://www.enablingdevices.com/
CATALOGS FOR EDUCATORS of the disabled:
Flag House

800-793-7900

Greystone Educational Materials

1-800-733-0671

P.O Box 86

Scandia, MN 55073

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Working with Special Needs Students in Art

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
On this page are teacher ideas for working with students with special needs. Our special needs kids do really well with clay.Â Depending on their level, some just come in and pound on it. Their aids help them to build projects.

# data[].attributes.body
During Our vr segment I found a bunch of vr/ 360 videos on youtube around art, here is one I think would be fun to tour with a class:

# data[].attributes.body
Art is a hands on subjects. Other than visual references, how can I use technology in my classroom?