Jaime Rugh, an artist and stay-at-home mom, and her husband, Jeffrey, a painter who works for Prada, seem like the typical South Orange family. Both share a passion for art and have been together for over 10 years. They are the parents of two children, a 4-year-old daughter, Charlie, and a 20-month-old son, Max. However, for the past year, their lives have been anything but typical.

“A year ago, we discovered that our daughter is suspected to have Asperger’s syndrome," said Jaime. “In May, when we were told our son was suspected to be on [the autism] spectrum as well, it was a difficult time. Life is always different than you think it will be, but this was a lot to process. I began to think about how can I inspire my children.”

The Rughs decided to utilize their artistic talents in order to benefit their children and others with autism. They came up with an idea to create posters, which are silkscreened, printed by hand and are 12 1/2 x 19 inches. Each original poster is signed, stamped and numbered. "Diagnosis is as high as one in 150 and in New Jersey, one in 94, so we hoped to make people more understanding of the challenges individuals and families with autism face, as well as inspire those on the spectrum. We hope to get these posters up everywhere from being framed in a home to tacked up on a bulletin board in a library," Jaime said.

This is not the first time the couple has collaborated on a project. “Some of our bigger projects are a project called Mystery Mail, where we send people an unexpected piece of artwork in the mail with a 'mystery' note from the sender. We also created a product called 'Medallions' in 2004 that is sold in stationery and gift shops across the country. The Medallion project, like many of our projects, has an element of making people feel good, or giving someone something handmade out of paper,” said Jaime.

The Rughs are not working alone with their poster project. They are partnering with everyone from musician Dan Zanes to an upcoming poster collaboration with book author, autism expert and Maplewood resident Dr. Jed Baker.

Jaime revealed how she was inspired by a quote from Rupert Isaacson, a father to a son with autism and author of the book “The Horse Boy,” which will be released as a movie this fall. His quote in regards to his son's autism diagnosis was something along the lines of, "Have I got this all wrong? Does autism have to mean the end to everything? Could this not be the gateway to adventure?"

“This stuck with me. I thought the days are not always so easy but what if I looked at this differently?” asked Jaime. She wrote to Isaacson and asked his permission to use his quote on a poster. He responded immediately with a yes. Briana Feola and Jason Snyder of Brainstorm Print & Design are helping with the silk screening process.

They hope this will be a long-term project. “There is a lot to be said, as the spectrum is vast, and there are many remarkable people to be honored. We will add anywhere from three to six posters every few months. These posters are limited editions. Some, we are only printing 50 copies,” said Jaime. The Rughs plan on doing a broad range of posters. “Some are just support posters, some to educate and many to promote people in the autism world and their work. We figure if our poster can get someone to buy someone's book or look at their Web site, they are learning about autism and we have done our job.”

Posters will range from $15 to $25. A donation will be made from each sale to GRASP, an educational and advocacy organization serving individuals on the autism spectrum and other autism charities.

To learn more about the project or to purchase a poster, visit the Rughs' Web site or send them an e-mail.