Autistic art is

artwork A work of art, artwork, art piece, piece of art or art object is an artistic creation of aesthetic value. Except for "work of art", which may be used of any work regarded as art in its widest sense, including works from literature ...

created by

autistic The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

artists that captures or conveys a variety of autistic experiences. According to a 2021 article in ''Cognitive Processing'', autistic artists with improved linguistic and communication skills often show a greater degree of originality and attention to detail than their neurotypical counterparts, with a positive correlation between artistic talent and high linguistic functioning. Autistic art is often considered

outsider art Outsider art is art made by self-taught or supposedly naïve artists with typically little or no contact with the conventions of the art worlds. In many cases, their work is discovered only after their deaths. Often, outsider art illustrates e ...

.AutismConnect - Museums thrust autistic artists into the mainstream
/ref> Art by autistic artists has long been shown in separate venues from artists without disabilities. The works of some autistic artists have featured in art publications and documentaries and been exhibited in mainstream galleries. Although autistic artists seldom received formal

art education Visual arts education is the area of learning that is based upon the kind of art that one can see, visual arts—drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, and design in jewelry, pottery, weaving, fabrics, etc. and design applied to more practic ...

in the past, recent inclusivity initiatives have made it easier for autistic artists to get a formal college education. The Aspergers/Autism Network's AANE Artist Collaborative is an example of an art organization for autistic adults. Many therapeutic, social, and interventional organizations today use

art therapy Art therapy (not to be confused with ''arts therapy'', which includes other creative therapies such as drama therapy and music therapy) is a distinct discipline that incorporates creative methods of expression through visual art media. Art thera ...

to socialize and promote mental and emotional growth in autistic children.

Overview

Many autistic art programs and projects founded by nonprofit organizations, autistic artists, or other institutions to help autistic people to express themselves and promote autistic art. Sensory hypersensitivity may make an autistic person much more perceptive than a neurotypical (non-autistic) person. The extreme attention to detail common in autistic people may manifest as talent in mathematics, art or other fields. Autistic persons who have talent in art are often

outsiders Outsider(s) may refer to: Film * Outsider (1997 film), ''Outsider'' (1997 film), a 1997 Slovene-language film * Outsider (2012 film), ''Outsider'' (2012 film), a Malayalam-language Indian film * Outsiders (1980 film), ''Outsiders'' (1980 film), a ...

in the art community. Unlike with common art, there is seldom any tradition or academic criteria in their creations. Each artist has their own personal style, that presents their conception of the autistic life experience.

Art therapy

Art therapy is used as a therapeutic method primarily in autistic children, by itself or alongside methods such as

applied behavior analysis Applied behavior analysis (ABA), also called behavioral engineering, is a psychological intervention that applies empirical approaches based upon the principles of respondent and operant conditioning to change behavior of social significance. ...

. Proponents state it helps autistic children develop mental, social, and emotional maturity and teaches

life skills Life skills are abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable humans to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of life. This concept is also termed as psychosocial competency. The subject varies greatly depending on social norm ...

. Advocates point out that art therapy can increase autistic tolerance to sensory stimuli and redirect self-stimulatory behavior "stims" into an activity less likely to distract other students. Artistic expression is a good alternative for

nonverbal Nonverbal communication (NVC) is the transmission of messages or signals through a nonverbal platform such as eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, posture, and body language. It includes the use of social cues, kinesics, distance (proxemic ...

autistic children and those uncomfortable with verbal communication. Autistic people often have

visual memory Visual memory describes the relationship between perceptual processing and the encoding, storage and retrieval of the resulting neural representations. Visual memory occurs over a broad time range spanning from eye movements to years in order ...

, so art therapy is a natural fit for autistic children who think in pictures instead of words.

Benefits of Art Therapy in Autistic Children

Art is a medium used in many different ways to benefit patients dealing with health issues to mental setbacks. Using creative thinking within art and being able to express yourself in any way through your art is a vital experience for many individuals, especially children who may have a hard time expressing themselves. Children with autism greatly benefit from using art as a form of therapy, and art therapy is a wonderful tool that touches on many areas that are beneficial to these children. Some of the main benefits of using art as a therapeutic tool is the sensory stimulation from using paint or clay etc. it can be as sensory as they need. These art classes also allow the participants to become more outgoing and learn how to interact with their peers and other people, while in a safe place. The self-esteem boost kids get from using art as a medium is also important to note as many kids feel accomplished in finishing their pieces and the experience is very positive for them. By allowing these children to have this creative outlet to express their feelings through art as well as teaching them correct motor skills, art therapy has so many wonderful benefits.

People

Stephen Wiltshire IMG 3031 (30520415881)

* Stephen Wiltshire (b. 1974) – typically depicts

cityscapes In the visual arts, a cityscape (urban landscape) is an artistic representation, such as a painting, drawing, Publishing, print or photograph, of the physical aspects of a city or urban area. It is the urban equivalent of a landscape. ''Town ...

in his work. He is one of the most famous autistic artists and his art usually surrounds architectural features. *

Donna Williams Donna Leanne Williams, also known by her married name Donna Leanne Samuel (born Donna Keene; 12 October 1963 – 22 April 2017), was an Australian writer, artist, singer-songwriter, screenwriter, and sculptor. In 1965, aged two, Williams was a ...

(1963–2017) – focused on figurative works with an emphasis on movement. * Larry Bissonnette (b. 1957) * Henriett Seth F. (b. 1980) – creates abstract, highly patterned works. * Gilles Tréhin (b. 1972) – a self-taught artist who creates largely architectural drawings in pencil. Many of his sketches are of an imaginary world called Urville. *

George Widener George Widener (born ) is a self-taught artist who employs his mathematical/calculating capability to create art ranging from complex calendars and numerical palindromes to Rembrandt-like antiquarian landscapes to Asian scrolls. He was born in Cinc ...

(b. 1962) – creates detailed imaginary worlds that are displayed in Ricco Maresca Gallery in

New York, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...

. * Richard Wawro (1952–2006) * Jonathan Lerman (b. 1987) *

Govy Govy (born 12 April 1981) is a French artist diagnosed on the autism spectrum in 2013, and is an advocate for the neurodiversity movement. Their career began after their interactive art piece ''Photographic Diary'' in 2000 to 2001. Govy's work, i ...

(b. 1981) * Susan Te Kahurangi King (b. 1951) *

Matthew Wong Matthew Wong (; March 8, 1984 – October 2, 2019) was a Canadian artist. Self-taught as a painter, Wong received critical acclaim for his work before his death in 2019 at the age of 35. Roberta Smith, co-chief art critic at ''The New York Times' ...

(1984-2019) – His work is characterised by his use of the colour blue and depictions of solitude. * Ping Lian Yeak (b. 1993) – Malaysian-Australian artist, described as a young autistic savant. * Gregory Blackstock (1946–2023) - An American artist who created visual lists of categorized objects.

Projects

''Drawing Autism''

''Drawing Autism'' is a book collection of images and artwork created by people who are diagnosed with autism. This collection features creations of more than 50 autistic artists around the world and illustrates the potential for art of autistic persons as well as an insight into some of the characteristics of autism. The founder of the project is Jill Mullin, who is a board-certified behavior analyst. During her 15 years of experience working with autistic people, Mullin has found that many of them are talented in mathematics, science and art.

The Art of Autism

The Art of Autism is a nonprofit organization which empowers autistic people and their families through the arts which includes visual arts, music, blogging, poetry, dance, and other art forms. They provide various opportunities for autistic artists to display their creations and share their personal stories as well as for merchandising the art works. In addition, they are dedicated to fostering the importance of art for autistic people and offering mentorship opportunities.

References

{{Autism resources Visual arts genres *