Day 222
Piece #10, wax sticksThis is the 10th piece for our sculpture project. We haven't written the artist statement yet, but want to work with a variety of materials, such as wax, glue, and clay, etc., to see what Kelt likes. I'm curious to observe his process and learn if sculpture is a medium that he enjoys. I'm also interested in his relationship with the different materials. So far he's enjoyed wrapping and tying the most.
The materials are also important because people with autism often have unique responses to sensory stimuli. Examples include high threshold for pain, oversensitivity to sounds or being touched, exaggerated reactions to light or odors, or fascination with certain stimuli, etc. Hypersensitivities and/or hyposensitivities vary depending on the individual; for people with autism the continuum can range from no reaction to responses in all five senses.
The materials are also important because people with autism often have unique responses to sensory stimuli. Examples include high threshold for pain, oversensitivity to sounds or being touched, exaggerated reactions to light or odors, or fascination with certain stimuli, etc. Hypersensitivities and/or hyposensitivities vary depending on the individual; for people with autism the continuum can range from no reaction to responses in all five senses.
Wax sticks organized neatly.This material was inspired by artist Robert Ortbal.
Architecture of a Scent: Nutmeg, 200844 x 38 x 27"
Wire, aqua resin, fiberglass, paint, metal flake and flock
Parallel Questions: green and yellow, 200345" x 26" x 13"
Wax, tool dip, wire
Day 220
Kelt's been playing the drums in the band for 7 years and
tonight was his last concert! The year's going by too fast.
tonight was his last concert! The year's going by too fast.
Day 218
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Happy Easter!
Happy Easter!
18 keychains and 2 bobble heads, Colonel Sanders and Gort!
6,024 keychains and 154 bobble heads!
6,024 keychains and 154 bobble heads!
Day 217
Kelt also got this keychain on Friday from a former
teacher from the Czech Republic! Now he has 6,006!
teacher from the Czech Republic! Now he has 6,006!
Day 216
Friday, April 22, 2011
Kelt will talk to anyone that he sees with a keychain. Today it was one of his high school girl friends that he saw at a baseball game. He kept touching the keychains on her lanyard and saying how cool they were until she finally gave him this one. He's quite the charmer...
Day 215
1/24 keychains that Kelt got today from Value Village. Now he has 6,004!
Kelt also had a track meet. He ran a 5:40 mile, which is his best time yet!Day 214
PBS Autism Now Part 3- Autism's Causes:
How Close Are We to Solving the Puzzle?
How Close Are We to Solving the Puzzle?
"I think it probably is a waste of effort at this time to try and understand vaccines as a major culprit for, or a major cause of, autism. It's not to say, however, that there is a small subset of children who may be particularly vulnerable to vaccines.
And in their case, having the vaccines, or particular vaccines, particularly in certain kinds of situations -- if the child was ill, if the child had a precondition. Like a mitochondrial defect.
Vaccinations for those children may be the environmental factor that tipped them over the edge of autism.
Watch the full episode. See more PBS NewsHour.
Day 213
PBS Autism Now Part 2- Exploring the 'Phenomenal' Increase in U.S. Prevalence
Watch the full episode. See more PBS NewsHour.
Day 212
Tonight I watched the first volume of a 6-part series, Autism Now, on PBS Newshour about a 6-year-old boy with autism (Nick) and his family. I think the first part was well done and accurately represented a number of families that have a child with autism.
I love this frame because of the cars. From my experience it seems like people with autism like to line things up because of the order, repetition, and security that's involved. It’s funny because I think most people like this type of organization, for example Things Organized Neatly and Collection A Day. Organizing, categorizing, and lining things up is often associated with autism, but it seems like most people find this order visually pleasing.
ALISON MACNEIL: Nick was irritable, crying, inconsolable and now is not on track developmentally at all. He's gone backward.
So we went from a 15-month appointment where this child was A-OK, supposedly, and given the MMR, the DTaP and the Hib vaccines.
People say to me, Alison, it's a coincidence. Alison, how do you know this happened? Well, it's impossible for me to know. But what I will say is this: It was not a coincidence that my child was diagnosed with autism at the same time that his whole system shut down. Something happened to my child.
So we went from a 15-month appointment where this child was A-OK, supposedly, and given the MMR, the DTaP and the Hib vaccines.
People say to me, Alison, it's a coincidence. Alison, how do you know this happened? Well, it's impossible for me to know. But what I will say is this: It was not a coincidence that my child was diagnosed with autism at the same time that his whole system shut down. Something happened to my child.
My family has the same question. Kelt’s behavior didn’t start to change until he was vaccinated. There is no valid scientific evidence that supports this theory, but he was definitely different. It seems that some people have a predisposition for autism, which stays dormant unless triggered by an external stimulus. The MMR, DTaP, and Hib given together might be too much for some children and this combination, with a predisposition, could possibly be the catalyst that shuts the system down.
Watch the full episode. See more PBS NewsHour.
Day 210
Saturday, April 16, 2011
"National Autism Awareness Month: 9 Poignant Books," an article from The Huffington Post, lists influential books about autism. Pictured above are two of the nine. Check it out! article
1. Thinking in Pictures And Other Reports from My Life with Autism
Temple Grandin
2. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Mark Haddon
3. Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant
Daniel Tammet
4. Atypical: Life with Asperger's in 20 1/3 Chapters
Jesse A. Saperstein
5. Be Different: Adventures of a Free-Range Aspergian
John Elder Robinson
6. Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism
Jenny McCarthy
7. How to be a Sister: A Love Story with a Twist of Autism
Eileen Garvin
8. One of Us: A Family's Life with Autism
Mark Osteen
9. The Ride Together: A Brother and Sister's Memoir of Autism in the Family
Paul & Judy Karasik
1. Thinking in Pictures And Other Reports from My Life with Autism
Temple Grandin
2. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Mark Haddon
3. Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant
Daniel Tammet
4. Atypical: Life with Asperger's in 20 1/3 Chapters
Jesse A. Saperstein
5. Be Different: Adventures of a Free-Range Aspergian
John Elder Robinson
6. Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism
Jenny McCarthy
7. How to be a Sister: A Love Story with a Twist of Autism
Eileen Garvin
8. One of Us: A Family's Life with Autism
Mark Osteen
9. The Ride Together: A Brother and Sister's Memoir of Autism in the Family
Paul & Judy Karasik
Day 208
Piece #9, fingernail polishThis is the 9th piece for our sculpture project. We haven't written the artist statement yet, but want to work with a variety of materials, such as wax, glue, and clay, etc., to see what Kelt likes. I'm curious to observe his process and learn if sculpture is a medium that he enjoys. I'm also interested in his relationship with the different materials. So far he's enjoyed wrapping and tying the most.
The materials are also important because people with autism often have unique responses to sensory stimuli. Examples include high threshold for pain, oversensitivity to sounds or being touched, exaggerated reactions to light or odors, or fascination with certain stimuli, etc. Hypersensitivities and/or hyposensitivities vary depending on the individual; for people with autism the continuum can range from no reaction to responses in all five senses.
The materials are also important because people with autism often have unique responses to sensory stimuli. Examples include high threshold for pain, oversensitivity to sounds or being touched, exaggerated reactions to light or odors, or fascination with certain stimuli, etc. Hypersensitivities and/or hyposensitivities vary depending on the individual; for people with autism the continuum can range from no reaction to responses in all five senses.
This material was inspired by artist Paul Rusconi.
Alex Olson, 2009digital screen inks on plexiglas with monochromatic c-print & nail polish, 68 x 48 in
Ryan Sheckler, 2009digital screen inks on plexiglas with monochromatic c-print & nail polish, 68 x 48 in
Day 206
1/8 that Kelt got in the mail today.
Thanks Nevin!
Today Kelt got eight keychains in the mail from his friend Nevin who is also the president of Keychain Collectors International! He didn't have any of them, which was surprising based on Kelt's collection. Kelt just joined KCI and is excited to start trading and eventually go to a convention! Now he has 5,980!
Day 205
Monday, April 11, 2011
Today Kelt got this keychain from his friend Andrew from a spring break trip. 5,972.
ALSO...
My friend Liz recently told me about an article in TIME about a 12-year-old boy with Asperger Syndrome who is close to disproving Einstein's Theory of Relativity. He graduated from high school when he was eight, takes advanced astrophysics classes, and is currently being recruited by Indiana University for a paid research position. If he disproves this theory, he'll be a contender for the next Nobel Prize.
Today Kelt got this keychain from his friend Andrew from a spring break trip. 5,972.
ALSO...
12-Year-Old Genius Expands Einstein's Theory of Relativity, Thinks He Can Prove It Wrong
Could Einstein's Theory of Relativity be a few mathematical equations away from being disproved? Jacob Barnett of Hamilton County, Ind., who is just weeks shy of his 13th birthday, thinks so. And, he's got the solutions to prove it.
Barnett, who has an IQ of 170, explained his expanded theory of relativity — in a YouTube video. His mother Kristine Barnett, who admittedly flunked math, did what every other mother would do if her genius son started talking mathematical gibberish. She told him to explain the whole thing slowly while she taped her son explaining his take on the theory.
While most of his mathematical genius goes over our heads, some professors at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey — you know, the U.S. academic homeroom for the likes of Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and Kurt Gödel — have confirmed he's on the right track to coming up with something completely new. For now, they're encouraging Barnett to continue doing what he likes to do, which is explaining calculus using a whiteboard marker and his living room windows as seen in the video above.
“I'm impressed by his interest in physics and the amount that he has learned so far,” Institute for Advanced Study Professor Scott Tremaine wrote in an email to the family. “The theory that he's working on involves several of the toughest problems in astrophysics and theoretical physics.”
“Anyone who solves these will be in line for a Nobel Prize,” he added.
Barnett's parents knew that there was something different with their son when he didn't speak until the age of two. He was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism, so they thought he might have problems in school. Instead, they were astounded when he started solving 5,000 piece puzzles by the age of 3. The 12-year-old taught himself calculus, algebra and geometry in two weeks, and can solve up to 200 numbers of Pi. He left high school at the ripe old age of eight and has been attending college-level advanced astrophysics classes ever since.
Right now, Barnett is being recruited by Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis for a paid research position. We figure he'll find a way to pencil that in between dating his girlfriend and playing Halo: Reach, one of his favorite video games. Yes, he can play classical music by memory on the piano, but he also enjoys watching shows on the Disney Channel and sci-fi movies. In many ways, he's your typical 12-year-old boy.
Einstein was 26 when he first published his Theory of Relativity. We figure that Jake has a couple of years to kick back and relax before he finally debunks the big bang theory.
“I'm still working on that,” he said. “I have an idea, but… I'm still working out the details."
Day 204
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Larry began painting as a form of communication and outlet for stress.
I recently watched My Classic Life as an Artist: A Portrait of Larry Bissonnette, which is a short documentary about an artist who has overcome communication and societal barriers. Larry, who also stars in Wretches & Jabberers, was institutionalized in Vermont when he was 8 and diagnosed as "mentally retatrded, schizophrenic, clincally insane, and austistic." Larry believes that:
“Fastening labels on people is like leasing cars with destinations determined beforehand. Mostly it’s good practices for educating unconventional people, eccentric on the outside, but normal on the inside, that lops off weak branches of disability and promotes possibilities for new growth.”
I love this explanation and think it accurately describes Larry, who is first an intelligent and talented artist with a witty sense of humor; his diagnoses and form of communication (keyboard) are secondary to his character and accomplishments.
“Knowledge and learning of art have allowed my abilities to sore out on an airfield occupied by people that don’t have disabilities.” -Larry
“Knowledge and learning of art have allowed my abilities to sore out on an airfield occupied by people that don’t have disabilities.” -Larry
Larry began painting as a form of communication and outlet for stress.
Day 202
Friday, April 8, 2011
1 of 63 keychains that Kelt's gotten on this trip so far! Now he has 5,971!
1 of 63 keychains that Kelt's gotten on this trip so far! Now he has 5,971!
Day 200!
A couple more blind contour drawings of Kelt's bobble heads. These drawings are blind except when I briefly look at the paper to set the pen. This series represents Kelt's uninhibited drawing style and enhanced visual skills. To view more, click the bobble head label to the right. This article further explains the project: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
Brains of People with Autism Focus More on Visual Skills
This means less activity in areas used for planning and decision making, but the brain adapts, researchers find.
MONDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- The brains of people with autism concentrate more resources in areas devoted to visual perception, resulting in less activity in areas used to plan and control thoughts and actions, says a new study.
The findings may explain why people with autism have exceptional visual abilities, said the researchers at the University of Montreal.
They analyzed data from 26 brain imaging studies that were conducted over 15 years and included a total of 357 autistic and 370 non-autistic participants.
"Through this meta-analysis, we were able to observe that autistics exhibit more activity in the temporal and occipital regions and less activity in frontal cortex than non-autistics," first author Fabienne Samson said in a university news release.
The temporal and occipital regions are involved in perceiving and recognizing patterns and objects, while the frontal areas are involved with decision making, cognitive control, planning and execution, she explained.
The findings offer the "first physiological confirmation that enhanced perceptual processing is a core feature of neural organization in this population," Dr. Laurent Mottron, of the university's Centre for Excellence in Pervasive Development Disorders, said in the news release. "We now have a very strong statement about autism functioning, which may be ground for cognitive accounts of autistic perception, learning, memory and reasoning."
According to the study, the finding shows that the autistic brain successfully adapts some of its cognitive functioning by reallocating brain areas to visual perception. The results may point the way to new areas of autism research.
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