To enlighten his community on what autism is all about, a dad took photos of his 2-year-old daughter, other children and a few adults with autism.
In this same bid to dispel common myths surrounding autism, especially that of his daughter Aneira who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in December; Glenn Gameson-Burrows began a photo series tagged “Magpie” which captures how a child with autism behaves.
“I am shocked by the lack of understanding of ASD not just in Wales but in Britain,” he said. “The aim of the project is to raise awareness through a documentary-style approach. The condition really interests and fascinates me.
“A screaming child in your supermarket isn’t always a naughty child. A stressed-out parent isn’t a bad parent. A child lining things up, hiding objects, eating food in a strange manner or making strange noises isn’t uneducated or rude, just different,” Glenn added.
“There are two boys on my wife’s side of the family who are autistic, so we knew the signs to look for,” he said. “Aneira was walking at a normal age but there was no attempt at talking at all.
“She would never make eye contact, even with her parents, and she only began responding to her name six months ago.
“One good example of her behaviour was when we went to the park one day.