Specialisterne (‘the Specialists’ in Danish) seeks to harness strengths that many people with Autism Spectrum Disorders possess - good attention to fine details, precision, and high tolerance for repetitive tasks. Their consultants bring the joy of work into areas where it is often missing today.
Similarly Strokes of Genius seeks to harness the artistic abilities of those with Autism.
(sources: Human Resource Executive Online - Story; Strokes of Geniusea)
Another one of Strokes of Genius’ contributing artists is Seth Chwast. From a young age, his mother (Debra) threw herself into connecting her son with the wider world. A longtime therapist with a master’s degree in social work, she tried countless therapies to help her son. Finally, the 20-year-old Seth enrolled in a class on oil painting at the Cleveland Museum of Art in 2003 … and found his voice, painting relentlessly from then on:
Seth’s art has brought him to the attention of millions through appearances on such television shows as NBC’s Good Morning America. He has also appeared on the Today Show twice, including his New Year’s Day appearance in 2008 - Today’s most inspirational story of the year.
Recently, Debra Chwast has written a book about their story, An Unexpected Life: A Mother and Son’s Story of Love, Determination, Autism, and Art…
(sources: Artist with Autism to Exhibit, Appear at DHMC | News | Dartmouth-Hitchcock; http://www.rrpl.org/local_history/pdf/ArtWorks_img.pdf; Review: An Unexpected Life | womenspost.ca)