Intro: Documentaries about Autism
As the number of persons diagnosed with autism spectrum disease continues to climb worldwide, the experiences of people living with autism—both patients and their families—will inevitably become more well-documented.
Of course, there isn't a single outstanding ASD film—as a spectrum with a wide range of symptoms, degrees, and circumstances, it's a rich source of stories... It's both terrifying and uplifting at the same time.
Every new documentary on the subject of ASD has the potential to provide viewers with a look into the lives of individuals who are afflicted by the illness, contributing to greater awareness, understanding, and compassion.
1. The Most Well Kept Secret - Autism Documentaries
So much emphasis has been focused on assisting children with ASD in public school systems over the last few decades that it's easy to miss the critical fact that they will all graduate and leave the system at some point. For parents and educators who must assist those children through that transformation, it's a complicated, often terrible, and sometimes fantastic experience. "Best Kept Secret" follows a special education teacher in New Jersey as she tries to discover ways for her kids to sustain themselves when they leave her class.
2. Life, Animated - Documentaries about autism
This Academy Award-nominated documentary looks at Owen Suskind's life through the prism of animation. When he stopped speaking, Owen, diagnosed with ASD at the age of three, found a route back to verbal communication through his Obsession based on ASD: animated Disney movie. His parents discovered a way to reach Owen by immersing themselves in the same films. Owen regained his voice and found he had a narrative to tell: "The Land of Lost Sidekicks," which mirrored his journey. Suskind delivers the film's only narration, which is comprised of a live video of him and an animated rendition of his experience.
3. Aspergers The Movie - Autism Documentaries
Interviews with people of different ages who have been touched by Aspergers are included in this film. Interviews with professionals who have studied and worked on the topic are also included.
Alex Sina was diagnosed with Aspergers in fourth grade. He didn't let the diagnosis hold him back; instead, he forged ahead. He has identified and cultivated abilities and hobbies that have to lead him to a successful profession via hard work and perseverance.
About three years ago, Alex found an Asperger's support group. People were blown away when they met Alex because he had matured into a capable and successful adult. This gave the parents hope for their children's futures and inspired Alex to create this endeavour. Although Aspergers Syndrome has been removed from the official diagnostic vocabulary of autism spectrum diseases, it hasn't stopped Aspies, as they're known, with high-functioning ASD from defining themselves significantly different from other people living with ASD.
Aspergers The Movie was filmed by one of their own. It consisted of interviews with people of all ages who have Aspergers and speak openly about both the challenges and advantages of being an Aspie.
4. Autism In Love - Autism Documentaries
The film follows four adults with autism, concentrating on love and adult relationships, as well as two of the individuals' connections with their parents.
In spite of the fact that they are both autistic, Dave and Lindsey have been romantically involved for eight years. They decide to marry at the end of the movie. Lenny is a young adult who lives with his mother, who is a single parent.
Stephen and his wife have been married for almost two decades. His problems with his wife's terminal sickness are shown in the film.
Autism may make it difficult for people to communicate, but it doesn't mean they don't have the same basic desires and wants as everyone else. From coping with the problems of dating when your communication and social skills are hampered to finding the perfect person and adapting to long-term partnerships, Autism In Love investigates how individuals with ASD handle their love relationships.
5. The Hummingbird - Autism Documentaries
Marco Carrera, an ophthalmologist, is the protagonist of The Hummingbird. He marries Marina, an unfaithful lady who is both right and wrong. He has feelings for Luisa, the right-but-wrong-but-right lady, but she is inaccessible. He serves as his sister's sentinel, but she commits suicide. He had a falling out with his brother and is now alienated from him. His parents' struggles have left them emotionally scarred, yet he must deal with their issues (vengeful rages, emotional barriers, late-marital sorrow) and then watch them suffer from severe types of cancer. He abandons his dearest buddy, the one who saved his life. He becomes addicted to gambling. His daughter, whom he adores, is involved in an unfathomable disaster. He is left with Miraijin, his miraculous granddaughter, whom he must nurture. He never learns who her father is or why she was given the Japanese moniker "Man of the Future," but she is the one who gives him cause to live.
When a filmmaker's child starts experiencing seizures and is suspected of having ASD, the natural impulse is to grab the camera and chronicle the situation. The outcome, which was shot over the course of five years, depicts a mother's quest to reconnect with a daughter who had gradually vanished behind the veil of autism.
6. Kids With Cameras - Autism Documentaries
While it may seem natural for an adult filmmaker to capture her experiences parenting a child with ASD, asking children with ASD to take up cameras and become filmmakers themselves may be more of a jump. But that's precisely what happens in Kids With Cameras, where seven children with high-functioning ASD attend a five-day film camp and learn to film, edit, and present their movies.
7. A Mother's Courage - Documentaries on Autism
Mother Courage, the primary character, is based on the picaresque writings of 17th-century German writer Grimmelshausen. The runagate Courage also battles and connives her way through the Thirty Years' War in Germany and Poland in her early short tale. The narrative is primarily written by Brecht in conjunction with Steffin...
The action of the play spans 12 years (1624-1636) and is shown in 12 scenes. Some depict Courage's career but do not allow viewers to identify with any of the individuals or create emotional sentiments for them. Mother Courage, on the other hand, is not portrayed as a noble figure. The Brechtian epic drama set itself apart from old Greek tragedies by featuring heroes who are much above average. Brecht's theatre ends with the main character, Mother Courage, inspiring any desire to imitate her.
Mother Courage is one of Brecht's most well-known works. It is considered by several directors to be the most significant important play of the twentieth century. Brecht depicts the horrors of war and the belief that in corrupt times, virtues are rarely rewarded. He employed an epic format to keep the audience focused on the issues rather than getting emotionally connected with the people. Epic plays are a type of play that Brecht is known for. Some critics say he invented the genre.
A Mother's Courage is a high-calibre introduction into the subject, following a typical journey for many parents of children with ASD. Margret contacts other families affected by autism and numerous specialists in the area, including Dr Temple Grandin and Dr Simon Baren-Cohen, in her hunt for cures and solutions. A Mother's Courage is one of the slickest movies about ASD accessible today, narrated by Kate Winslet and with music by Sigur Rós and Björk.
8. The Horse Boy - Autism Documentaries
Rupert Isaacson is the subject of an autobiographical book and a documentary feature film titled The Horse Boy and his wife, Kristen Neff, on their search to find healing for their autistic son, Rowan, after learning that interaction with horses appeared to help Rowan's condition. The family embarks on a long trek to Mongolia from their home in Texas.
Doctors Grandin and Baren-Cohen also appear in The Horse Boy, although the voyage shown is wilder and more external than that depicted in A Mother's Courage. Instead, it follows a Texas couple who, after learning that their son, Rowan, appears to have fewer ASD symptoms when he is among horses, go to Mongolia to meet the nomadic horsemen of the high steppes and consult with the shamans who dwell among them. Rowan's worst behavioural symptoms seemed to have vanished after the vacation.
9.Autism: The Musical - Documentaries about Autism
The film follows five autistic children and their parents in Los Angeles, California, for six months in 2005-06 as they compose and practice for an original theatrical show. If only the youngsters in the film were given the instruction they need to communicate and develop those talents, they could excel at even more things. Several parents appearing in the film are well known for their rights, such as Rosanne Katon-Walden, Richard M Walden, and Stephen Stills. They, along with the other parents, complete a cast of real-life parents juggling their stressed marriages with the often overwhelming requirements of their autistic children.
You read it correctly: it's a documentary, but it's about a musical put on in part by five autistic children and their parents. The Miracle Project was established to assist children with autism in learning to communicate with others while socializing. The method: staging a musical utilizing the creative process discovered while participating in a theatre workshop. The cameras accompany the kids and their parents for six months as they compose and practice their own theatrical musical, documenting their struggles and triumphs.
10. Sounding the alarm - Autism Documentaries
Autism Speaks, a nonprofit organization dedicated to autism research and awareness, created this film. It does precisely that: It gives a voice to a dozen ASD-affected families and people. The problems and expenses, both financial and personal, are explored in depth.
Documentaries about Autism: Conclusion
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