Spectrum of Support

: 1-16 what is autism? what we know awareness test

17-32

color coding system autistic savant interview with parents

33-48 my proposal identity toys and games

how visual artand graphic artists can help

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about this book

Before approaching my thesis project and coming up with ideas for the topic I decided to talk to one very influential person in my life, who had been my mentor since high school

years. I emailed my friend Eddie to find out how he had been and to share my ideas regarding choosing topic for my thesis project. His reply struck me and left speechless, when I found out that his little girl Madison had been diagnosed with Autism.

After days of research and thoughts on how I could be supportive to someone who’d been so kind and encouraging to me – I decided to look no further for my topic for thesis project and dedicate my research and design to help bring awareness of autism, support families and friends of autistic people, and raise funds for autism research.

autismspectrum disorder

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what is autism?

Though there is no single known cause or cure, autism is treatable. Children do not “outgrow” autism, but studies show that early diagnosis and intervention

can lead to significantly improved outcomes. With the right services and supports, people with autism can live full, healthy and meaningful lives.

The demands of raising a child with autism are great, and families frequently experience high levels of stress. Rec-ognizing and preparing yourself for the challenges that are in store will make a tremendous difference to all involved, in-cluding parents, siblings, grandparents, extended family, and friends.

The uniqueness of each individual with autism makes the experience of raising a child with autism different for each family. But there are some consistent themes or issues that most families will want to be aware of to be able to provide the best support to the individual and to family members.

While no one gene has been identified as causing autism, researchers are searching for irregular seg-ments of genetic code that children with autism may have inherited.

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what is autism?

what is autism?

Discovering that your child has an autism spectrum dis-order can be an overwhelming experience. For some, the diagnosis may come as a complete surprise; oth-

ers may have had suspicions and tried for months or years to get an accurate diagnosis. In either case, a diagnosis brings a multitude of questions about how to proceed. A genera-tion ago, many people with autism were placed in institutions. Professionals were less educated about autism than they are today and specific services and supports were largely non-existent. Today the picture is much clearer. With appropriate services and supports, training, and information, children on the autism spectrum will grow, learn and flourish, even if at a different developmental rate than others.s.

While there is no known cure for autism, there are treatment and education approaches that may reduce some of the challenges associated with the condition. Intervention may help to lessen disruptive behaviors, and education can teach self-help skills that allow for greater independence. But just as there is no one symptom or behavior that identifies

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what is autism?

While no one gene has been identified as causing autism, research-ers are searching for irregular segments of genetic code that children with autism may have inherited.

Tnd professionals have been confounded by conflicting messages regarding what are and what are not appropriate treatment

approaches for children and adults on the autism spectrum.

The purpose of this section is to provide a general overview of a variety of available approach-es, not specific treatment recommendations. Keep in mind that the word “treatment” is used in a very limited sense. While typically used for children un-der 3, the approaches described herein may be in-cluded in an educational program for older children as well.

It is important to match a child’s potential and spe-cific needs with treatments or strategies that are likely to be effective in moving him/her closer to established goals and greatest potential. The Autism Society does not want to give the impression that parents or professionals will select one item from a list of available treatments. A search for appro-

Out of 150 children ONE is born with Autism.

Spectrum of Supportis a nonprofit organization that helps to bring Autism Awareness and support for families with autistic children.

Out of 150 children ONE is born with Autism.


autismawareness

test

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autism awareness test

F or some of us Autism it’s just a smart word from a diction-ary, for others it is an everyday struggle. The main goal of

this survey is to determine level of autism awareness, and get people motivated to provide help and support for families with autistic children. As this disorder still remains unsolved puzzle, there are quite a few characteristics that had been discovered for the past de-cades, such as autistic social behavior, which can be categorized into three groups. I want to concentrate on this aspect, as it will help to develope a better understanding of how to socialize with autistic children, and help them raise their level of communica-tions. Please fill out the survey below by circling your answers.

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what is autism?

9Many autistic children have extraordinary abilities: with the right support, emphasis, and persistence it can be turned

into a necessary skill for a future employment when child grows up. Would you invest your time in helping autistic child exploring and expanding their knowledge about art, music, science, etc?

10At times, we face life-changing choices. However some people wit autism can not make sound deci-

sions. Would you responsibly make a decision for them?

11Would you agree that in some cases art therapy could help improve autistic childrens’ conditions?

12Would you buy or use a product that financially sup-ports autism research?

13Would you like to be more informed about autism and similar disorders?

1 Did you know that 1 out of 9 children in the U.S.A. is born with some form of autism?

2 Did you know that there is a possibility of an autistic child to have a higher IQ level than a regular kid?

3To your knowledge, is there a cure for Autism?

4 What do you think could be a possible cause of autism?

a. Unknownb. Vaccinesc. Geneticsd. Atypical brain development

5 Could a self-injurious behavior be a sign of autism?

6 Did you know that children who are socially indifferent have high level of a chemical in their neurological system that is

responsible for pleasure received from socializing, therefore communicating isn’t of importanceto them?

What do weknow about Autism?

yes no

yes no

yes no

yes no

yes no

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autism awareness test

9Many autistic children have extraordinary abilities: with the right support, emphasis, and persistence it can be turned

into a necessary skill for a future employment when child grows up. Would you invest your time in helping autistic child exploring and expanding their knowledge about art, music, science, etc?

10At times, we face life-changing choices. However some people wit autism can not make sound deci-

sions. Would you responsibly make a decision for them?

11Would you agree that in some cases art therapy could help improve autistic childrens’ conditions?

12Would you buy or use a product that financially sup-ports autism research?

13Would you like to be more informed about autism and similar disorders?

1 Did you know that 1 out of 9 children in the U.S.A. is born with some form of autism?

2 Did you know that there is a possibility of an autistic child to have a higher IQ level than a regular kid?

3To your knowledge, is there a cure for Autism?

4 What do you think could be a possible cause of autism?

a. Unknownb. Vaccinesc. Geneticsd. Atypical brain development

5 Could a self-injurious behavior be a sign of autism?

6 Did you know that children who are socially indifferent have high level of a chemical in their neurological system that is

responsible for pleasure received from socializing, therefore communicating isn’t of importanceto them?

yes no

yes no

yes no

yes no

yes no

Some children with autism tend to line up objects.


Some children with autism tend to line up objects.


how visual artcan help?

color and shape

T according to color theory - lalala COLOR WHEELS color wheel is based on a circle that joins the ends

of the spectrum and is helpful as a guide to mixing colors. There are many possible color wheel configurations.

Traditional color wheels use three primary colors: red, yellow and blue (the first or starting colors used to mix the wheel). Between them are shown the secondary colors: orange, green and purple (colors made by mixing the primary colors).

The red, yellow and blue color wheel is mostly useful as a conceptual model for color since the relationships are easy to see. This system is easy to understand and has been used for years* to teach color relationships. It does, however, fail to accurately depict color relationships and does not show the relationship between the additive and subtractive color theo-ries. It also does not work well to mix all of the colors of the spectrum.

Francios d’Aguilon declared in 1613 that red, yellow and blue were primary colors and when mixed with black and white could produce all colors. Maybe that was true in 1613.

Coordination of given colors with correspond-ing shapes involves a parallelism. Where col-ors and shapes agree in their expression, their ef-fects are additive.

form and color

Form and Color

As it true of the three primary colors, red, yellow, and blue, the three fundamental shapes – square, triangle, and circle – may be assigned distinct expressive values.

The square, whose essence is two horizontal and two vertical intersecting lines of equal length, symbolizes matter, gravity, and sharp limitation. The Egyptian hieroglyph for “field” is a square. A marked tension is felt when the straight sides and right angles of the square are drawn and experienced as mo-tion. All Shapes characterized by horizontals and verticals may be assimilated to square form, including the cross, the rect-angle, the Greek key, and their derivatives.

The square corresponds to red, the color of matter. The weight and opacity of red agree with the static and grave shape of the square.

The triangle owes its nature to three intersecting diagonals. Its acute angles produce an effect of pugnacity and aggres-sion. The triangle assimilates all shapes of diagonal character, such as rhombus, trapezoid, zig-zag, and their derivatives. It is the symbol of thought, and among colors its weightless char-acter is matched by lucid yellow.

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form and color

A circle is the locus of a point moving at constant distance from a given point in a plane. In contradistinction to the sharp, tense sensation of motion produced by the square, the circle generates a feeling of relaxation and smooth motion. It is the symbol of the spirit, moving undivided within itself. The ancient Chinese used circular elements to build their temples, while the palace of the temporal sovereign was constructed in quad-rangular manner. The astrological symbol for the sun is a circle with a dot in the center. The circle comprehends all shapes of flexuous, cyclic character, as the ellipse, oval, wave, parabola, and their derivates. The incessantly moving circle corresponds among colors to transparent blue.

To summarize, the square is resting matter; the radiating triangle is thought, and the circle is spirit in eternal motion. If we look for shapes to match the secondary colors, we find the trapezoid for orange, a spherical triangle for green, and an el-lipse for violet.

Coordination of given colors with corresponding shapes in-volves a parallelism. Where colors and shapes agree in their expression, their effects are additive. A picture whose expres-sion is determined chiefly by color should develop its forms from color, while a picture stressing form should have a color-ation derived from its form. The Cubists were most particularly interested in form and reduced their colors in number accord-ingly. Expressionists and Futurists used both form and color as expressive media; Impressionists dissolved form in favor of color.

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What has been said of subjective color hold also of form. Each individual’s constitution endows him with certain traits. Graphology inquires into the relationship between subjective form in handwriting and the personality of the writer, but only certain subjective forms can manifest themselves in lineal script.

The Chinese calligraphers admired works of subjective origi-nality, but a scroll was most esteemed if at once original and harmoniously balanced. Brush-and-ink painting was similarly regarded. Liang K’ai and other masters went a step further. They placed no value on originality and personal style; they sought the absolute in art, and attempted to give each subject a formal expression of general validity. Liang K’ai’s works differ so in line and tone that it is not easy to identify the artist. Sub-jectivity of form is submerged in his paintings in the interest of a higher, objective fidelity.

In European painting, Matthias Grunewald aspired to the same objectivity, in form and color. Konrad Witz and El Greco were largely objective as to color, but subjective as to form. De La Tour’s work is subjective in form and color alike. Van Gogh’s paintings, also, are subjective in both draftsmanship and coloration.

Painting is rich in objective categories. They lie in spatial di-rection, distribution of mass, free selection of forms and areas with their tonalities and textures.

autisticsavantstory