As April, which is Autism Awareness month, is quickly coming to a close, I stopped today to wonder what I've done personally to shed light on this complex developmental disorder that affects so many people. This is a cause very dear to my heart, because my family is just one of 1.5 million families living with someone who has an autistic spectrum disorder. My youngest child Antonino was diagnosed PPD-Nos shortly before his second birthday, and with various therapies for the last five plus years,is probably now closer to Asperger's Syndrome at the age of seven.
This is the first formal portrait I took of Nino at the age of three. I sent it to competition with the title "He's Finally Still", which made no sense and had no real significance, except to me. It's really not that outstanding in a technical sense, but to me at that time, this portrait meant so much more than any merit it could possibly receive.
This was the first time I managed to get a studio portrait of Nino, after two years of trying. Sure, I had tons of candids of him in action
(always in action lol!), but none that captured that pensive, quiet little boy that I knew at times.
It was a great sitting. He followed direction....he made eye contact (though fleeting)....he sat still...and as any parent with a child on the spectrum knows, that is a major accomplishment. Not only for me as a photographer, but more importantly for him as a little boy overcoming his disability, and to me as a mother who now had that valuable portrait of her child. It also proved to me that autism IS treatable, and our decision for early intervention was the right one.
Since then, Nino has become a muse for me, and I love to photograph him.
He's become a real natural, and maybe even a bit of a showoff, and I'm happy to say that I no longer have a problem getting the real Nino in a picture.
Maybe sometimes too natural. He's a bit of a goofster, whether he's showing off the gaps in his teeth....
....or asking me "Hey Mom, how about a pose like this?" with a Cheshire cat grin.
Gool ball.
But when I photograph him, I think about all the families that don't take portraits of their kids with ASD, for fear that the sitting just won't go well. Those families are always on my mind, and I have something special in the works just for them. Please check back in June, when I will post here the details for a special portrait day in the park for ASD families.
I questioned whether I should share our story, but then there was no reason not to. There is no shame in autism - we didn't cause it, he didn't cause, we have no idea why he is one of the 1 in 150 children that are currently diagnosed with some form of this social disorder. By being open about it, it can only help bring the understanding and patience that these kids so desperately need in order to thrive.
If you'd like to know more about Autism, it's symptoms and treatments, please visit the Autism Society of America for more information.
