Culminating Assignment

Bringing awareness to mental health problems in people with autism

The video will include pictures, animations, and text to educate the audience about how mental health affects people with autism.

I would create the video using a combination of Photoshop and Adobe Premiere Pro.

Mental Health and Autism - Anxiety/Depression

https://www.autismspeaks.ca/about-autism/what-is-autism/autism-s-associated-medical-and-mental-health-conditions/#anxiety

- One third of people affected by autism also have some form of an anxiety disorder.
- Many people with autism have difficulty controlling their anxiety once something triggers it.
- High levels of anxiety can interfere with success in school, work, and social situations

- Depression is difficult to diagnose in those with autism
- It is important to seek professional help if you suspect you
or your child is depressed.

https://www.autism.org.uk/about/health/mental-health.aspx

- Roughly 40% of people affected by autism have symptoms of at least 1 anxiety disorder at any time, compared to 15% in the general population

- At least 20% of the general population will experience a period of depression at some point, but it is even more common with people on the autism spectrum.
- People with autism may have an especially hard time seeking treatment for depression, because they may find change to be anxiety-provoking, worry that they will be blamed, or be unsure of how to describe their symptoms to a professional.

https://www.autismspeaks.org/autism-facts-and-figures

- Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is present in an estimated 30 to 61 percent of children with autism.

- Depression is present in an estimated 7% of children and 26% of adults with autism.

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/autism-spectrum-disorders

Individuals with ASD often present other co-occurring mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Alice De Ste Croix (known online as DestinyBlue) is an English digital artist who began publishing her art on the online platform DeviantArt in 2004. Since then, she has won the "Deviousness Award" in July 2015 and is one of the most recognized and beloved users of the site.

Her art style is very similar to the Japanese style of anime, a very popular style of cartoon art, and often has deep meanings and subjects incorporated into each of her pieces - such as emotional pain, trauma, depression and other aspects of mental health.

She is entirely self-taught and uses Photoshop CS6 to create her artwork. She travels the UK (and internationally) to many events and conventions related to art.

To the side are two of my personal favorites of her artwork.

More of her artwork can be viewed in this YouTube slideshow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHVm-eGS128

Bringing awareness to mental health problems in people with autism

The poster would be informative.
I would include pictures and big, bright text to grab the viewers' attention.

I will create a poster on photoshop. I will use a variety of hand-drawn digital paintings, and online copyright-free images.

My final plan is a poster, which will display facts and details
of how mental health conditions affect people with autism. There will be sections of the poster that all contain different kinds of facts relating to the co-existence of autism and mental health problems. At the end, there will also be some advice on how to get help if you or someone else needs it (whether or not you have autism.)

FINAL PLAN - Revised

The revised final plan is a series of four square (11" x 11") posters, each with a modified photo in the background, a logo, and one fact relating to autism and mental health. At the bottom of each poster, there will be a short piece of advice for any viewers who are struggling or know someone who may be.