Loving Dad Starts Documenting Unique Habits Of His Autistic Son, And It Changes Their Lives

Professional photographer, Timothy Archibald's son Elijah, is autistic, which Timothy understandably found hard to come to terms with at first, as most parents inevitably would. However, his unconditional love for his son endured and he vowed to learn how his son sees the world, using photography as the lens for that understanding.

Elijah’s condition means he is obsessed with mechanical objects, he functions on repetition and is very introverted. Therefore Elijah finds it hard to interact with the world around him. As a photographer, Timothy needs his images to tell a story, and via photography, he could document an unencumbered tale of Elijah’s autism to convey to the world.

For this, he had to stop controlling situations and let his son take the lead, so every picture could chronicle Elijah’s unique perspective on reality: "I never wanted [Eli] to think that he was normal. I wanted him to be aware of how different he was and see that as an asset," Archibald said.

The process has been cathartic for Timothy too, helping him attain some peace with his son’s diagnosis and has said the project made them closer. His book, "Echolilia," is available to purchase online.

If you like my writing, please consider donating to my Patreon. Thanks in advance!

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bradjames

Or throw me a dollar through PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/BradleyYellop