Five year old Iris Grace , who has autism, only started painting last year but her impressionistic style has already been likened to the work of Monet. Her mum, Arabella Carter-Johnson sez:

I make up some cups of very watery paints, she chooses which one she would like to use and gets me to make more when she needs it and she mixes her own colours from mug to mug. Her autism has created a style of painting which I have never seen in a child of her age, she has an understanding of colours and how they interact with each other. Not only does painting lift Iris’s mood and help her engage with the world around her, but it also helps raise awareness of autism…”When you are a parent or a teacher of a child with autism and you are trying to interact with them you are constantly looking for ways to find that key that will allow you into their world,” says Iris’s mom. “For me seeing Iris’ love of painting was just that, a precious key.

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