Reflections on the Historical Narrative of Jessica Park, an Artist With Autism

This viewpoint discusses the history of Jessica Park, a professional artist who is an adult with autism. The narrative was constructed from historical descriptive research conducted by the author using published accounts and interviews with the artist, her mother, and two childhood companions. Ex amples of artwork produced in elementary through high school reflect the young artist's unique thoughts, feelings, life experiences, and ways of understanding her world. The historical record shows that the ability to establish relationships with others based on the underlying presence of affect, on shared common interests, and on creative activity contributed significantly to the artist's developmental progress as a person with autism.