An autistic teen from Kalk Bay is proving that his disability does not define his ability after being selected as a guest speaker at this year’s Comic Con Cape Town.
Sixteen-year-old Clayden Botes is a self-taught artist who was diagnosed with autism at the age of six. He cannot read or write, but has his own digital company known as Clayden’s Designs.
An excited Clayden says: “My idea was to go to Comic Con as I have already worked on my costume. I was invited to be a guest speaker at Kids Con in 2021, but Covid happened so to be invited again is awesome.
“I will be speaking about autism and what it is like being an autistic artist.”
He will be at Comic Con on Saturday and next Tuesday, taking place at the Artist Alley at the CTICC. On 5 April one of Clayden’s artworks was auctioned off at the 100th Ernie Els Foundation Golf Day in Stellenbosch.
Clayden says: “They wanted me to create an art piece and auction it off, so I spent a month working on a painting which is much more special because it is done by hand.
“After leaving the stage, they announced that all the funds will go to me. It was a total surprise to us. I used the funds to buy me a reading pen which will help me with my disability.”
This was his second auction, as he previously auctioned one of his art work in California and donated the funds to assist the homeless.
Clayden says his advice for parents with children who have autism is not to worry and just to be the best parent for your child.
“Every person with autism works completely differently and some parents go onto the internet to find answers why their child acts a certain way but nothing on the internet can tell you what your child is going to be like in the future. Everything will work out.”
