Autism: The Misunderstood Child *****
“I just want to encourage others who feel hopeless, to instead feel hopeful.” These are the words of Kathy Winters, the woman who made this delightful short video entitled Autism: The Misunderstood Child, a dedication to her son Ayden who was diagnosed with Autism in January 2008. Yes, it is essentially just a collection of pictures but it is a collection of pictures that is full of heart, accompanied by a beautiful and inspirational piece of music, statistics and facts about Autism and a superb poem by Kathy that truly comes from the heart, detailing both the plight of her son’s Autism and the wonder that comes from it as well. This short film may only be a homemade video but it is a well made one and one that conveys plenty about what it is like living with Autism and what it truly means to love some who has the condition. Kathy says this of Ayden: “He is special, not because of his limitations, but because of his heart” – simple words that perfectly say why individuals with Autism truly are special. And the closing words – “It’s not hopeless if you love them and believe in their potential” – say so much. If everyone saw this video, perhaps there would be less ignorance in the world about what it means to have Autism.
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This is a follow up to my previous post which contains the full film of Autism: The Misunderstood Child and can be found here: http://thewonderfulworldofautism.blogspot.com/2010/10/short-film-autism-misunderstood-child.html
Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)
Sunday, 31 October 2010
Short Film: 'Autism: The Misunderstood Child'
The original source for this video can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ5JXeGghkc
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Autism: The Misunderstood Child is a very sweet short video that I came across made by a woman as a dedication to her Autistic son. It is both honest and insightful.
A full review of this video will follow shortly.
Robert Mann BA (Hons)
Friday, 8 October 2010
'Feelings of Girls and Women with Autism' Film Review
Feelings of Girls and Women with Autism *****
I am a man living with Aspergers Syndrome, a form of Autism. And with this comes a range of difficulties, feelings and emotions. Yet, the nature of Autism is such that no two individuals diagnosed with it will ever be completely the same and thus I am unable to fully appreciate how the condition affects others who have it. This is particularly true of the opposite sex. It has been established that females with the condition experience a very different set of problems resulting from it, problems that I am not fully able to understand, and also that many women can slip through the cracks, going completely undetected – hence a key reason why so many fewer women are diagnosed than men. After watching this short video, Feelings of Girls and Women with Autism, however, I am much closer to such an understanding than I was before.
“This video describes the feelings often faced by girls with Asperger Syndrome”
- Laura Paxton
Just like other short videos on Autism that I have reviewed, this film features a succession of still images – intercut with text segments – set to music and just like every one of the others it also manages to put across a unique (uniqueness is something that is very much synonymous with Autism) perspective and the manner in which it paints the struggle of girls and women with Autism proves very effective, the imagery (both photos and artwork that illustrate the points being made) used being both hauntingly beautiful and heartbreakingly sad at the same time, the words used to describe the feelings being very eloquent and poetic, and the musical accompaniment being suitably enchanting and appropriate to the mood the film is trying to create. While the film is very short it successfully says a lot about key feelings being experienced by females with Autism – the lack of understanding of social cues, the desire to have friends and fit in, the feeling of loneliness, the fantasy worlds that girls with the condition often lose themselves in, the “special interests” they comfort themselves with, the “social vortex” they get lost in, the way they imitate others in an effort to fit in, the fact that the condition can affect anyone regardless of culture and the stress and exhaustion that can result from the condition – and if you watch this beautifully made video you are sure to have a greatly improved understanding of the difficulties faced by girls and women with Autism with afterwards. I certainly did.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a follow up to my previous post which included the full film of Feelings of Girls and Women with Autism and can be found here:
http://thewonderfulworldofautism.blogspot.com/2010/10/short-film-feelings-of-girls-and-women.html
I am a man living with Aspergers Syndrome, a form of Autism. And with this comes a range of difficulties, feelings and emotions. Yet, the nature of Autism is such that no two individuals diagnosed with it will ever be completely the same and thus I am unable to fully appreciate how the condition affects others who have it. This is particularly true of the opposite sex. It has been established that females with the condition experience a very different set of problems resulting from it, problems that I am not fully able to understand, and also that many women can slip through the cracks, going completely undetected – hence a key reason why so many fewer women are diagnosed than men. After watching this short video, Feelings of Girls and Women with Autism, however, I am much closer to such an understanding than I was before.
“This video describes the feelings often faced by girls with Asperger Syndrome”
- Laura Paxton
Just like other short videos on Autism that I have reviewed, this film features a succession of still images – intercut with text segments – set to music and just like every one of the others it also manages to put across a unique (uniqueness is something that is very much synonymous with Autism) perspective and the manner in which it paints the struggle of girls and women with Autism proves very effective, the imagery (both photos and artwork that illustrate the points being made) used being both hauntingly beautiful and heartbreakingly sad at the same time, the words used to describe the feelings being very eloquent and poetic, and the musical accompaniment being suitably enchanting and appropriate to the mood the film is trying to create. While the film is very short it successfully says a lot about key feelings being experienced by females with Autism – the lack of understanding of social cues, the desire to have friends and fit in, the feeling of loneliness, the fantasy worlds that girls with the condition often lose themselves in, the “special interests” they comfort themselves with, the “social vortex” they get lost in, the way they imitate others in an effort to fit in, the fact that the condition can affect anyone regardless of culture and the stress and exhaustion that can result from the condition – and if you watch this beautifully made video you are sure to have a greatly improved understanding of the difficulties faced by girls and women with Autism with afterwards. I certainly did.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a follow up to my previous post which included the full film of Feelings of Girls and Women with Autism and can be found here:
http://thewonderfulworldofautism.blogspot.com/2010/10/short-film-feelings-of-girls-and-women.html
Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)
Short Film: 'Feelings of Girls and Women with Autism'
The original source for this video can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNFLe2FLKj4
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Feelings of Girls and Women with Autism is a delightful short video that effectively conveys the feelings, emotions and difficulties experienced by females diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders. It is a very beautiful and emotive piece of work that conveys its messages quite eloquently.A full review for this film will follow shortly.
Robert Mann BA (Hons)
Sunday, 3 October 2010
'I Love Somebody with Autism' Film Review
I Love Somebody with Autism *****
“Open your eyes. And experience the magic. I will get there when you believe.” These are the words that open I Love Somebody with Autism, another delightful homemade movie about Autism, this time relating more specifically to one person with the condition – a young boy called Jonathan, whose imagination is very much the subject of this film. The film is essentially just a sequence of images set against the rather delightful music of Mariah Carey’s When You Believe but there is something really magical about the way it has been put together. The film isn’t so much trying to put a wider message across as show how gifted and artistic Jonathan is, the film consisting of drawings that he has done (even opening with his own versions of movie studio idents for Disney, Paramount and THX) intermingled with some photos of himself making some of his artistic creations. There is real passion on display in the images and the film successfully puts across that Autism isn’t all bad for Jonathan, presenting him with gifts as well as difficulties. The film is very well edited and put together and the chosen music is a perfect accompanying piece. Simply put, I Love Somebody with Autism is a delightful short film and one that, while being about Jonathan, is relevant to anyone with Autism as such gifts and abilities can be found in any individual diagnosed with the condition and a greater recognition of the positives that come from Autism as opposed to all the negatives is something that the world could really do with developing.
The closing words from the film that appear below say everything that needs to said. Jonathan isn’t viewed as a burden by his family but rather a unique individual who should be treasured not excluded.
“To our dearest Jonathan.
We are so proud of you despite your disability you’re among the luckiest special child with gifted artistic hands & an excellent photography memory.
You will have difficulty expressing yourself but your work of art speaks for you...
I know someday your prayers will be heard because you are Blessed and God loves you dearly.
We all wish you a HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
We Love You,
Papa, Mama, Joan & Joshua.”
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This is a follow up to my previous post which contains the full film ofI Love Somebody with Autism and can be found here:
http://thewonderfulworldofautism.blogspot.com/2010/10/short-film-i-love-somebody-with-autism.html
Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)
“Open your eyes. And experience the magic. I will get there when you believe.” These are the words that open I Love Somebody with Autism, another delightful homemade movie about Autism, this time relating more specifically to one person with the condition – a young boy called Jonathan, whose imagination is very much the subject of this film. The film is essentially just a sequence of images set against the rather delightful music of Mariah Carey’s When You Believe but there is something really magical about the way it has been put together. The film isn’t so much trying to put a wider message across as show how gifted and artistic Jonathan is, the film consisting of drawings that he has done (even opening with his own versions of movie studio idents for Disney, Paramount and THX) intermingled with some photos of himself making some of his artistic creations. There is real passion on display in the images and the film successfully puts across that Autism isn’t all bad for Jonathan, presenting him with gifts as well as difficulties. The film is very well edited and put together and the chosen music is a perfect accompanying piece. Simply put, I Love Somebody with Autism is a delightful short film and one that, while being about Jonathan, is relevant to anyone with Autism as such gifts and abilities can be found in any individual diagnosed with the condition and a greater recognition of the positives that come from Autism as opposed to all the negatives is something that the world could really do with developing.
The closing words from the film that appear below say everything that needs to said. Jonathan isn’t viewed as a burden by his family but rather a unique individual who should be treasured not excluded.
“To our dearest Jonathan.
We are so proud of you despite your disability you’re among the luckiest special child with gifted artistic hands & an excellent photography memory.
You will have difficulty expressing yourself but your work of art speaks for you...
I know someday your prayers will be heard because you are Blessed and God loves you dearly.
We all wish you a HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
We Love You,
Papa, Mama, Joan & Joshua.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a follow up to my previous post which contains the full film of
http://thewonderfulworldofautism.blogspot.com/2010/10/short-film-i-love-somebody-with-autism.html
Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)
Short Film: 'I Love Somebody with Autism'
The original source for this video can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPoKVsw1I9Y
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I Love Somebody with Autism is a delightful homemade movie about a young boy called Jonathan who has Autism and whose gifts make up for the difficulties the condition creates for him to an extent. The movie is a compilation of images that he has drawn set to music.
A full review of this film will follow shortly.
Robert Mann BA (Hons)
Sunday, 26 September 2010
'Aspie Eyes: The beautiful eyes of Asperger's Syndrome' Film Review
Aspie Eyes: The beautiful eyes of Asperger’s Syndrome *****
“Those of us with Asperger's syndrome, a form of high-functioning autism, often are accused of being “stoned”, or flirtatious, or are told our eyes are beautiful, innocent, or child-like. This video represents the eyes of Asperger's syndrome, wonderful and beautiful. Such a depth to these eyes, and I believe these eyes are indicative of our inner selves. This is a project which I have taken somewhere around 6 months to complete. After endless hours of collecting the photos, editing them, and working them into this video, the end result has surprised even me. I feel so close to all of you who contributed. Thanks so much to all of you who participated in this project and made it possible. After viewing this video, I think it is evident that there is “something about those aspie eyes”. You are all beautiful!”
- Mia Sansom
Aspie Eyes: The beautiful eyes of Asperger’s Syndrome is something rather different to the kind of stuff that I normally review but has a certain magical quality and relatability to me personally that I felt almost compelled to comment on it. The above quote by Mia Sansom, the woman who made the film, explains what her purpose was in making what is not so much a film but in some ways more an art project, albeit one that serves a greater purpose than that of art alone, coming with a message that many can learn from.
“The eyes in this video represent Asperger’s Syndrome or high-functioning Autism. Many say that these eyes have a certain innocence, beauty or magic about them. You decide...” These words start off this short video, which consists of images of the eyes of individuals with either Asperger’s Syndrome or high-functioning Autism accompanied by an enchanting piece of music – a piece of music that really does make this video seem magical. Again, I am not in a position to offer the most objective review of the film given that I have Asperger’s Syndrome myself but I am in a unique position to offer an Aspie perspective on this film and in this regard I must say that I found it to be absolutely delightful. You may wonder what purpose exactly could a film that is just four and a half minutes of photos of people’s eyes offer. Apparently, quite a lot, as these eyes convey more emotion and create a greater sense of magic than what you might find in a full length movie at times. People with Autism Spectrum Disorders are sometimes accused of being emotionless robots (for lack of a better term) and not having feelings but this is far from the truth and this film really helps to show this. Simply looking into the eyes shown in this film reveals a sense of loneliness and isolation but also a certain magic and wonder, something that many with an Autism Spectrum Disorder might be able to relate to and that I certainly can. Additionally, there is a perception that people with Asperger’s are all the same and this film also helps to disprove this as the eyes shown here are as diverse as you could ever expect to see. In reality, those people with Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism are probably the most unique individuals who you will ever encounter, there perhaps being far more diversity between different individuals with Autism than between neurotypical individuals in many cases. There is a real eloquence in which this video simply and effectively puts across the emotion, the uniqueness and the enchantment of Asperger’s Syndrome. Simply put, Aspie Eyes: The beautiful eyes of Asperger’s Syndrome is an enchanting video that really does feel quite magical and as well as being quite beautiful also has something to say about Asperger’s Syndrome, something that anyone with Asperger’s should be able to relate to and that anyone without could probably learn from. The video ends with the words “Aspie Eyes...Diversity is Beautiful.” I couldn’t put it better myself.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a follow up to my previous post which contains the the full film of Aspie Eyes: The beautiful eyes of Asperger's Syndrome and can be found here: http://thewonderfulworldofautism.blogspot.com/2010/09/short-film-aspie-eyes-beautiful-eyes-of.html
Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)
“Those of us with Asperger's syndrome, a form of high-functioning autism, often are accused of being “stoned”, or flirtatious, or are told our eyes are beautiful, innocent, or child-like. This video represents the eyes of Asperger's syndrome, wonderful and beautiful. Such a depth to these eyes, and I believe these eyes are indicative of our inner selves. This is a project which I have taken somewhere around 6 months to complete. After endless hours of collecting the photos, editing them, and working them into this video, the end result has surprised even me. I feel so close to all of you who contributed. Thanks so much to all of you who participated in this project and made it possible. After viewing this video, I think it is evident that there is “something about those aspie eyes”. You are all beautiful!”
- Mia Sansom
Aspie Eyes: The beautiful eyes of Asperger’s Syndrome is something rather different to the kind of stuff that I normally review but has a certain magical quality and relatability to me personally that I felt almost compelled to comment on it. The above quote by Mia Sansom, the woman who made the film, explains what her purpose was in making what is not so much a film but in some ways more an art project, albeit one that serves a greater purpose than that of art alone, coming with a message that many can learn from.
“The eyes in this video represent Asperger’s Syndrome or high-functioning Autism. Many say that these eyes have a certain innocence, beauty or magic about them. You decide...” These words start off this short video, which consists of images of the eyes of individuals with either Asperger’s Syndrome or high-functioning Autism accompanied by an enchanting piece of music – a piece of music that really does make this video seem magical. Again, I am not in a position to offer the most objective review of the film given that I have Asperger’s Syndrome myself but I am in a unique position to offer an Aspie perspective on this film and in this regard I must say that I found it to be absolutely delightful. You may wonder what purpose exactly could a film that is just four and a half minutes of photos of people’s eyes offer. Apparently, quite a lot, as these eyes convey more emotion and create a greater sense of magic than what you might find in a full length movie at times. People with Autism Spectrum Disorders are sometimes accused of being emotionless robots (for lack of a better term) and not having feelings but this is far from the truth and this film really helps to show this. Simply looking into the eyes shown in this film reveals a sense of loneliness and isolation but also a certain magic and wonder, something that many with an Autism Spectrum Disorder might be able to relate to and that I certainly can. Additionally, there is a perception that people with Asperger’s are all the same and this film also helps to disprove this as the eyes shown here are as diverse as you could ever expect to see. In reality, those people with Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism are probably the most unique individuals who you will ever encounter, there perhaps being far more diversity between different individuals with Autism than between neurotypical individuals in many cases. There is a real eloquence in which this video simply and effectively puts across the emotion, the uniqueness and the enchantment of Asperger’s Syndrome. Simply put, Aspie Eyes: The beautiful eyes of Asperger’s Syndrome is an enchanting video that really does feel quite magical and as well as being quite beautiful also has something to say about Asperger’s Syndrome, something that anyone with Asperger’s should be able to relate to and that anyone without could probably learn from. The video ends with the words “Aspie Eyes...Diversity is Beautiful.” I couldn’t put it better myself.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a follow up to my previous post which contains the the full film of Aspie Eyes: The beautiful eyes of Asperger's Syndrome and can be found here: http://thewonderfulworldofautism.blogspot.com/2010/09/short-film-aspie-eyes-beautiful-eyes-of.html
Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)
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