Creative Endeavors

An average day for most families is fairly predictable. A day in my life, a single parent with two kids with autism and autism spectrum disorder, is anything but predictable. I have to remind myself every moment of every day that the kids aren’t going to do what they’re told because they lose track of the instruction I give them after two steps, and having them clean up after themselves requires military-style supervision.

There are things we enjoy doing together that children with autism really excel at and I love doing with my kids. Those are the moments when we can forget about the challenges and really enjoy being a family. For example, we love books and the written word. My son has learned so much about social situations because I’ve read to him since he was an infant. Long before he could speak, he could read; first by rote memory and then by actual comprehension. His delays in language were oddly punctuated by the fact he clearly heard and understood what we said when we read to him. My daughter is experiencing the same hyperlexia – reading well beyond her chronological age level. I am thrilled to share my love of words and books with them both. We have no less than six full-sized bookshelves full of books for all ages on all topics, and classics for both children and adults.

During an average school week, my son is allowed down time of his choosing four days, and a cello lesson on the fifth day. According to his teacher, Aidan’s brain is hardwired with perfect pitch to play whatever instrument he wants. Over a year ago, my son saw a YouTube video of YoYo Ma and told me he wants to be just like him. “I want to be just like YoYo Ma, Mama."

For my daughter, she’s taking after her old ma: dramatic to the core, in love with dance and extremely gifted in art. She and I cannot breathe without them. Without supervision, she’ll paint everything in sight. Recently, I awoke to a kitchen covered in swirls of red paint. While my daughter beamed at her magnificent creation, I groaned. I knew I couldn’t really be mad at her, though. She was obviously “in the zone” and couldn’t stop. When I watch her, I allow a certain amount of mess for her creative processes, but stop her before it becomes a runaway freight train. Guess I now have a glimpse of what that would look like!

There have been some studies that focus on how creative arts help children with autism. It’s no wonder that my two children, with their varieties of autism, just bloom when they can express themselves artistically. I encourage my children to explore their heart’s desire so they can show the world there is a way out of the shadows of autism and into the light. Some parents have lost hope for their autistic children and they need to know not to give up. You just have to find the way in. This is our “normal,” and because I love them so much, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

To further your knowledge of autism and the arts, please visit the Teaching Children with Autism website.

Sarah, thank you so much for sharing this story about your amazing family with the Mamapedia community.