Alex is a young man with autism who loves woodworking– the precision of woodwork and the artistry needed soothes his soul. I live in Madison, WI and graduated from Madison West High School. I am proud to have my own business, AlexWorx. I enjoy doing puzzles, watching PBS and cooking shows, playing Super Mario Brothers, and walking through my favorite parks. I like to step on crunchy leaves and sticks. I paint how they look on tiles, which I craft into decorative pieces to sell at art fairs. In addition to nature scenes, I also paint holiday-themed tiles, and custom tiles if a customer has a special request. Making decorative tiles is hard work, but it’s lots of fun! Alex’s History:
Alex was born unresponsive and remained so for almost 3 minutes. Before he was born, he did not get enough oxygen and his lung collapsed. For 3 weeks, his parents were told that Alex would probably not survive. Alex was a fighter and beat the odds. At the age of 2, Alex was diagnosed with autism. Alex’s doctors predicted that he would never be able to walk or talk. With his parents’ support and a lot of hard work, Alex was able to walk by the age of 5 and had a lot of strength in his hands. At the age of 13, Alex began talking quietly, complementing his use of sign language. When Alex was a teenager, his father taught him woodworking. They started slow by working on the basics. Before long, Alex’s father had discovered woodworking was not only something that Alex expressed interest in, but exhibited talent in as well. Shortly after, Alex was creating decorative tiles and gifting them to family, staff members, and teachers. One Christmas, Alex gifted a trivet to his teacher, Anna, at West High School. One year later while developing Alex’s post-graduation plans, Anna turned this gift into a business idea. Alex receives assistance for his business from his family and staff at Options in Community Living. He continues to create decorative tiles 5 days a week. Alex’s tiles are on display and for sale at different locations around Madison, WI.
