FROM COMPLIANCE TO VALUE My son started drawing as a compliance task in his ABA sessions that basically sounded like, “draw a circle, no, draw a circle, no.”
As time passed and he started drawing his perceptions of people, things, and events, we began to get valuable information where there were communication breakdowns. I found this to be a porthole into his mind.
Illustration by Thaddeus Stauder
As a young man with severe speech and language comprehension issues, drawing had come to be a way he would describe things to me that he did not have words for.
Illustration by Thaddeus Stauder This process then became a way of life for us, a way that we could hang out together without much.
Article by Kristin Kucia Author & Mother of a neurodiverse storyteller Family Coordinator at Tink Tank Animate LLC
DRAWING CULTURE FROM OURSELVES
As humans, we reflect the world we live in, our dreams, and our aspirations of what can be through stories.
Illustration by Andres Lerma All cultures rely on storytelling to build connections, foster social engagement, increase trust and awareness, generate emotional connection, and to encourage learning about others. People deliver different histories and ideas with unique ways of explaining, and drawing is one of the many fabulous ways the world tells stories.
Illustration by Thaddeus Stauder Verbal communication and perspective- taking are often difficult for people on the autism spectrum, and drawing their perspectives and ideas gives creativity, weight, and meaning to their stories.
Alexandra Adlawan Childrens’ Illustrator & Author Storytelling strengthens our community of neurodiverse artists. And when that happens, everyone wins, and when everyone wins, we have become inclusive, through our ideas. Article by Kristin Kucia Author & Mother of a neurodiverse storyteller Family Coordinator at Tink Tank Animate LLC