Painted Words

Book excerpt: "Working 13 years with students who are diagnosed with sever autism, my colleagues and I have often wanted to visualize and better understand what our students were seeing, feeling and thinking. Judy Endow's Painted Words takes us on a picturesque journey into the mind of one autistic person through her vivid and breathtaking paintings and sculptures while also explaining in detailed description and poetry what she sees and, via sensory, how she experiences it. Helpful suggestions for working with individuals on the spectrum open a treasure box of insights. Having this 'backstage pass' into autism will be priceless for educators, parents and individuals on the autism spectrum."--Joanna L. Keating-Velasco, educator, and author of A is for Autism, F is for Friend: A Kid's Book for Making Friends with a Child Who Has Autism. "Judy Endow combines her art, poetry, and prose to create a thought-provoking book of self-discovery that viscerally captures the essence of a world which only few experience- a world of subtle beauty that can turn too bright, loud, and overwhelming. The practical advice at the end of each chapter has helped me understand and be a better parent to my autistic child. Painted Words is a book to read, reread and share with other parents, educators, physicians, and therapists so they too can learn to appreciate the autistic experience. I'm buying it for all of my friends!." --Debra Hosseini, author of The Art of Autism: Shifting PerceptionsI. "Judy gives us a compelling view into her world through words crafted on the page, connected with images that illustrate her experience of being autistic. She encourages the neurotypical world to change their perceptions and assumptions about people with autism, to ask ourselves questions. Painted Words challenges our thinking, leading us to examine beyond what we see on the surface. Your view of autism is bound to shift after experiencing autism through Judy's words and paintings." - Maureen Bennie, Director, Autism Awareness Centre, Inc.