How art has made a difference in the life of a northern Ont. man with severe autism
The family of a non-verbal Sudbury man with severe autism is sharing the story of how art has made a remarkable difference in his life as he heads to Toronto to display his paintings.
Morgan Kitching is a 21-year-old who discovered his love for painting four years ago during a power outage at the family cottage in Killarney, his mother told CTV News in an interview.
Pierre Sabourin, Trish Jokat and Morgan Kitching of Sudbury. March 27/23 (Alana Everson/CTV Northern Ontario)
His mother, Trish Jokat, believes the combination of colour and creating has led to incredible positive changes in him, including his eating disorder.
"The more he painted, the more he ate. It seems like the colours would imitate the food," Jokat said.
"For example, the red, he is eating cranberries now. The green, he's eating salads. His whole diet has changed."
Pierre Sabourin is Jokat's partner and a landscape artist who has sold his work all over the world.
He also teaches art and said over the past four years, Morgan's artistic talent has blossomed along with other abilities too.
"Seen some incredible changes in Morgan," Sabourin said.
"When I first met Morgan, I couldn't communicate with him at all. And all of a sudden, we were able to communicate through colour. And that's an amazing experience just in itself."
With World Autism Awareness Day on Sunday, Kitching will be displaying 200 of his paintings at Queen's Park on Monday and the family said it hopes the exhibition will shine light on the power of art.
"I hope they take away the fact that there is more therapies out there than just one or two and that they should just let their children explore, use lots of paint," Jokat said.
"'Don't ever give up hope,' is the typical standby statement and just allow them to create."
"The things that I learned teaching school was that children that are dealing with life skills have a propensity to art and I think that is very important to explore," Sabourin added.
A short documentary about Kitching's journey with art and autism is available on YouTube.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.