In 1998 my youngest brother, Kelton, was diagnosed with autism, a developmental disability that affects communication and social interaction. Autism currently affects 1/88 people in the United States. Kelton is a talented individual who runs cross-country and track, wrestles, plays the drums, loves history, and collects bobble heads and keychains.

This year Kelton decided to enroll in his first art class where he discovered his skill for drawing. His unorthodox style made me reconsider my artwork and examine the differences and similarities that exist between our perspectives. According to Paul Collins’ Not Even Wrong: Adventures in Autism, artists are four times more likely to have autism in their families. Considering the number of artists in my family, this statistic made me question the similarities that exist between Kelton and me. For this reason, we have decided to draw one of his 6,481 keychains a day for one year. These drawings will be as simple and uninhibited as possible. This project will explore our individual perspectives and examine the similarities that exist between us as artists.

Day 134

Another birthday keychain.



I was reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and came across a section about love. Christopher could define it, but couldn't describe it:

" 'I love you very much, Christopher. Do you understand?'

I didn't know whether I understood. So I said, 'I don't know.'

And Father said, 'Christopher, do you understand that I love you?'

And I said, 'Yes,' because loving someone is helping them when they get into trouble, and looking after them, and telling them the truth, and Father looks after me when I get into trouble, like coming to the police station, and he looks after me by cooking meals for me, and he always tells me the truth, which means that he loves me" (p. 87).

I wish it was that simple! Since people with autism interpret things literally, this excerpt made me question Kelt's notion of love. Is the concept too abstract to understand? Even though it's fictional, I decided to watch Mozart and the Whale, which is a love story about two people with Asperger syndrome that takes place in Spokane. A quick synopsis:

Isabelle meets Donald at a support group that he leads for people with autism. Donald understands his disability and how to adapt and doesn't like being autistic, which is why he started the group. Isabelle has a different perspective; unlike Donald, she accepts her diagnosis and considers her personality unique, eccentric, and fun. She immediately likes Donald and asks him out. Even though they have a difficult time communicating and understanding other people’s emotions, their similar perspective and way of thinking creates an environment of understanding and acceptance. They encounter some problems involving Isabelle and her insecurities with men, but they get through it with Donald’s love and persistence. By the end of the story they learn to trust each other and accept their differences as gifts that make them unique rather than characteristics that classify them on a spectrum.

I hope Kelt eventually meets a person like this. Even though love is abstract and confusing, I think most people struggle with it, not just people with autism.
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