My Non-Verbal Autistic Son is an Artist

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Several years ago, when I was telling a parent (who does not have autistic children) about the myriad activities Sebastien does in his life — painting, hiking, skating, swimming, surfing, farming, carpentry, and cooking, with none occupying a particular important place, he declared: "What would be important is for his life to have a purpose."

At the time, I was taken aback. I didn't know what to say. Speaking about a "life purpose" seemed like a tall order when you are referring to a non-verbal autistic individual. Back then, the primary preoccupation was to engage Sebastien and support him in regulating his emotions.

But in recent times, I have come to believe that Sebastien's engagement in art comes as close to a life purpose for him as any activity. As I watch him work with acrylic paint on the canvas in the videos (see below), switching between the roller and the brush, I not only observe how he has become ambidextrous in performing this task but also how meticulous, gentle, and deliberate he is.

And that's when I can see that, for Sebastien, the act of painting is a safe space that he can claim as his own. It is a place in this world where he feels in control of his existence, where he can keep his anxiety at bay.

The act of painting is a place in this world where Sebastien, my non-verbal autistic son, feels in control of his existence, where he can keep his anxiety at bay.

Therefore, even though Sebastien's autism art legacy campaign still has not yielded any positive outcomes in terms of sales, art gallery responses, or exhibition opportunities, and I may end up being the biggest collector of his paintings (yes, I do purchase Sebastien's paintings with 30% of the proceeds going to A Mother's Wish), I am glad that my 28-year-old non-verbal autistic son has found his vocation.

Sebastien's singing, in this case, presents his expression of his happiness (how a non-verbal autistic person expresses emotions with sounds).

Observe Sebastien's deep concentration and careful tidying up of the borders and use of the roller.

Watch Sebastien's gentle strokes on the orange rectangle on the canvas, not crossing the boundaries at first, thus showing how deliberate he is in going about his painting

This is the finishing touch when Sebastien traverses across the boundaries to create the final magic.