'Nature isn't perfect': Father photographs his five-year-old autistic son's unique behavior to better understand his condition

Curious to get inside the mind of his autistic child, a father started capturing his unique quirks and habits on camera.



San Francisco-based photographer Timothy Archibald, turned the lens on his son, Elijah, now 12, six years ago and published the intimate collection of images in a book titled 'Echolilia/Sometimes I Wonder'.



One shot shows the child sat naked on a bed with a giant envelope over his head and another sees him with his face plunged into the mouth of a large plastic funnel.



'Sometimes I wonder': San Francisco-based photographer Timothy Archibald began photographing the habits of his autistic son, Elijah, when he was five years old

Other snaps show Elijah undressed and curled in a fetal position on his front door step and later, laying down with a vacuum pipe held to his ear and lips, seemingly in a moment of play.

Explaining the youngster's poses, Maggie Austin, a special education teacher, told MailOnline: 'Well, a lot of people with autism say that they feel that their bodies are flying around space.



'Curling up into small places makes them feel safe when their anxiety is overwhelming. Being naked is common because many people with autism say that their clothes hurt them or are very uncomfortable.'



Mr Archibald, 46, says his photographs have attracted mixed responses.



Some commentators have accused him of using Elijah as a 'human guinea pig' while others have thanked him for spreading awareness about autism, which is often misunderstood.

Candid moment: Mr Archibald says the aim of the photos is to make people more accepting of the 'imperfect'

Comfort zone: All of the images were captured at his home - inside and in the garden - because he said that's where the most tension was felt

'Time and time again I get notes and photos from parents who really feel they see their kid in these photographs Eli and I made,' the photographer father told Autism Speaks.



'They see the focus and the haze, the concentration and the dreamy, and seem to relate to the emotional struggle for the parent in the photos as well.'



He says his main aim of the series is to make people more accepting of the 'imperfections' in life.



'[My son] may not be "perfect", but nature isn’t perfect. So let’s accept it, be up front about it, let him be proud of it, and here, let us define it ourselves.'



Wandering alone: Elijah appears isolated from the world as his imagination runs riot

Unusual habits: Autism spectrum disorder is characterized by difficulties in social interaction, communication and repetitive behavior - it is a condition often misunderstood

Strike a pose: Mr Archibald said that when he took the photographs Elijah would often do the unexpected with props he found lying around - here he plays with a vacuum pipe

Mr Archibald said even as a toddler Elijah went 'to the beat of his own drum' but he and his wife, Cheri, didn't think anything was wrong.



However, when their second son grew older and they saw what a non-autistic child was like, they became aware that something was different.



Teachers and parents at Elijah's kindergarten school also picked up on his unusual behavior and started asking questions.



Standing out from the crowd: Teachers at Elijah's kindergarten school picked up on his unusual behavior

Smart kid: Elijah has a huge vocabulary, goes to public school and gets good grades, says his father

A moment in time: The father and son now look back at the photographs and recall fond memories together

In an attempt to 'gain some control over the situation', Mr Archibald began his photography project.



The father-of-two recalled: 'Like most kids, you can’t really make Eli do something if he doesn’t want to. So he wasn’t very interested in being in the photo alone.



'But if he could collaborate, if he could suggest the pose, the idea the structure, then he was very much into it. That began our process.'



Shortly after starting the photo series doctors diagnosed Elijah with autism spectrum disorder, a condition characterized by difficulties in social interaction, communication and repetitive behavior.



Flashback: Elijah was photographed over a three year period from the age of five - he is now 12 years old

No rhyme or reason: Mr Archibald says his son's behavior often confuses him

Seeing things from a different perspective: However, the youngster appears happy in his 'own world'

'Though the diagnosis gave me the words and history to understand my son better, it didn't take away the mystery and the need to try to find an emotional bridge to him,' Mr Archibald said and thus, continued snapping away.



He said through doing the three year-long series he got to appreciate his son's quirks and relate to him better. They now look back on the pictures and recall fond memories together.



Explaining why he called his book 'Echolilia', he said: '[It] is an alternate spelling of a more common term, "echolalia," used in the autistic community to refer to the habit of verbal repetition and copying that is commonly found in autistic kids' behavior.



Bonding: 'I do think he and I did form some small tether at the time we made these photographs that seems to help us along,' Elijah's father said On show: The images appear in a coffee table book titled 'Echolilia/Sometimes I Wonder'

Signs of improvement: Apparently medication has effectively relieved some of Elijah's autistic symptoms

'I liked the idea of it: photography is a form of copying. Kids are a form of repetition. And looking at my kid with photography allowed me to see myself anew.'



Today, Mr Archibald says Elijah is doing well and boasts a 'huge vocabulary' which helps him achieve good grades at school.

