Artist Marcy Deutsch

As a child, Marcy gave no indication that she had artistic talent -- until age 12, when she took part in a schoolwide art event and surprised everyone around her. See Marcy's wonderful art here (and find out what her younger brother has accomplished because of her!). Also included in this feature is a compelling story written by Marcy's mom, Robin Deutsch, describing the obstacles Marcy faced growing up ... valuable insights for every parent of a child on the spectrum.



Marcy Deutsch was born in 1983 in Hillsboro, Oregon. She was first diagnosed with moderate high functioning autism at the age of five. Despite the grim prognosis by her doctors, Marcy overcame many obstacles.

"I love animals and nature. Drawing them helps me connect more to the world around me." –Marcy Deutsch


She never drew when she was a child, and had very little language. But when she was 12, she and her classmates were asked to draw their favorite pets or animals for an art project – and her teachers were amazed at Marcy's talent. From that point on, she started taking art lessons, and today is an accomplished artist. Her works have been featured in three books, Artism: The Art of Autism, Drawing Autism, and the Heroes for Autism art book. She has exhibited in art shows in Washington, Canada, Oregon, California and New York, and speaks at various autism conferences. Marcy connects to the world through animals and nature, as most of her artwork demonstrates.

An App is born ...

Scott Deutsch, Marcy's younger brother, remembers what it was like growing up with a sister on the autism spectrum. He remembers things that came easily to him, while his sister struggled to learn. Because of this, once he graduated from college? he decided to develop an app that would teach both social and life skills to those with autism and others with special needs. Currently, the app – called Life Skills Winner Pro – features six different tasks: brushing teeth, washing hands, brushing hair, the appropriate distance to stand when talking to someone, putting shoes on the correct feet and making a sandwich. These tasks are all interactive, and the user earns points as each task is accomplished. (Parents can decide on the reward, and can even add points when the child does it in real life.) Many more tasks are scheduled soon. Scott's app is currently available for the Android 2.0 and 3.0, and Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

Ed. Note: Awe in Autism does not promote any specific products, services, treatments or therapies, and this article is not an endorsement of any of the above. We have chosen to publish this article because we believe it offers broader insight that may be useful to many of our site visitors, and because its emphasis on creativity is consistent with our mission and purpose.

LINKS

Visit Marcy’s website.
Visit Scott's website and Facebook page.