THOMASVILLE, Ga. (WCTV) - The South Georgia Autism Center in Thomasville is breaking the mold for children with autism by offering free art therapy.

Montserrat Graves, a licensed psychologist who runs the center, said art therapy is a way for kids with autism to express themselves.

“Individuals with autism, their brain structure is a little different than in a neurotypical," Dr. Graves said. "Art and using something visual and hands-on is a way to access the emotions without having to link it to speech or thoughts.”

The program also offers opportunities for graduate students, such as Florida State University student Ashlynn Brandstetter, to get hands-on experience in the field.

“It’s a new way for everybody to learn how to express themselves and deal with the daily life stressors that all have,” Brandstetter said.

Additionally, Brandstetter said that for children, communication can involve activities like drawing, painting, or making molds with playdough, as talking isn’t the easiest method for some kids.

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One parent, Claudia Ortiz, said she has seen major improvements in her three-year-old son Teddy since starting the sessions. Teddy was diagnosed with global developmental delay and a sensory processing disorder and has been in different forms of therapy since he was 10 months old.

“I kind of noticed something was a little bit off with him when he was really young and everything just took a little bit longer with him,” Ortiz said. “He wasn’t meeting the milestones we needed him to meet.”

She said once she found out about the free weekly art therapy sessions, she was hesitant at first but decided to give it a try.

“I figured any exposure is better than nothing. We are seeing major improvements and seeing textures he normally would not even touch or get close to and now he’s actually playing with them, that has been beautiful for us,” Ortiz said.

The autism center is hosting an autism celebration picnic at Deep South Fairgrounds on April 26. Arts and crafts, sensory activities and more will be in attendance.

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