Earlier this year, Twin Cities jazz singer Bernadette Spray received a Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board with the aim of raising autism awareness.

Spray, 25, says she was diagnosed at age 2, the earliest autism is typically it's detected.

"I struggle with, like, communication. So specifically, I have challenges with verbal and nonverbal social cues," Spray said.

Autism is a condition that can impact how individuals perceive and interact with the world around them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 1 in 31 8-year-old children have autism nationally. In Minnesota, it's 1 in 28.

Five years after her diagnosis, Spray discovered a world outside of her autism.

"I was around 7 when I started singing," she said. "What I love about jazz is

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