>> WHEN HE WAS VERY YOUNG, HENRY GOT A DIAGNOSIS OF AUTISM.

AND THIS WITH DIAGNOSIS, THERE CAME MEDICATIONS, TREATMENT PATHWAYS AND IT HAD A VERY MEDICAL ORIENTATION TO IT.

WHEN HE BECAME AN ARTIST, HE CAME AN ARTIST, IT CHANGED.

IT BECAME AN OPPORTUNITY FOR COMMUNITY AND EXPRESSION, AND HAVING THE ADVENTURES AND EXPERIENCES HE NEVER WOULD HAVE HAD IF WE HAD STAYED IN ONE WORLD.

I OFTEN INTRODUCE MYSELF, AND I'M LIKE, I'M HENRY'S MOM.

THIS IS WHO HE IS.

THIS IS HIS COMMUNITY.

I'M JUST HERE TO SUPPORT HIM AND JUST BEING THE BEST FRANKLINTON ARTIST THAT HE CAN BE.

I THINK ONE OF THE IMPACTS I HAVE ON HENRY IS HIS ART WORK, IT'S ALL FROM HIM.

I MAKE SURE HE HAS ALL HIS SUPPLIES.

HE HAS THE ITEMS HE WANTS TO WORK WITH.

THE THINGS HE WANTS TO PAINT WITH OR DRAW WITH.

SO I'M IN THE BACKGROUND WATCHING INVENTORY.

IT'S ONE OF OUR FAVORITE THINGS TO DO, TO GO TO THE ART STORE TOGETHER.

AND I'M ALWAYS AMAZED, I THINK HE HAS EVERY BLUE COLOR, EVERY SHADE HE NEEDS, AND WE END UP WITH FOUR OTHER BLUES AND HE COMES HOME AND HE KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS TO MAKE.

>> I AM HENRY HESS'S SISTER.

I LOVE IT.

HE IS SO AMAZING AND I GET TO HANG OUT WITH HIM AND IT'S A REALLY GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR ME TO BE IN FRANKLINTON.

HE DOESN'T COMMUNICATE WITH HIS WORDS VERY OFTEN, AND A LOT OF TIMES, IT'S WITH HIS ART.

AND I CAN PICK UP HOW HE FEELS REALLY EASILY.

SO I AM ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT CAN SOMETIMES PROMPT HIM INTO CERTAIN PROJECTS OR WORKING ON CERTAIN THINGS, BUT NOT EVERYONE CAN.

HENRY IS VERY INSPIRED BY OLD, CLASSIC MOVIES.

HE REALLY LOVES MUSICALS.

THE WIZARD OF OZ, CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, MARY POPPINS.

THERE IS A LOT YOU DON'T SEE IN MODERN DAY MOVIES.

AND THEY ARE WHAT HE GRAVITATED TO WHEN HE WAS LITTLE, AND IT HELPED HIM EXPRESS HIMSELF ON HIS OWN AND THROUGH HIS ART.

>> MY INTERACTION WITH HENRY WAS TO BROADEN THAT SCOPE, TA KIND OF PULL HIM OUT OF THE WORLD AND SHOW HIM THE REALITY.

WHY DON'T WE DRAW FROM REALITY A LITTLE BIT, OR DO PORTRAITS, THAT SORT OF THING.

HIM ATTENDING THE SUNDAY FIGURE SESSIONS THAT WE DO HAS REALLY MADE A HUGE IMPACT ON THE WAY THAT HE VIEWS EVEN THE SCENES FROM THE MOVIE.

HE'S ADDING MORE BACKGROUND ELEMENTS TO IT.

AND HIS PORTRAITS ARE STARTING TO TAKE A MORE ACCURATE SHAPE, RIGHT?

THAT IS JUST IN PRACTICE.

IT'S NOT ME TELLING HIM.

AND SOMEBODY LIKE HENRY, JUST LIKE ANY ARTIST, YOU CAN'T TELL AN ARTIST HOW TO MAKE THEIR ART.

LIKE, IT'S A PROCESS OF FAILURES AND SUCCESSES THAT ALLOW US TO DO THAT, AND HENRY HAS ALWAYS WORKED AGAINST THAT, AND I LEARNED THAT WHEN HE WAS 15 YEARS OLD, 14 YEARS OLD.

>> MY ROLE AS IT PER TRAINS TO FRANKLINTON HAS ALWAYS BEEN HENRY'S DAD.

THAT'S WHAT I ANSWER TO.

THAT IS WHAT I'M MOST PROUD OF, AND JUST BEING HENRY'S DAD IN FRANKLINTON AND CARRYING HEAVY THINGS AND HANGING ART WORK IS WHAT I DO.

>> I REMEMBER, LIKE, WALKING PAST HENRY'S STUDIO FREQUENTLY AND SEEING HIM FACE DOWN IN PAPER, JUST WORKING ALL THE TIME.

THE TERM WE SAY IS COMMITTED LINES.

LIKE, HE WILL DIVE IN.

HE DRAWS WHAT HE FEELS.

HE DRAWS -- HE'S NOT TRYING TO MAKE IT LOOK EXACTLY LIKE WHAT THE OBJECT IS.

THERE'S -- IT'S A MOTION.

IT'S MOVEMENT.

HIS LINES ARE QUICK.

AND THEY SHOW MOVEMENT.

SO HE THINKS THAT IT'S IN A THREE DIMENSIONAL WAY.

AND HE WANTS TO CAPTURE THE ESSENCE OF THAT.

HE STARTS WITH A FLAT PIECE OF PAPER, AND THEN AS HE WORKS THROUGH, SAY DOROTHY'S HOUSE, HOLDS IT UP.

IT'S ONE SHEET OF PAPER.

HE HAS THE INTERIOR DESIGN AND THE EXTERIOR DESIGN OF DOROTHY'S HOUSE.

OR ANY NUMBER OF THINGS.

APP CAR FROM CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG.

HE PAYS ATTENTION.

NOT EVERY SINGLE PIECE IS LIKE THAT.

BUT THE PIECES HE CARES ABOUT THE MOST ARE -- HAS ALL THAT.

THE FLOOR PLAN IS THERE.

LIKE, WHO THINKS -- AND HE TOOK THAT FROM A FILM.

HE TOOK THAT FROM A FILM.

AND THAT'S LIKE, WHERE HIS BRAIN IS.

I WILL CONSTRUCT HER HOUSE AND THIS IS WHAT I REMEMBER IT LOOKING LIKE.

IT'S SO COOL.

I DON'T KNOW ANYBODY THAT DOES THAT, EXCEPT FOR HENRY.

>> HENRY'S ART WORK IS UNIQUE AND IT'S COMPLETELY INSPIRED BY WHAT HE WANTS TO DO AND HOW HE FEELS AND HOW HE SEES THE WORLD.

AND THAT IS SOMETHING UNIQUE, WHEN YOU WALK IN HIS STUDIO, IT'S LIKE WALKING IN A STORY BOOK AND WALKING IN A CARTOON AND SEEING THE PICTURES AND THE CHARACTERS COME TO LIFE, AND THAT IS ONE AMAZING ASPECT OF HIS ART WORK.

>> WHAT I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED JUST LIKE FOR EVERYBODY, IT'S LIKE, WE ALL SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO IT.

LIKE, WE SHOULD ALL BE ABLE TO NAVIGATE THIS WORLD, AND SOME OF US NEED A LITTLE HELP.

MY GOAL FOR HENRY IS THAT BECAUSE HE HAS A DIFFICULT TIME COMMUNICATING, I WANTED TO HELP HIM BUILD HE IS NETWORK.

INTRODUCING TO PEOPLE, INTRODUCING TO THE COMMUNITY.

HE'S NOT GOING TO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT -- I WOULD LIKE TO LEARN WELDING.

IT'S LIKE, WHY DON'T I REACH OUT TO ARTISTS I KNOW IN THE COMMUNITY AND SAY, WILL YOU BE WILLING TO HANG OUT WITH US, SHOW US WHAT YOU DO.

>> TALK ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT?

AND DOING THAT, THEY MEET HENRY.

THE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE MEETING HENRY, AND THEN WHEN THEY HAVE WORKSHOPS OR THEY HAVE EXHIBITIONS, THEY'RE GOING TO THINK OF HENRY AND INVITE HIM TO BE A PART OF IT.

HE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO GO, I WANT TO BE IN THE SHOW.

BUT SOMEONE WILL BE LIKE, HENRY SHOULD BE IN THE SHOW.

I THINK THAT IS JUST REALLY TO EXPAND HIS NETWORK.

>> WE TALK ABOUT HENRY'S FUTURE.

WE TALK ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR HIM.

HIS FRIENDS FROM GRADE SCHOOL SAY, IS HENRY SKILL DRAWING AND DOING ART WORK?

THEY GET SO ENGAGED AND THEY ARE EXCITED TO HEAR THAT IS WHAT HE IS DOING, HE'S AN ARTIST.

BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT HE NEEDS TO BE DOING FOR HIS CAREER AND WHAT MAKES HIM HAPPY.

SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT HIM, A MEANINGFUL, HAPPY, FULFILLED LIFE, IT'S GOING TO INCLUDE ART AND IT'S GOING TO INCLUDE ARTISTS.

IT'S KIND OF WHAT WE DISCOVERED.

THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THIS COMMUNITY IN FRANKLINTON, HOW THEY INTERACT, HOW THEY COMMUNICATE, THEY SEE THEMSELVES IN HENRY.

AND HENRY SEES HIMSELF IN THEM, AND THAT'S A PRETTY UNIQUE ENVIRONMENT FOR HIM.

>> AUTISM CHANGED HIS LIFE IN ONE WAY.

BUT HIS ARTISTRY CHANGED HIS LIFE IN A PATH WE NEVER SAW COMING, THAT IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS THAT EVER HAPPENED TO HIM, AND FOR OUR ENTIRE FAMILY.