Aesthetic learning for all: Drama-in-education for children with SEN

This chapter charts the changing position of the arts and creativity in relation to children with special educational needs (SEN), focusing particularly on drama-in-education as exemplifying ‘aesthetic pedagogy’ (Elliott 2007). ‘Aesthetic’ is taken from the Greek aesthetikos, to mean more than an enlivening way of learning through the senses or engagement with notions of beauty: rather, it is also a heightened sense of consciousness gained in learning contexts that are developed from issues of life, with conversation at the core (Elliott 2007). The chapter draws on the British education system, located within the wider international context. It presents a rationale particularly for the value of drama that stems from research with the most socially and creatively challenged children – those on the autistic spectrum. Finally, it offers an inclusive framework for drama as a learning medium that can offer coherent, meaningful learning contexts for children with SEN.