Welcome to Spectrum Spotlights! Each month, we'll introduce you to
people with autism and within the autism community. We hope you enjoy
their stories.
Get to know Nicholas K.
A brain tumor at 15-months old. An autism diagnosis at 2-and-a-half.
Brain surgery at 9 to mitigate debilitating seizures sometimes as
many as 10 a day. To say that Nicholas has faced adversity throughout
his life would be an understatement. Now 23, the Southern California
native is thriving - expressing his unique passion for life through
his vibrant paintings, a riot of primary colors.
Nicholas has suffered approximately 50,000 seizures throughout his
life. As a result of this condition, as well as his autism and
developmental delays, Nicholas has never been able to do many of the
things his brothers, Michael, 26, and Christian, 19, can do, like play
sports or even communicate using full sentences. But one thing
Nicholas can do is express himself through his colorful, inspirational
artwork that has touched countless people around the world.
This painting phenom has landed solo exhibitions in California, Idaho,
Chicago, Georgia, New York and London, and sold paintings to
celebrities and influencers like tennis superstar Roger Federer, Dean
Spanos, who owns the National Football League's Los Angeles
Chargers, and the CEO's of YouTube Red and Google. He's
even commissioned paintings for Kaiser Permanente and Adidas at
Coachella.
Learn more about Nicholas, through the words of his mom, Krisann, in
this edition of Spectrum Spotlights.
Did you realize something was different about Nicholas before his
diagnosis? If so, please share some of your experiences and how the
diagnosis came about.
Actually, no, we didn't notice anything different about Nicholas
before his diagnosis of epilepsy. In addition to some of the motor
challenges, he is atypical in terms of his presentation for autism
because of the structural impairment from the tumor. Once we learned
of Nicholas' related form of autism, we utilized resources
immediately. First with Dori Brown at Boston Children's
Hospital and then with Dr. Doreen Granpeesheh and The Center of Autism
and Related Disorders based in Woodland Hills, California. The center
and its therapeutic approach greatly benefited Nicholas, under their
supervision he continues to receive daily therapy as he has for 20
years.
In your experience, how important is early intervention?
Early intervention is imperative for the treatment and management of
autism. Nicholas was able to learn through applied behavior analysis
(ABA) treatment and discrete-trial training (DTT). Through these
therapies, Nicholas learned how to eat at restaurants, sit and enjoy
lengthy church services, swallow pills, avoid darting, follow simple
instructions, work on fine and gross motor skills daily, and
eventually leading to participating in ROTC, community activities, and
mainstream art classes. What he learned to do through these therapies
eventually gave him the foundation with which he was then able to
express himself through his painting. I can't emphasize enough
to parents of young children with autism the importance of therapy and
early intervention. We witnessed first-hand the fruit of hard work and
good therapy. There is a treatment out there. Use all your resources
to get that therapy for your child. Work with your insurer and school
district and push for help.
Tell us about some of the things Nicholas struggles with as a result
of his medical conditions.
Nicholas suffers from intractable seizures, right-sided weakness,
dietary constraints, speech delay and coordination issues. He
sometimes has to overcome 10 seizures in a day. Some days he has a lot
of energy and he'll paint standing up with a lot of fluidity,
and sometimes he has to stay on the ground and paint large canvases
sitting down. His paintings often reflect the physical state he is in
on that particular day. Incredibly, the thing that means the most to
all of us, is that people respond to his paintings because of their
imperfections.
Please tell us about some of the things at which he excels, like his
extraordinary abilities as an artist.
He loves color and texture. He has always been attracted to bright
colors and if he sat behind someone in a brightly colored shirt, he
would reach out and touch the shirt. After suffering a seizure, he
works to start moving again immediately and will return to his
canvases. Behaviors, seizures, motor problems, all contribute to his
success as a painter. Painting is a very forgiving profession.
Nicholas also has an extraordinary ability to hold his breath
underwater for long periods of time! He used to love doing this as a
young child. He is also a master at catching tossed shrimp in his
mouth when dining at Benihanas. ?
How does Nicholas' personality show in his paintings?
Nicholas' approach is a classic case of the Tortoise and the Hare. In
the absence of his ability to work quickly, Nicholas works
consistently and deliberately. His colorful, crafted strokes have an
organized chaos to them, which is a reflection of who he is and his
challenges.
What are five words that best describe Nicholas?
Deep, Joyful, Humble, Loyal and Quirky.
Can you share what it's like to be a mother of a child on the
autism spectrum?
At first, being a mother of an autistic child felt overwhelming and
frightening. But afterwards, you begin to understand the process
better and seek out resources to assist in maximizing therapy. Once
you see progress and the uniqueness of your child, you begin to
celebrate even minor achievements and find the hidden joys that emerge
daily.
If you could give one piece of advice to other parents who have a
child with autism or other disabilities, what would you say?
I can't emphasize enough the importance of early, intense
immersion into ABA therapy. It allowed Nicholas to cultivate a solid
foundation that would eventually provide him with the ability to find
a path to a lovely job. Never give up. Intense therapy can make a
difference. Don't think that all the work you do when
they're little won't lead to something...it can.
Also, it is important to stay positive and be flexible. When we were
trying to find a job for Nicholas, he kept getting rejected for being
too much of a liability. Restaurants and stores wouldn't hire
him because he could fall and injure himself when having a seizure and
was a liability to most employers. Painting turned out to become a
beautiful and forgiving career for him and it wouldn't have
happened if we allowed the many failures to dictate the outcome. We
are always walking a fragile line, in terms of his health, but are
grateful to God for the small victories every day.
How has Nicholas' siblings played a role in providing him with
guidance and support through the years?
Nicholas' two brothers are like bookends, holding Nicholas up on
either side. They treat him like any older/younger brother would
teasing, encouraging and enjoying life with him. They know his
limitations and then stretch them.
What makes you most proud of Nicholas?
That no matter how much he has gone through and suffered, he is not
angry or upset or bitter. One stroke at a time, he enjoys the life he
has been given.
You can see his paintings and check out his upcoming events on his
website: [link removed]
Find more information about Nicholas' most current show in Atlanta: [link removed]
Autism Speaks | 1 East 33rd Street, 4th Floor | New York, NY
10016
© 2019 Autism Speaks Inc.
Autism Speaks and Autism Speaks Design are registered trademarks
owned by Autism Speaks Inc. All rights reserved.
If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you may
unsubscribe
[link removed]
.
[link removed]
