Design by Emeline Earman // Photography by Claire Dickson
ust a few blocks off the Black Warrior River in downtown Tuscaloosa, Alabama, a new playground, complete with a basketball court, a tire swing and things to climb, among others, sits unmoving. School has been in session for a little more than a month, and it is that time in September when the weather is just barely starting to cool down in the South. Essentially, this setting is ideal for a child with some pent-up energy from a long day at school. But, the students for whom this playground was created are not on the monkey bars, swings, teeter-totter, or any part of the playground, for that matter. Instead, they’re off to the side, sitting crosslegged near the boundary line of their new basketball court, not talking. Why aren’t they running around and playing, or at the very least, chatting? One word: doughnuts. Inside the nearby building, which houses many of their peers, the scene is different. There are so many activities going on simultaneously. Down the hall from the main foyer, an elementary schooler ducks under a sensei’s jabbing glove, his face in glee all the while. This kid is into it, but the sensei actively engages the students who were not. He says to the class, “I tell all my groups I don’t have pacifiers and milk — y’all gotta pay attention.”
Upstairs, students draw pictures as a sensory outlet. Some are energetic; some are focused; but, all are respectful. Throughout the rest of this refurbished home in which they spend their time after school, there’s laughter, chatter and a general feeling of community, and the best part is that it will all happen again the next day. On any given Monday through Thursday afternoon during the school year between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m., a multitude of students with autism who have not yet graduated from high school can be found there at Arts ‘N Autism in Tuscaloosa. Arts ‘N Autism is a non-profit organization that serves primarily as an after-school program for students with autism. Activities such as art
lessons, Lego-building and karate allow the students to decompress from school. They also serve to improve sensory integration, as most students with autism struggle with those functions. There is a separate, smaller program called Learning is Fundamental for Education and Employment that serves students who have graduated from high school. In LIFEE, participants learn vocational skills and participate in supervised employment in the community. What began as a pilot program in 2004 with six students has now grown to a full-fledged operation serving over 85 children. Jan Sikes, a founder and director of Arts ‘N Autism, fielded concerns from parents about childcare while working as a special
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