After seeking multiple professional opinions over the years, the North Carolina-based photographer believed a broad view of this diverse and complex disorder was to blame.
“In retrospect, that was a textbook case,” she said in a phone interview. “But he didn’t check every box.”
Her son Graham, now 18 years old, Eventually identified as Asperger’s syndrome, one of several conditions on the autism spectrum. Berridge believes that her misdiagnosis was symptomatic of the effects of widespread, pervasive stereotypes – and of our difficulties in speaking openly and honestly about the disorder.
Graham, son of photographer Marie Berridge, pictured at the Louvre in Paris in 2016. Credit: Mary Berridge
“There’s so much fear about autism that people don’t want to bring it up,” she said. “They don’t want to suggest it unless they think it’s 100 percent true. They’re like, ‘Oh your kids are just quirky’ … but I think that’s unfortunate, because the sooner you get better.”
Some of the paintings focus on specific interests and talents. The young subject Riko, who started horse riding as a form of therapy, is depicted with a horse; Recent graduate Remington – whom Berridge describes in his book as “a passionate musician who says autism enhances his ‘ability to be creative and stay focused'” – pictured with his eyes closed Because he plays an electric guitar.
But the photographer is also well aware of stereotyping autistic people as having obsessive interests or being “gifted.” (“Most autistic people are not geniuses,” she writes, “but each sees the world in a unique way, often refreshing in its originality, lacking in pretense and rearranging priorities.”) As such, Many of her images depict everyday scenes: playing outside, relaxing at home or hugging family members.
“There are a lot of stereotypes – and there may be some truth to some of them,” said the photographer. “Autistic people spend a lot of time in their heads … but they can also be very social. And they like to make friends, and most of them like to interact with other people.
“Maybe they don’t want to interact with a lot of people at once, or they don’t want to interact with people they don’t know well. But the idea that they’re not interested in being social, Much (much) is not true.”
Mia, a young autistic man whose photo appears on the cover of Berridge’s book. “She is very smart, has a terrific memory and loves technology, science and golf,” writes her mother. Credit: Mary Berridge
“It’s amazing to me that Graham seems so disconnected and anxious in the midst of some very turbulent wrestling,” Berridge wrote in an essay entitled “Wrong Planet,” which serves as the introduction to his book. “It was fleeting…[and]he was contemplating his next move,” he says.
development of conversation
Berridge said that working with autistic subjects presented some unique challenges, beyond the general difficulties of photographing children. As such, she gave them little direction and chose the settings in which they were most comfortable – often outdoors, as she only shot with natural light.
“Their anxiety levels can run much higher than most people,” she explained. “With me, a stranger, to come and take pictures, I wanted it to be as comfortable as possible for them – so that they could be themselves.”
His memories of the project are filled with lovely moments of candor, his youthful subjects sometimes displaying what he called “disarming” directness. When one girl was asked what she thought of her portrait, she simply replied: “It’s boring.” (Yet the photo in question made Berridge’s final pick.)
The photographer writes that the autistic community hopes that society can “evolve from ‘autism awareness’ to ‘autism awareness, acceptance and empowerment’.” And in addition to images, his book also includes written contributions from subjects and their families.
One of the most moving of them is a letter that Will, one of Berridge’s subjects, wrote to his family and friends after graduating from college. “It’s been a very long and, at times, extremely difficult ride,” he wrote. “I apologize for not admitting that having struggled with autism for years and just being me was not easy for anyone who knew me, especially my mother.”
Many of Berridge’s photographs were taken in nature, such as this image of his subject Joshua climbing a tree. Credit: Mary Berridge
Actually, Berridge reserves praise for parents who have immersed themselves in what they call “the world of autism” to better understand their children’s unique perspectives.
“One of the most meaningful things I would say, to me, is how parents deal with a disabled child, especially where the disability was really severe,” she said. “It was really amazing that they changed their whole way of looking at the world and what they thought of as a priority.
“Autistic people have a lot to offer,” she concluded. “And it would be a benefit to all of us if we understood them more and let them be themselves – if we accept and respect them and their autistic personality, so that they don’t feel like they don’t have to pretend they’re autistic.” “
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