ARTE 780 Dr. Yi Wen Wei, 12/08/2023, Gabriel Emmanuel Ferreiro

ARTE 780 Final Project Dr. Yi Wen Wei 12/08/2023 Gabriel Emmanuel Ferreiro

“ If you’ve met one child with autism, you have met one child with autism.”

- Dr. Stephen Shore

This is Mia… She is six, and is a curious little girl at her age.

She loves to read, play music, and make art, and is always open to trying new things….

Mia is a special little girl, when she puts her mind to something, she cannot be stopped…

Mia has a unique way to look at the world, But it is not always easy for her…

Mia has a condition known as Autism.

9 Eyeem Images

Mia’s condition means she needs extra help from others, especially in trying to control her feelings.

She has a very special friend, her cat Specs who has been her lifelong friend. He is always there for her when times get tough.

When Mia met Specs for the first time, she knew he was just as unique as her.

Mia‘s condition can make her do things different from other kids, but she does it to make her feel comfortable.

She will sometimes bite her thumb, this helps to calm her down.

And when she walks, she always walks on her tippy toes.

When Mia eats, she can only eat certain food. The food she eats has to feel a cetrain way or be a certain color.

If its neither of those, she won’t eat at all.

Mia has a lot of interests, but she often likes to do them on her own. So sometimes, she will find something really engaging and sometimes forget others are there…

This can make it difficult for her to make friends.

Sometimes, Mia would be in her own world, and sometimes she would not notice Others around her, even the ones she loves the most.

Mia?

But sometimes…

If something doesn’t seem right to her, or if anything around her changes, she can become stressed. and when she becomes stressed she can get scared, and see things that no one else can.

And sometimes that stress…

Can cause her to get angry…

And sometimes, her anger is difficult for her to control.

But most of the time….

Her Stress can be too much, and causes her to shutdown…

But…when she becomes overwhelmed, she just remembers what calms her down, And when she does the things she loves, she sees them in ways no one else can.

When she reads her favorite book….

Plays her favorite music…

Or makes beautiful works of art…

She is reminded that when she puts her mind to something she truly loves….

…She cannot be stopped.

She may have a condition that can make things difficult for her, but it does not stop her from doing the things she loves and learn new things along the way….

There are many other children in the world like Mia, who experience different struggles but their sense of wonder is all the same.

Kids like Mia are searching to find their path, but one thing is for sure, their condition does not write their story….

That story is for them to write…

…And this is only the beginning.

A Tribute to P.D. Eastman, author of Are you my Mother?