Puppet therapy experiences
Europe
Bulgaria
- Interventions in Orphanages
- The Puppet Method in Special Education in Bulgaria
1. Interventions in Orphanages
Aglika Ivantcheva. Holder. Sofia (8)
The Bulgarian Puppet and Therapy Association was founded in 1992 in Sofia.
They take part in different sectors:
- Centers for disabled children and orphanages.
- Participation in the training of students, educators and psychologists.
- Participation in the organization of "Green classes" (these are classes during school hours where discoveries are made on topics related to the child's education) in ordinary classes.
The association has a program in which the purpose is to introduce the puppet in orphanages. It is a difficult job because in Bulgaria, most orphanages are isolated, far from cities, in the mountains or in small villages. Living conditions in these places are very harsh: poor housing conditions, heating, equipment, educational resources and lack of water. The children there do not have a real childhood, they are adults from the age of 8, but they have a mental age of 3 or 4 years, because they lack the love of their parents. The tendency of Bulgarian society to ignore the problems of orphanages persists.
The team that works in these orphanages consists of 3 professional puppeteers.
They perform and do puppet workshops with everyday materials. Once the children have built the puppets, they improvise a story. The problem they find is that orphanage staff are receptive to this type of activity, and ignore the importance of imagination and creation for children's development. The staff working in these centers have no education.
This work is funded by one of the richest foundations in Bulgaria: the Hover Society.
(8) PUPPET AND THERAPY. Number 24 - 1995
2. The Puppet Method in Special Education in Bulgaria
Svetlana Chirstova. Specialist Educator and Professor at the University of Sofia (9)
In Bulgaria there is a system of specialized educators for children with mental disabilities or with speech, autism, vision and neuropsychological disabilities.
Children with mild mental disabilities follow a curriculum that encompasses general school subjects in the regular school, this program is small and qualitatively modified.
Children with moderate, severe, or profound mental disabilities are in “social-home” institutions where there is a speech therapist who can work with them individually. These children do not receive the necessary preparation for social life. They are emotionally unstable and lack the habit of communicating with others. Unfortunately for children, these are the subject of scientific studies and experiments. For professionals who deal with them, it is more important to do scientific research and make a diagnosis to prove that the child is abnormal, than to look for the means for their development.
"The most important element of our work is that the child is not just a spectator, he participates in the game. We deal with children with mental disabilities.
We have divided the organization of our work into 11 stages:
- Preparation, preliminaries (create favorable conditions and arouse the desire to participate in the game)
- Presentation of a musical fragment
- Animation of the objects around us
- Creating an improvised story with puppets
- Narration of an already known story and its representation
- Preparation of materials and puppets for the theatrical play
- Make a drawing of your favorite character
- Making a puppet
- Creating the storyline
- Representation of the show
- Meeting to talk about impressions
These stages can be mobile, depending on the child's time.
They can lengthen or shorten.
The children make the puppets on their own. They are not forced to make their eyes, ears…
We do the sessions with heterogeneous groups. (3 to 5 children). For example: a group of children with mild and moderate mental disabilities, a group of children with mental disabilities who have sensory or motor deficiencies…
The most effective of the stages we are working on is the construction of the puppet. At this stage all restrictions and obstacles are broken. And from here the way is opened for realization and development by all forms of communication.
In the course of our work we have observed the evolution of certain psychic phenomena important for socialization. Fine motor skills develop and children get into the habit of doing certain delicate work operations themselves.
They get into the habit of taking care of their appearance, their clothes, and their hygiene.
Means of expression, body movements, mastery of the voice are new acquisitions. Children form or correct the concept of themselves and the reality around them. The skills to make autonomous decisions, to observe and to control are developed. ”
Amnesty International has denounced the inhumane conditions of people with disabilities (men, women, boys and girls).
"Children are still hospitalized in social homes as a result of inadequate diagnoses and no hope of follow-up or reassessment of their condition. The physical condition of these homes is cruel, inhuman, and degrading.
Many people with mental disabilities are housed in dilapidated buildings. The walls, floor, and bedding are often littered with feces. Although the conditions of some institutions have improved considerably, the children in them are still not receiving adequate medical care or rehabilitation. The most disabled are left in bed all day, with no toys, no organized activities, no visual stimuli. When they reach adulthood these children are unable to communicate with others or do anything on their own. They have been institutionalized for the rest of their lives. ”
Irene Khan. Secretary of Amnesty International. 2002
(9) PUPPET AND THERAPY. Number 24 - 1995
