How a piece of string can turn a complex history into something children and young people can explore
How do you explain the history of autism without turning the conversation into a long lecture?
A timeline can help. An expressive arts approach can make that timeline something a learner can see, touch and respond to.
Inspired by the ideas explored in Steve Silberman’s NeuroTribes, this activity uses string, timeline cards and visual art to explore how the way autism has been understood has changed over time.
The activity is particularly useful for educators, counsellors, therapists and professionals working with neurodivergent children and young people.
It can also open a broader conversation about how language, diagnosis and social attitudes influence the way people are understood.
Why explore the history of autism?
The way autism has been described has changed considerably over the past century.
The word “autism” itself predates the modern diagnostic concept. Eugen Bleuler introduced the term in 1911 in connection with withdrawal into an inner world in the context of schizophrenia. Later clinicians began using the term in relation to children and developmental differences.
Grunya Sukhareva published descriptions of children showing characteristics now recognised as autistic in the 1920s. Leo Kanner published his influential description of autistic disturbances of affective contact in 1943, while Hans Asperger published work describing autistic characteristics in children in 1944.
The diagnostic understanding continued to change. Autism was formally recognised as a distinct diagnostic category in DSM-III in 1980, and later diagnostic frameworks broadened the conceptualisation of autism.
These historical shifts matter because diagnostic categories influence research, education and access to support.
They also influence the language people use when talking about autistic people.
That makes history a useful subject for reflective work with older children, teenagers and adults.
The Expressive Arts Activity: The Autism History Timeline
What you need
You only need a few inexpensive materials:
- A long piece of yarn, string or wool
- Small pieces of card or paper
- Pens or coloured pencils
- A larger sheet of paper
- Tape or reusable adhesive
- Optional: photographs, printed historical information or prepared timeline cards
The activity can be adapted to suit the age and communication style of the person you are working with.
Step 1: Create the string timeline
Place a long piece of string across a table or along the floor.
Explain:
“This string represents the changing history of how people have understood autism.”
The string gives the learner a physical representation of time.
You can then place cards along it.
For example:
Early descriptions → 1940s → Changing diagnostic ideas → Broader spectrum → Neurodiversity
You do not need to include every historical event.
The purpose is to create enough structure for discussion.
Step 2: Add historical cards
Prepare short information cards about selected points in the history of autism.
For example:
Card: 1911
The term “autism” was introduced by Eugen Bleuler, although its meaning at that time was different from the way autism is understood today.
Card: 1920s
Grunya Sukhareva described children whose characteristics have subsequently been recognised as consistent with autism. Her work received limited attention internationally at the time.
Card: 1943
Leo Kanner published his description of 11 children and helped establish autism as a distinct area of clinical study.
Card: 1944
Hans Asperger published his observations of children with social difficulties and distinctive patterns of behaviour and interests. The subsequent history and interpretation of his work are complex and remain an important part of autism scholarship.
Card: 1980
Autism was included as a distinct diagnostic category in DSM-III.
Later developments
Diagnostic concepts continued to change, with broader approaches to the autism spectrum emerging over subsequent decades. The history of autism therefore involves changing definitions rather than a single fixed description.
Step 3: Turn information into art
Now comes the expressive part.
Instead of asking the learner to memorise dates, invite them to respond visually.
At each point on the timeline, ask:
“What image, symbol or colour represents what you have just learned?”
They might draw:
- A question mark
- A pair of glasses
- A closed door
- A bridge
- A magnifying glass
- A changing puzzle shape
- A person being understood differently
There is no required drawing.
The image is a personal response to the information.
For a younger child, you could offer simple choices:
“Does this part of the timeline feel like discovering something, changing something or misunderstanding something?”
The child can then choose a colour or symbol.
Step 4: Look at the whole timeline
Once the cards and drawings have been placed along the string, pause.
Invite the learner to look at the entire timeline.
Ask:
“What do you notice when you look at the whole story?”
Other prompts could include:
“Where do you see a change in understanding?”
“Which part made you curious?”
“Is there anything you would like to know more about?”
“What questions does this timeline leave you with?”
The purpose here is exploration rather than testing.
There does not need to be a correct emotional response.
Step 5: Create the next chapter
Give the learner a fresh piece of paper.
Ask:
“If you could add the next chapter to this timeline, what would you want it to look like?”
They could draw an image, create a collage, write a few words or use colours and shapes.
This is where the activity moves from historical learning towards reflection.
The learner is invited to think about what a future understanding of autism could look like.
Why use string?
The string is more than a craft material.
It gives an abstract idea a physical form.
A historical timeline can feel distant when it is presented as dates on a page. A physical line gives the learner something they can follow with their eyes and hands.
The string can also be moved.
Cards can be added.
Images can be changed.
New information can be introduced.
That flexibility mirrors an important feature of the activity: our understanding of autism has developed over time.
Why use art?
Art gives learners another route into information.
A child or young person may not want to explain their response verbally. Drawing a symbol can provide another way to communicate what caught their attention.
This is particularly useful when working with learners who prefer visual communication or who find conventional discussion demanding.
The activity also separates learning about autism from asking an autistic person to explain or represent their own identity.
That distinction matters.
An autistic child should not be expected to become the “teacher” of autism simply because they are autistic.
Adapting the Activity for Different Ages
Younger children
Keep the timeline short.
Use pictures rather than dense historical text.
You could create four cards:
Long ago → Early ideas → Changing ideas → Today
Ask the child to choose a colour or symbol for each card.
The emphasis can remain on the idea that people can change their understanding when they learn more.
Older children and pre-teens
Introduce more historical information.
Ask them to create their own symbols for different periods.
You could also ask:
“What happens when a label changes?”
This can lead into discussions about language, diagnosis and identity.
Teenagers
Teenagers may be able to engage with the more complicated questions surrounding diagnostic categories and changing understandings of autism.
You could introduce excerpts or ideas from NeuroTribes and ask them to compare historical descriptions with contemporary perspectives.
A useful prompt is:
“What can happen when society’s understanding of a group changes?”
This can move the conversation beyond autism and towards broader questions about labels and social perception.
A Note About NeuroTribes
Steve Silberman’s NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity examines the history of autism alongside the development of the neurodiversity movement.
The book is particularly useful for thinking about autism history through a wider social and cultural lens.
It can therefore provide useful background reading for professionals who want to understand why the history of autism cannot be reduced to a sequence of diagnostic dates.
When using the book with clients, it is important to consider their age, reading level and individual needs. You can also use selected historical information from reputable academic sources rather than expecting a young person to read the entire book.
Watch the Activity in Action
I created a short YouTube video demonstrating how to turn this concept into a simple expressive arts activity.
Watch the EducateAble video:
“How Do You Explain Autism History Without Turning It Into a Lecture? Try Unravelling It Through Art | Expressive Arts Activity”
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Watching the demonstration alongside this article can make the activity easier to recreate in a counselling, classroom or therapy setting.
Materials You Can Keep in Your Therapy or Classroom Kit
You do not need expensive materials for this activity. A few basic art supplies are enough.
1. Sketchbook or visual journal
Useful for the final “next chapter” artwork and for extending the activity into reflective journalling.
2. Coloured pencils
Coloured pencils work well because they allow the learner to use colour and symbols without requiring advanced drawing skills.
3. Washable markers
Markers are useful when working with younger children or creating large timeline cards.
4. Coloured yarn or craft string
This is the central material for the timeline. Choose a thicker yarn if you want the timeline to be clearly visible when working with a group.
5. Index cards or blank card stock
These can become reusable historical timeline cards. You can prepare a set in advance and laminate them for repeated sessions.
6. Children’s art supply set
A basic mixed art kit can be useful if you want to offer several choices rather than limiting the learner to pencils.
Affiliate note: These are suggested material categories for this activity. Availability and product specifications can vary by marketplace.
Questions for Professional Reflection
After completing the activity, practitioners can consider:
What did the learner focus on?
Did they respond more strongly to the historical information, the visual symbolism or the act of physically creating the timeline?
Which parts did they question?
Questions can provide useful opportunities for further learning.
Did they challenge any of the language used?
This can open discussion about how terminology affects perception.
What did they place in the “future” section?
The final artwork may reveal what the learner values in the way autism is understood.
These observations can become the starting point for a follow-up conversation rather than an interpretation imposed by the practitioner.
Important Considerations When Using This Activity
This activity is educational and reflective. It should not be used as a diagnostic tool.
Avoid presenting autism history as a simple story in which society moved neatly from “wrong” to “right”. Historical developments are more complicated than that.
There have been changes in diagnostic definitions, scientific understanding and social attitudes, while debates about terminology and representation continue.
The activity should also avoid suggesting that autistic people share a single experience.
Autism is heterogeneous, and an individual’s communication preferences, support needs and relationship with autistic identity can differ considerably.
When discussing historical figures or theories, distinguish documented history from later interpretations.
For example, the history surrounding Hans Asperger has been extensively reassessed, and current scholarship includes important discussion of his work and his activities during the Nazi period.
A historically responsible activity should leave room for complexity.
The Bigger Idea Behind the Activity
A timeline can teach dates.
This activity asks learners to look at something deeper: how human understanding changes.
The string gives the learner a visible path through history.
The cards provide information.
The artwork gives them a way to respond.
The final drawing asks them to imagine what could come next.
That makes the activity suitable for counselling and educational settings where the aim is to encourage curiosity, reflection and a more nuanced understanding of neurodiversity.
Try This With Your Next Session
If you work with autistic children, teenagers, parents or educators, adapt the timeline to the person’s developmental level and communication preferences.
Start with a few historical cards rather than trying to cover the entire history of autism.
Then give the learner permission to respond through colour, drawing or symbols.
And leave space for questions.
The history of autism is still being discussed, researched and reinterpreted. An expressive arts approach gives learners a tangible way to explore that changing story.
Watch the EducateAble demonstration
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Want more practical expressive arts ideas?
Explore more EducateAble activities for counselling, child support, neurodiversity and inclusive education.
If you found this activity useful, save this post for your next counselling or classroom session and share it with a professional who works with neurodivergent learners.
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