MANILA, Philippines?Using crayon, paint and camera, persons with autism (PWAs) are taking us on a personal tour of the world they have created.

Paintings and photographs by people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) will be on display until today at the activity center of SM North Edsa-The Block in Quezon City.

The exhibit, titled ?Colors of Autism Spectrum,? is a project of the Autism Society Philippines (ASP) that hopes to raise awareness of the often misunderstood disability.

Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by impairment in communication, social interaction and behavior. It affects one in 150 children, according to the ASP.

The cause of ASD remains unknown and a cure has yet to be found. But behavioral interventions and therapies can help people with autism become more communicative and self-reliant.

?Given intervention and, more importantly, given love and understanding, they can even excel in the arts, like painting and photography,? said ASP president Erlinda Uy Koe at the exhibit opening on Friday.

Lifetime warranty

Twenty-five-year-old Ian Po?s photographs were featured by the Inquirer last April. His work has been described by advertising photographer John Chua as comparable to the work of professionals.

His photographs in the exhibit include a close-up of a turtle showing part of its face and front limb, a yacht sitting on Manila Bay with the city skyline as backdrop, and a wooden floor?s somber vertical lines.

Po has never had formal training in photography. He simply points and shoots with his Canon Powershot A560 digital camera.

Po has dropped the camera twice during seizures, his father Archibald says. But his son has impressed Canon Marketing Philippines president and CEO Ramon Arteficio who has given Po a lifetime warranty for the camera.

Other works

The exhibit also features photographs taken by PWAs during a trip to the Manila Zoo in May. They were accompanied by Chua and other photographers who gave them free photography workshops.

There are selected paintings by autistic teenagers and adults who participated in an art contest during the 12th National Autism Consciousness Week in January.

Some of the paintings focus on a single subject like clouds, fish, leaves and sunflowers, while others express the aspirations and feelings of PWAs.

The artwork with a longish title, ?I paint a rainbow with the colors I am given? has a young girl standing on a hill painting a rainbow on a blank canvas. At the bottom of the artwork are the words, ?Someday I hope to be an artist and animator??

Another participant shows how ?I can be a hero? in his portraits of national heroes and presidents of the Philippines.

The text accompanying a drawing of women dancing around a fountain resonates with optimism and confidence: ?I used to say? I wish I can! Now I say? with God I can! I did it!?

A male PWA pays tribute to his mother in ?Mama and I,? which shows a boy holding his mother?s hand. The remaining space is filled with red hearts.

Small world

Alma Torero is one of the mothers who have given love and support to their children with ASD.

During the program on Friday, her 12-year-old son Carlo sang ?This is the Moment? for the audience. Torero stood in the crowd, mouthing him instructions and smiling proudly.

?Carlo?s talent has gotten better with practice. Even his academic performance has greatly improved with the help of therapy and special education programs. All that is needed is perseverance,? she says.

The program also featured the musical skills of other PWAs like Daryl Tan, who energetically performed the Disney song ?It?s a Small World.?

Po?s father Archibald agrees with the song?s message: ?People with autism are not really that different from us. They just see the world from a different perspective.?