Willie's Wonders

seeing the world with a pure heart

“See the world as it is for the first time; see it through the eyes of a child, and you will suddenly find that you are free.”

-Deepak Chopra

Some say the toughest intellectual achievement for humans is acquiring a language—something the majority of the population likely takes for granted because it occurs at such a young age. Throughout much of our time here on Earth, we often verbally express ourselves without appreciating our ability to do so. But sometimes—if lucky—we will meet or come to know a person who helps us see this most basic of abilities in a whole different light. For me, that someone is my nephew, William, the nine-year-old son of my younger sister Mary, who, like his older brother Leo, has a diagnosis of ASD or Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Among our extended family are a handful of members who have been diagnosed with autism. They have been blessed with strong mothers (my sisters Katie and Mary) and incredibly supportive aunts (my other two sisters, Julie and Ellen) who have done everything they can to help each cope with the neurological and developmental differences that folks with ASD are faced with on a daily basis. How they communicate, learn, and behave are obstacles that most can’t fathom. But if we look hard enough, beyond something the world calls a disorder, we will understand what seeing the world with a pure heart really means.

A Little Savant

According to the Oxford Dictionary, a savant is “a person who has an exceptional aptitude in one particular field, such as music or mathematics, despite having significant differences in other areas of intellectual or social functioning.” Over the last couple of years it has become apparent to our family that William may be an artistic savant. His unique drawings range from animals to insects to characters from his favorite Pixar productions. Here are a few of my favorites.

Even with speech and verbal challenges, William and his big brother Leo both communicate in their own unique ways. For my sister Mary it can undoubtedly be a challenge, but the progress they both have shown has been nothing short of remarkable, particularly with William through his drawings. His attention to detail and ability to capture colors shows us the lens with which he sees the world, something he can’t always tell us with own words.

William often uses scripts or phrases—from familiar movies and television shows—in conjunction with his art in order to communicate how he is feeling, or as a way of telling us what he wants. He has formed language in chunks—as opposed to the typical word-by-word development. This is referred to as gestalt language processing. He will use whole phrases to represent a word or concept. The lines from his favorite movies and shows along with his magnificent artwork have meaning for us to decipher.

Two of the films he often quotes are Monster’s University and Inside Out. “Sadness don’t touch that, it’s a core memory” is something he repeats from the latter when he knows he’s not supposed to touch a hot stove or eat his food before it cools. He will imitate this scene from the former every time my sister picks him up, even doing the “Wooohooo” before exclaiming, “Hi, Mom!” in spot-on impersonations of Monsters University characters Squishy and his mother.

William’s little masterpieces are also a reminder that we are all uniquely made with special talents by our creator. As we grow older, life isn’t viewed in the same high definition that children see it. Those sharp, beautiful colors tend to dull and fade—maybe that’s why Willie’s Wonders never cease to amaze me. According to Indian-American author Deepak Chopra, there is a freedom folks feel when they see the world through the eyes of a child. Spend enough time looking at the artwork above, and I think that quote will make sense.

My nephew’s drawings—which are always done in free hand—bring to mind Louie Armstrong’s hit song What a Wonderful World. In the same way Old Satchmo sang about trees of green and skies of blue, William colors grasshoppers of green and birds of blue, showing us his view of the world that surrounds him—a viewpoint that is more beautiful and vivid than the one described in that iconic song.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Thanks for reading!

-Tommy O’Sionnach