One in every 68 people is affected by autism.
This seemingly unremarkable statistic may not mean much to you or me, but to a mother with an autistic child, it can be heart wrenching. For Nancy Marlatt, whose son Cooper was diagnosed with autism, it was enough to inspire her to pick up her camera and document her child’s journey, culminating in a devastating student exhibition.
Marlatt’s photos have been displayed at the University of Wyoming this week, raising awareness and promoting understanding of the disorder. Recently, Marlatt presented her collection to an audience at the Visual Art building, saying it was important to her to steer people away from any myths or judgments they may have about autism beforehand.
“There are a lot of misconceptions on autism,” she said, adding that she worries about her son’s future and prejudices against him.
The exhibit began with her son as an autistic boy, his identity to the public eye.
Every photo aimed to identify her son as autistic. Characteristics of autistic children, such as his back being to the camera, were highlighted in the photographs.
One picture featured her son laying on the ground on Halloween – he couldn’t go trick or treating and the picture echoed with pain and loneliness, traits often associated with autism.
Halfway through the pictures, the focus changed from Cooper’s autism to his relationship with his family, specifically his sister, father and grandmother.
The photos displayed family events with Cooper. They showed him at the Warrior Dash with his sister and father, fishing and playing with toys with his sister and grandmother.
As the montage continued, spectators began to see the transformation from an autistic child into a seemingly happy, “normal” boy. Marlatt said the show was meant to defy the idea of what is and isn’t “normal”
“The whole point is that no one is normal,” she explained.
Alexis Latham, a family friend of the Marlatt’s, said the show was an intimate look at not just Cooper, but also Marlatt’s relationship with her family as a whole.
“It was an interesting perspective on how she sees her family function,” Latham said.
“I think that the exhibit portrays life within their home and their interactions,” Jeanine Thymian, a close family friend, said. “Life is normal for them a lot of the time and the pictures show a connection between him and his family.”
Marlatt had plenty of support from her friends in the Laramie community. Members from her Crossfit group came to support her and even did a special workout called “68 pillars,” cribbing from the 1 in every 68 statistic. The group, Cross-fit 7220, is also raising money to donate to Autism Speaks, an organization dedicated to raising awareness of the disease.
