Art • Research • Wellbeing
Helping children express what words sometimes cannot.
Shruti turned research into an accessible intervention for children in underserved communities, tested it with neurodiverse children, adapted it through real-world experience, and took it into a rural mainstream school. She trained teachers to deliver the programme independently, measured outcomes, and is now scaling the model to other rural schools.
Impact to date
- peer-reviewed studies reviewed
- 16
- structured art-based activities developed
- 5
- field settings: a specialist school and a rural mainstream school
- 2
- students reached through field testing
- 120+
The journey so far
From a research question to a model schools can run themselves.
Completed (6 of 7)In development
- CompletedResearchReviewed 16 peer-reviewed studies and published a systematic review.
- CompletedDesignTranslated the research into a five-activity, mindfulness-based art toolkit.
- CompletedField testingWorked with neurodiverse children at a specialist school, then with children in a rural mainstream school.
- CompletedAdaptationDeveloped bilingual (Tamil and English) resources and adapted delivery from a specialist setting to mainstream classrooms.
- CompletedCapacity buildingTrained classroom teachers to run the programme themselves, twice a week for five weeks.
- CompletedEvidenceRated 100 children before and after the programme; average scores rose in all five domains measured.
- In developmentScaleBuilding a transferable model that schools can implement without Shruti's continued physical presence.
The work in three parts
- 01The researchGrounded in evidenceA systematic review of 16 peer-reviewed studies on art-based interventions for children.Read the research
- 02In the fieldFrom specialist to mainstreamA five-activity art-based intervention, tested with neurodiverse children and then delivered by trained teachers in a rural mainstream school.See the project
- 03EvidenceMeasured, with care100 children rated before and after the programme; average scores rose in all five domains measured.See the evaluation
Researcher. Student. Creator.
Meet Shruti.
Shruti Arvind is a student at Sishya School, Chennai, whose work explores the intersection of creative expression, children’s wellbeing and inclusive education.
Read Shruti’s storyI have always believed that every child should have a way to express what they feel, even when words are difficult.
Creativity can become another language for expression.
Art for Wellbeing was born with the hope that something as simple as creating art could give children another language for expression, connection and wellbeing.