The Significance of Educators’ Artistic-Creative Knowledge and Skills for the Well-Being of Children with Autism in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Centres

In Denmark, the increase in the number of children with psychiatric diagnoses, as well as other vulnerable children, has put the promotion of children’s well-being at the heart of educational work. This article addresses such work with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in mainstream early childhood education and care (ECEC) centres, focusing particularly on educators with high-level artistic-creative knowledge and skills. I argue that these educators add new dimensions to pedagogical practice that support these children’s well-being and participation in various ways. Through anthropological research, I analyse the characteristics of their work, presenting empirical examples from everyday practice involving three different educators with backgrounds in arts & crafts, playwriting and music. Drawing upon Tatiana Chemi’s research on artistic-creative processes, the analysis scrutinises how the educators’ artistic-creative skills and knowledge come into play in pedagogical practice. Furthermore, I draw on the anthropologist Cheryl Mattingly’s argument that all humans strive for ‘the good life’. Applying this analytical lens, I focus on how such striving among children with ASD is acknowledged by the educators and the significance of such acknowledgement for the children’s well-being.