Portraits of Autism
Social Awareness
Using Visual Art as a platform "Portraits of Autism" seeks to create social awareness while opening up a discussion about available support systems and funding for families caring for both children and adults diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The focus of each portrait is to bring awareness to autism as well as to provide an emotional experience and public connection to each subject as a unique individual who is not only defined by their “disability”.
The Artistic Process
The portraits relating to this project are large scale oils on canvas currently ranging in size from 36x48” to 48x60” and are based on imagery provided as reference material by each family through social media sources or other forms of communication. Each series of portraits are part of a larger narrative including writing, editorials and poetry written by the subject, family member or caregiver. The story is told on a continuum through their experience. The project follows each family as they continue to make individual decisions on what is best for their child's future - often with very limited resources.
Recent Statistics
In 2021, the CDC reported that approximately 1 in 44 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to 2018 data.
1 in 27 boys identified with autism
1 in 116 girls identified with autism
Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls.
Most children were still being diagnosed after age 4, though autism can be reliably diagnosed as early as age 2.
31% of children with ASD have an intellectual disability (intelligence quotient [IQ] <70), 25% are in the borderline range (IQ 71–85), and 44% have IQ scores in the average to above average range (i.e., IQ >85).
Autism affects all ethnic and socioeconomic groups.
Minority groups tend to be diagnosed later and less often.
Early intervention affords the best opportunity to support healthy development and deliver benefits across the lifespan.
There is no medical detection for autism.
Advances
Although there have been significant advances made in recent years, there is a tendency in our society toward a lack of representation or misrepresentation of people with disabilities in the media including the arts. Where the media holds a high level of influence over the perceptions of the general public, an under-representation or mis-representation of disabled people has large social implications. The immediacy of an image can convey information rather quickly giving concrete shape to something that might other wise be intangible.
Small children are the public face of autism, their appeal helping to win public understanding and educational support.
