News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Naomi Teeny. Photo by Jim Cornelius
Naomi Teeny's art would be remarkable under any circumstances.
The 14-year-old Sisters Middle School student creates whimsical, colorful creatures from foam clay.
Her hands move with swift, sure dexterity as they mold anything from a howling, black-and-yellow coyote to a pink-and-blue flop-earred dog.
What makes her delightful work still more remarkable is that it originated as a form of therapy.
Naomi is autistic.
According to her father, Scott Teeny, her family recognized early on that Naomi was different; she did not cry much as a baby and she did not start talking at the appropriate age.
The diagnosis came slowly though, because autism is much less common in girls than it is in boys, and girls' symptoms are usually more acute than those Naomi displayed.
Naomi has been "mainstreamed" in Sisters schools; she is highly self-sufficient and participates as much as possible in the school environment.
Naomi's creatures. Photo by Jim Cornelius
However, as teacher Mim Burke points out, "school is stressful for Naomi."
The withdrawn aspect of autistic children is a kind of reaction to sensory overload. Scott recalled that Naomi walked on tiptoe for years because putting her foot flat on the floor was "too much touch."
Even eye contact can be too much stimulation, Burke noted. She recalled hearing Naomi say to a specialist "tell your eyes to leave my face alone."
Almost by accident, Naomi, Scott and her teachers discovered that working with clay was soothing to her. She displayed a remarkable talent and what Burke called "a striking sense of color."
For a long time, though, Naomi didn't seem to care much for her own work.
"There was a time when she'd create something as wonderful as that," said Burke, pointing to a sculpture, "and immediately destroy it."
Now, her works are little treasures. She creates a persona for each sculpture and once she names it, the name never changes.
"They're kind of 'morphs'," Burke said. "They're typically more than one kind of animal."
Naomi's extraordinary work and her sweet and often humorous personality have endeared her to her fellow students.
"It's amazing how she's touched the student body at this school," Burke said.
For his part, her father Scott says the schools have been very good to Naomi.
"I think the (schools have) done an incredible job over the 10 years she's been here," Teeny said. "It's such a blessing for her to be here."
Teeny said her progress has been encouraging, although autism is mysterious and no one can really predict what the future holds.
But with her high functioning capabilities, Teeny said he believes her life will be "what we call normal" by the time she's about 35 years old.
Teeny said that some people have expressed sympathy for the "burden" his family has borne. Teeny said no one should ever feel sorry for him and his family.
"They have no clue what a blessing Naomi is," he said.
Mim Burke said she works hard with Naomi on developing life skills and she, too, is optimistic about the future --especially given Naomi's talent.
"I really think there's a future for her artistically," she said.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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