Portraits

Aspectrum is a creative attempt to explain life on a spectrum, an exploration of the experiences of autistic artist Charles Clapshaw

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1. spectrums

EVERY AUTIST'S SPECTRUM IS UNIQUE
I can understand how Autism can be difficult to understand as we present so differently. To celebrate our diversity I created over 30 colour spectrums as well as some interactive bits and bobs...

>> Experience

2. sensitivities

#nofilter

running on sensory overload

You might have heard we are subjected to about 10,000 advertisements per day(!) - did you notice any of them?

Probably not as most people have a filter that disregards irrelevant stimulation.

However autists may feel everything and this includes our environment, bright colours, sound, shape, even touch.

The net effect of this is potential overload or exhaustion as our brains are quite busy processing *all of this all at once*.

3. social

#alone

people are SCARY

This is the hardest part of being Autistic for me. Social interactions are mostly a mystery - I am sorry I have not contacted you but I do not know how - its a language I do not hear or retain.

Think of it like a library missing a few books. Many an autist's social issues are due to not performing common social conventions. Also we often struggle with identifying feelings or emotions - 'how are you' is not so simple to answer.

4. existential

#neuroPsycholosophy

what is FOREST ANYWAY?

This is not from the DSM IV, but as this is all about my spectrum, it is pivotal. And also because this is how I learned about the world - Plato, Camus and Brett Easton Ellis were close guides during my early 20's.

However to save you from a trip to the library/Google/Chat GPT, I can paraphrase to talk about theory of mind - the understanding of others perspective. Or to be aware even of our own existence.

Adding to this is the concept of central coherence, the ability to derive meaning from a mass of details. You have heard the saying 'can't see the forest for all the trees'?

In my spectrum, its more a matter of seeing each tree and every detail, all at the same time.

A work in progress.

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TOTAL RAISED