Autism & Support Groups
Robert Capaldo
As someone who has been living with a stepbrother who is autistic and completely non verbal, I have found both social situations and support groups to be difficult and stressful. In response to this, I began by creating t-shirts for my stepbrother that would help other people recognize his condition. I created the shirts because I felt that it was a simple way to get a message across without drawing too much unwanted attention.
I then decided to focus more on connectivity between caretakers and loved ones of those who have autism. When I go to a support group, I plan on meeting other people like me or people in a similar situation, but a lot of the time I just find myself surrounded by people who are completely different from me. This situation can make people feel even more hopeless and alone than before going into the support groups. The Autism app I designed will match you with people who are either like you or are in a similar situation as you. In the app the user gets matched with multiple groups based off of a list of questions that the user answers. The groups will be active for a week with daily questions that get the groups talking. I want this app to create individual communities of people dealing with similar problems within the world of autism. After immersing myself within the world of design and autism, I am ready to see what the future holds for my step brother and I.