artist

Iris Scott: Wonderful Finger Painter

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Art therapy is often recommended for autism, as a way to improve coordination, de-stress and express oneself freely. Many autistics may find the use of a paintbrush intimidating and difficult, because of poor fine-muscle control. Washing brushes is also a time-consuming and messy business. Finger painting allows one to use the sense of touch as an additional tool for guiding the hand, and also adds to the tactile pleasure of the experience. Iris Scott is a wonderful finger-painter I came across on YouTube, where she demonstrates her technique through videos. She uses latex gloves, a good idea for keeping the hands clean and smooth. To change colors, she just wipes her gloved hand with a paper towel before dabbing a new shade. She recommends Holbein Aqua Oils paint. Enjoy more videos on her YouTube channel and visit her website for more info.

 

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A Little Taste of What It’s Like to be Autistic

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This is a video by Willow Marsden that kind of simulates a bit of what it’s like to be autistic (of course, symptoms and severity vary from person to person). Autistics have a hard time filtering out background thoughts, sounds, sights and sensations; so it’s like being in a television store with every TV blaring out a different channel. BTW she has Asperger’s and is a gifted artist, photographer and graphic designer. Do browse her online store, or contact her if you’d like any graphic design work done. There’s one of her photos below the video, and you can buy prints from her store.

Below is another video simulation of a first-person experience of autism, starring Carly Fleischmann. She has an oral motor condition that prevents her from speaking, but is able to think verbally (and communicate through a keyboard, which is not used in this video). Again, her condition is not typical of all autistics, everyone is different. Having said that, the sensory overload depicted in the video is a common feature of autism.

There are a couple more first-person simulations here and here, both well-worth watching.