Art Helps Mokena Teen Handle Autism

A 2 year old playing with a Magna Doodle is nothing new.

A 2 year old producing recognizable drawings with one is.

That's what Laurel Joss found after giving her son the Fisher-Price drawing toy—recognizable pictures. Soon, Alex Joss was drawing everything, from his preschool teachers to family members to buildings around him.

Alex Joss, now 13, of Mokena, suffers from autism, a developmental disorder that affects social and communication skills.

"He kind of has an idiosyncratic way of communication," Laurel Joss said.

The Summit Hill Junior High School seventh-grader has difficulty interacting with people, often pulling inside himself when situations become too stressful.

And then there's his drawing.

"I think it relaxes him," Laurel Joss said. "Sometimes if he's really overwhelmed, like we're going to a family party and there are a lot of people there, he’ll actually bring a stack of paper along and find a corner and draw."

Joss is one of the student whose art is currently on display with the Childrens Art Display until the end of the month at Monkey Mind Art Studio & Gallery in Frankfort.