By Leigh Marcos, photos courtesy of Keri Bowers Art projects are recognized as effective forms of therapy to help kids who have a diagnosis of autism or other learning disabilities. The American Art Therapy Association and the British Association for Art Therapists recognize that art therapy fosters…

The Art of Autism joins art organizations across the United States in celebrating National Arts and Humanities Month (NAHM). Thirty years ago, NAHM was launched by Americans for the Arts as National Arts Week in honor of the twentieth anniversary of the National Endowment for the Arts. The Americans…

“We recognize that peace is a choice. Instead of demanding peace from governments and leaders, we claim our own creative ability to manifest a world of peace, beginning in our own consciousness.” Spirit Expressions By Art of Autism Poets ~ with Keri Bowers Our egos separate us from peace, from p…

By Keri Bowers In sharing poems & art for peace throughout the month of September, we support the belief that peace begins within each of us, calling forth individual, collective action to manifest it in the world. The actual day of commemoration each year is September 21st. In a sadly ironic a…

This next art challenge needs no introduction – artist+ mentor Joel Anderson shows kids everything they need to know in his AWESOME stop animation video. Love his work and the way he communicates. If you haven’t yet signed your kids up for the Mentorship Project, not worry! You can still sign…

“Vibrant waves of sequenced patterns emerged in my head whenever I looked at musical notes and scores. Like pieces of a mysterious puzzle solved, it was natural for me to see music and its many facets as pictures in my head. It never occurred to me that others couldn’t see what I saw.” By Stephen S…

“There is this myth that children with autism don’t have empathy. I’ve found the exact opposite to be true: children with autism are instead the most highly sensitive individuals I have ever had the privilege to know,” Elaine Hall When traditional therapies didn’t help my son Neal, who …

By Keri Bowers and Debra Muzikar As part of the Art of Autism California Road Trip in May, The Art of Autism honored people who are unsung heroes in California. As we traveled up and down the state we had the opportunity to stop at people’s homes and their businesses. This is the second of a t…

“It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a child with autism to raise the consciousness of the village” - Coach Elaine Hall. By Keri Bowers and Debra Muzikar As part of the Art of Autism California Road Trip in May, The Art of Autism honored people who are unsung heroes in California. As…

Autism self-advocacy is an art form aimed at accentuating the beauty found in our humanity. Autism awareness and acceptance should be about expanding people’s exposure to the life of autistic people. That can’t be done with statistics; it can only be done with stories and story telling is an art. B…

A tribute to Remo Belli who made the “heart drum.” By James Billington, Hidden Wings The drum is tuned to approximate the frequency of the heart. As you drum closer to the center of these wide circular table drums you come closer to the common frequency of the heartbeat. The note is c#. …

Suggestions on participation in theater productions By Parasuram Ramamoorthi, Ph.D. Drama therapy can benefit autistic children and adults. Drama helps the individual to realize his/her potential through acting out roles and engaging in creative play. Behavioral issues such as hand flapping, rockin…

If all we do is try to shape the child’s behavior “from the outside”, utilizing techniques such as verbal commands, token reinforcements, intellectual validations and extinctions (“do you “understand me?”) and fail to “see” how and where in the psyche and physical body they experience stimuli and ex…

Leah has an incredible talent to remember faces and names. “Her teacher once told me that Leah could be walking by a classroom, glance inside for a moment, and tell her who was absent,” Lori says. By Debra Muzikar Many autistic children have trouble making friends. Leah DeMonia when she was in 3rd g…