I’ve mentioned before that both my parents loved music. Dad let my older brother Mike* play on the piano and I’m sure they played classical music records all the time when he was around. For a time Mike responded. I’m told he could hum entire movements from symphonies. By the time I came on the scene, Mike […]
My brother Mike is autistic, low functioning and nonverbal. He was diagnosed shortly after autism was classified in 1952 DSM. Mike was at home until I was 10 years old. My parents then made the decision to send him to Willowbrook where they thought they would take care of him. We visited just about every […]
I’ve been looking though the photographs I took of Mike when he was at his group home. I used to visit fairly often with my parents in the 1990s. We would often take walks through the nearby park. I always had my camera with me. Mike is my older brother. For many years I took […]
I’ve been working from and old family photograph of my mother and older brother, Mike*, taken in the late 1950s when our parents took us on a camping trip (see Portrait, Mike and Mom, Abstract Portrait Mike and Mom, Mike – Close Up, Continuing to Abstract). Yesterday I created the beginning of a watercolor that […]
I just had time today to do a couple of sketches and the beginnings of a watercolor. I am continuing to work on the photograph Dad took of Mike* and Mom, during a camping trip in the late 1950s. I paid attention to that great Bauhaus Master, Paul Klee’s advice: to take my pencil point […]
I’m still investigating the photograph my Dad took of Mike and my Mom. I estimate the date of the photo as circa 1958. Mike is my older brother who is autistic, low functioning and nonverbal. We used to go camping. Mike was a handful, I don’t know how my parents took us all (Mike, Dave, my […]
Many thanks to you who read Part 1 of my book proposal and to those who responded with comments and suggestions. In Part 1 of my proposal I noted: The provisional title – My Brother Michael; The goal – share my experience as a sibling of a low functioning, nonverbal autistic individual; A synopsis of […]
Many of you who follow my blog are aware that my older brother Michael has been a profound influence on my life. He is autistic, nonverbal and very low functioning. Since 1989, Mike’s 40th birthday, I took hundreds of rolls of film of him in his group home, on outings and at his Day Program. […]
I painted the watercolors below based on photos I took during my last visit to see Mike (note – be aware that there may be triggers in this post. I was very emotional at the time), which was two years ago. Mom was still alive and Dave, my younger brother was able to attend as well. […]
Every year that my parents were well, we would arrange to meet at Mike‘s group home for a birthday party. It was fun and the other residents really enjoyed it, as did we all. The photos below are from his birthday in 1992. Mom and Dad were still around and vigorous. You’ll find my post […]
