Nonverbal Expressions: The Art of Candy Waters

Candy's first painting was a sun, likely because of her love for being outside and the song "Mr Sun" that was sung to her since infancy. "Mr Sun" sold for $100 in the fundraiser, and was displayed on the cover The University of California, Irvine (UIC) Magazine's Summer 2013 Issue. Another painting "Ray of Hope", is displayed at The Marino Campus, while "Pure Consciousness" is hanging at The David Lynch Foundation's Main Office in New York. She has some celebrity fans, and has been featured on Fox 32 News.

While this attention is great, even better are the lives that have been touched by the joy in Candy's paintings. On Facebook she has over 43,000 followers from around the world. Her pictures bring joy to people and add some brightness to a sometimes dreary Facebook landscape. 

When followers expressed interest in buying Candy's artwork her parents set her up a store on Zazzle to provide access to her art. She has many products available that display her different art pieces. Her sun paintings are some personal favorites, but they aren't her only ones. 

Autism is such a spectrum that it's often hard to guess what all capabilities a child will have as they grow and develop. While some children are nonverbal, not all are. All children; no matter what challenges they face, are special, and deserve to have advocates by their side to help them grow and develop their potential. 

Candy's mother, Sandy had this advice to give to parents of other children with autism, "Never give up faith, love, and hope. Try everything with your child. Children who have autism are able to achieve great things, no matter where they are on the Autism Spectrum. Our job as parents is to help them find their gift. I always say, 'Where words fail Music & Art speak. Music and Art are a must for Autism'."