The “Who”, the “How” and the “Why” my class, Painting on the Spectrum came to be.
“Painting on the Spectrum” is specifically designed to provide a nurturing and inclusive environment for young adults on the spectrum.
Yes, we will paint a lot in this class but there is so much more than that!
Aside for making wonderful art, this class is about giving them a fun and safe environment where they can meet new people with similar interests and make new friends.
Before we go further, you are probably wondering what my qualifications are to teach the autism community. That’s fair. I will be upfront with you. I am not professionally trained to teach autistic people in general. However, I am life trained to teach, work with, live with and just be with autistic people with almost 26 years of experience. That is because my oldest son, Taylor, has high functioning autism.
I have searched all over trying to find places where he can go to have fun, meet other people his age and make connections.
For thousands of young adults on the spectrum, after they finish high school these kids “fall of the cliff”. That is the actual term I had one high school teacher tell me. Meaning, and this sounds harsh, no one seems to care any more what happens to them socially. All the social skills they were learning in school can begin to recede.
Why? If they don’t have opportunities to keep using these social skills they have worked so hard to attain… well, it goes stagnant. what happens to them after high school? School had been their social outlet and for many, their only opportunity to make friends. They saw people every day, would say “hi” or wave to them in the hallways. Some loved those pep rallies, others loved the dances or art class. Even eating lunch was an opportunity to talk to someone new or sit with a friend.
After high school, it all goes away. All the social connections are gone for most of these kids. Being on the spectrum, it’s already an enormous feet to socially connect with their peers. Yes, school can be mean to them and I know personally a couple of kids that didn’t have a great experience in high school, but the real world is even harder and crueler and trying to make new social connections in the grown up world can seem impossible to them.
How would I know, right? I have watched my son go through this since he graduated high school, but it really became difficult and lonely for him when his younger brothers moved away to college. He has watched them have girlfriends, go on trips, room with buddies, become engaged, all the things he wants so badly to experience himself. He wants those things, he wants to experience life just like his brothers, but he doesn’t know how. . .yet.
We all took a mental hit During COVID and Taylor was taking the hits too. He lost his nursing assistant job in the ER where he had worked for over three years since he was not considered “essential”. He had been there since he graduated and that was such a big blow to him.
Watching my son regress because we had to lock out the world after spending so many years of blood, sweat and tears for him to look at someone and start a conversation. It was crushing.
Since COVID, I have searched and searched and researched and searched some more. He has joined a gym and goes religiously three times a week. He took care of horses for a while. Joined a pottery class, and he is a great tailgater, but he needs more.
I mean, sure, there are places in Birmingham, but all those places we found were a minimum of 45 minutes away. Not to mention that I would have to drive him because he has no desire to learn how to drive on the interstate. Meanwhile, I am getting more and more frustrated and whinny wondering, “Why isn’t there something close to home, where he can maintain his independence (not have his mom drive him)?”
I just want a place where he can have fun with adults his age and I don’t have to worry about someone taking advantage of his trusting soul. I know you hear what I’m saying.
So, just a few weeks ago, after spending years waiting for someone else way more qualified than me to create something for these kids, I finally realized that nobody else is going to do it.
I guess that means I gotta do it myself.
FINE! I will do it myself! I talked to Taylor about his thoughts of me holding an art class just for “grownups like him” and man, I wish I had recorded how his whole being lit up!
“Alright! That sounds great,” he said and then walked out of the room. He came back a few minutes later to ask me when, where and what time.
If I had any doubts before, they were gone now. That was my answer. That was when I knew that this is exactly what I am supposed to do.
So, with Taylor’s encouragement and support, I will be holding art classes at least once a month as long as their are kids who want to come.
Yes, we will paint but this class will be so much more than that!
Aside for making wonderful art, this class is about giving them a fun and safe environment where they can meet new people with similar interests and make new friends.
