I designed these page layouts to be hypothetically featured in GOOD Magazine, which publishes several articles about social problems and controversial issues. I researched and designed this article about the autism "epidemic." I portrayed autism as a storm for several different reasons. Although it is much clearer to us now than it was a hundred years ago, there is still a lot about this condition that remains a mystery to us. Also, autism can be like a storm both for a family dealing with autism and for a person with the condition. Sometimes it's very hard for a person with autism to focus on anything when they hear sounds around them, and sometimes they resort to coping mechanisms such as banging their head against a wall.
I have personally always been very interested in metal disorders and illnesses. I have been especially interested in learning more about them because of my current job as a resident assistant. Every day, I interact with students who have Asperger's syndrome, which is closely related to autism.
I took this photo of a balloon and thought it was a unique way to illustrate autism very conceptually. It is a lone balloon riding out the storm. The caption reads: The word “autism” comes from the Greek word “autos,” meaning “self.” It describes conditions in which a person is removed from social interaction—hence, an isolated self.
This middle page features an info-graphic I designed. It is a timeline about the history of autism and illustrates the idea that a LOT more people are diagnosed with autism today than there were a hundred years ago, when the condition was first documented. I also included facts about how many people with autism find employment in the smaller info-graph at the top.
And this is the last page of the article that ends on a positive note: the idea that autism isn't a disability; it's a different ability.
