Autism
Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with and relates to other people. It also affects how they make sense of the world around them.
It is a spectrum condition, which means that while all people with autism share certain difficulties, their condition will affect each of them in different ways. Some people with autism are able to live relatively independent lives but others may have accompanying learning disabilities and need a lifetime of specialist support. People with autism may also experience over-or under-sensitivity to sounds, touch, tastes, smells, light and colours.
Autism currently affects 1 in 100 people in the UK.
There are around 100,000 children with autism in the UK, with around half a million family members directly affected by the condition.
Early intervention, education and support are critical in enabling children and young people with autism to lead fulfilling lives.
Paintings by Iris Grace, a 5 year old with an extraordinary talent to express herself through painting. She is Autistic and is only just starting to talk but is able to paint in a style far beyond her years. We wanted to share her art to raise awareness of her condition and inspire other families in similar situations to ours. Autism is currently affecting around 100,000 children in the UK and these numbers are rising.In the summer of 2013 Iris’s story was published Globally in 227 different countries and over 3 million people visited her site with now over 135 thousand following her adventures on Facebook. She has sold paintings to private art collectors here in the UK and all over the world, in Europe, America, South America and Asia.