Differentiated Didactic Approach To Teaching The Arts (D.D.A.T.A.)

Finally, the Chapter Nine presents pedagogical and psychological folds using Differentiated Didactic Approach to Teaching the Arts (D.D.A.T.A.) to improve the life of special needs learners by means of culture, self-knowledge, self-actualization, and the sense of belonging. The D.D.A.T.A. is a relatively new teaching approach in the field of Special Education, developed during the period 2012 to 2020. One of its main goals is to help Special Education professionals to teach persons with Intellectual Developmental Disorders (IDD) or Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) music, dance, and drama, thus cultivating their cognitive, emotional, mobility, expression, communication, social, and artistic skills. Its second key goal is to help teachers form art ensembles comprised solely of special needs individuals which, in turn, could work in harmony with ordinary art ensembles. The D.D.A.T.A. model provides individualized programs adjusted to each special needs person’s abilities; and creates the right, positive psychology and motives for all participants.