Introduction: What do you think is the purpose of art for autistic people?
Art is one of the most direct ways of expressing their inner minds. Many autistic children have a rich and vivid world inside them, they just lack approaches to convey them to others. Art is genuine, also a vast and limitless way of expression. One can depict a story, emotion, or perspective and philosophy through art. Others can perceive what is expressed. Through the color, texture, tone, and the subject of it, an art piece acts like a mirror reflecting their inner world. Therefore, art is a way of communication and understanding. That is the reason we chose art as our starting point in helping autistic children.
I got assigned to a different student the second time I came. One of the teachers told me that this student was one of the most independent students in class and teaching him is stress-free. His name was Xiao Song. He was older than Nini, both taller and more sturdy. He had black rectangular eyeglasses and a neat collar on his light blue shirt. This made him look quite well-mannered and refined. From the appearance, he had no difference from people without autism. In this class, we continued to make candles.
Before class started, he asked me, “Who are you?”
I replied, “My name is Joyce.”
But after a few minutes, he asked me again, “Who are you?”
I then replied and explained I was teaching him this class. He and I went to get all the supplies for making candles and placed them on the table. Since we had already made candles last class, he was familiar with all the procedures. Xiao Song chose various molds while I placed a plate of dried flowers and herbs on the table. The first step was to brush oil on the inner sides of the mold so that the decorations can stick there. He brushed the sides evenly and stuck magenta colored petals along the sides of the rectangular mold. The teachers there said that it is necessary to try to communicate with him, even if he does not show any response in the first place. She also said it is normal for them to not reply or pay attention to you when they are not familiar with you yet. Therefore, I talked to him and gave suggestions while he was arranging the decorations. It sounded like I was talking to myself because he barely glanced at me.
Abruptly, he asked me, “Who are you?”
I replied again with slight frustration. He was unlike Nini where I had to walk her through all the steps. Xiao Song was very self-regulating and can manage everything independently. That was why the teachers consider him mature amongst the other students.
The next step was to thread the candle wick through the hole of the mold and secure the thread in the middle using a clip. Xiao Song was attentive as he responds to situations more than I expected. When there was wax clogged in the hole, he scavenged around the room and found a sharp metal stick. He used the stick to remove the wax from the hole. It was not fully cleaned so he found a needle and cleared the rest of the wax. Now Xiao Song needed to thread the candle wick through the hole. This is not an easy job since it requires precision. He noticed that the tip of the candle wick is sort of splitting so he twisted it to make it easier to thread through. He failed many times but twists the tip and tried again without any impatience. Finally, he successfully threaded the candle wick through the mold. I complimented him because of his effort and concentration. The next step was to secure the candle wick in the middle of the mold, thus when we pour the wax, it would stay in place. When he was securing the candle wick with a clip, he adjusted the position and clip meticulously. His eyes were entirely focused on it as if they were fixated. He constantly observed the candle wick’s position and adjusted it. Through his series of actions, I noticed that he was a careful, observant, and engaged student.
After this process, all we needed to do is to pour the wax in the mold and wait for it to solidify. To use our time more efficiently, we continued to set up molds while we were waiting. When he was decorating the mold, I suggested him to use smaller flowers and herbs since all he was using was the big magenta petals. This was the first time he listened to me and stuck tiny light-color flowers on the sides of the mold. I felt I was gaining more trust upon him compared to when he first asked me “Who are you?”.
We used various kinds of molds, there were even spheres and heart-shaped ones. He was also very productive when making them. I taught him a technique so that the flowers and herbs would fix on the inner sides and not fall off when pouring the liquid wax. I poured a small amounted wax then rotated the mold so that the wax would cover all the inner sides. This can conceal the decorations when the layer dries. Then I told him to pour wax so that the mold was half full then pour the rest when it was dry. This can prevent the outside to solidify and the inside to remain liquid. After a few demonstrations, Xiao Song quickly understood those techniques. This proves that he has very good learning abilities compared to other autistic students. The more we got along with each other the more he is willing to listen and acknowledge me. I felt he was becoming more used to me. The reserved and unfamiliar feeling he had on me was gradually diminishing. Even though we did not have much verbal communication, he was willing to have more eye-contact with me.
When we were making the heart-shaped candles, Xiao Song stood up abruptly and strolled around the classroom. I was uncertain of what was his purpose until he walked towards the supply area. I followed him and saw him open some containers with tiny fragments of flowers. He got a handful of it and sprinkled it on the liquid wax. The candle turned out to look very appealing. This was a great improvement since he had this idea of arranging things in a specific way to make it visually attractive. This was much better than sticking the herbs and flowers uncaring of what it would look like. Xiao Song is starting to think about the design and he is intentionally arranging the decorations. I complimented him on his improvement. He also started to call my name. When Xiao Song first spoke my name, I was glad since I became a person that he trusted rather than a random stranger.
Time flew and this art class approached its end. Xiao Song made a total of eight candles. He was one of the students who made the most. Many teachers complimented him for his amazing works.
When his mother was about to pick him up, he spoke proudly, “I am very good. Everyone is very good.”
Xiao Song was developing a sense of accomplishment for the works he created. This is attributed to his interests in designing things by himself. He also did not forget to appreciate other student’s works and encourage them. I was very delighted to meet such an engaged, attentive, and thoughtful student. I hope to continue to observe Xiao Song’s growth and understand him more.
Images in the article are from the internet.
Joyce's Blog 