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 362


Prom 2010

Tacoma Dome, state tournament, 2011

For the rest of the project I'm going to have a few people in
Kelt's life write guest posts. This entry is by our brother Camden.

Growing up with Kelton gave me a different perspective on life. Early on I realized that I had opportunities that he never would, no matter how hard he tried, which made me work harder in sports and school to make up for everything that he would never get to do.

I loved having Kelt in high school, even though it meant watching him on sport trips, mediating school problems, and helping him with homework. Sometimes I didn't get to experience the same things as other kids; while my friends were drinking before prom, I was watching Kelt to make sure he was acting the right way and having a good time.

I love all of his stories, even though sometimes they drive me crazy. Overall he makes me laugh more than anyone I know. My friends liked having him in school because he had a great sense of humor. There weren't too many times that I had to stand up for him because most people were understanding and enjoyed his company. There were a few times that I had to say something, and when I did, my intentions were clear. Those people soon realized that he deserved the same treatment as everyone else.

I also felt like he looked up to me when it came to sports and grades, so I wanted to try as hard as I possibly could. I once said, "I would give up my 3rd place state wrestling medal for Kelt if it meant that he could compete in the state tournament." Beyond everyone's expectations, he ended up going to state and proved that anyone can accomplish their dreams if they're determined. He never made me feel left out. If anything he's helped me connect with a larger group of people and made me appreciate every little thing. I love my brother and will always be there for him. Kelton is the most inspiring, fun, and random person that I know and he will do great things, even though he was given these struggles.
Posted by at
Labels: , , , ,

4 comments:

  1. nest + ventureOctober 10, 2011 at 4:13 PM

    I really relate to this! My brother had a brain tumor when he was six and has several "eccentricities" as a result of the surgery and radiation. He often tells me the same stories over and over, but I don't mind because no one makes me laugh the way he does :)

    Thanks for this post, really inspiring.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kelton and AinsleyOctober 12, 2011 at 4:50 PM

    Thanks! I'm glad Camden wrote it because I've actually never asked him about it. As a family we spent most of our time working with Kelt and now I'm wondering how it affected everyone else, especially Camden since they're only a year apart. I'm grateful that Kelt has a brother like him because I don't think he would have been as successful if he didn't have such a role model.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownDecember 2, 2012 at 10:35 PM

    Phenomenal!!! As a fellow sibling of a child with autism, and proud supporter thereof, I am going to retweet this to all of my other supersiblings!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. UsamaAkJanuary 18, 2020 at 4:52 AM

    https://keychainaday.blogspot.com/2011/09/day-362.html

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)