The Child and Family Development team is excited about our upcoming conference, Autism Spectrum Disorder Conference: A Multidisciplinary Review of Current Research and Interventions
We encourage families and professionals to get familiar with this diagnosis and how it impacts society as a whole. Netflix has several film choices that we give 2 THUMBS UP. Try these out and click here for more information.
- SOUNDING THE ALARM: a profound documentary by Blockburger Productions that examines the lives of 12 families affected by autism, and chronicles the challenges and opportunities they face from diagnosis to adulthood. Now that 1 in every 68 children in the U.S. is affected by autism, the need for comprehensive services and support across the lifespan is more crucial than ever.
- FLY AWAY: A powerful film directed by Emmy Award® winner Janet Grillo (Autism: The Musical), it narrates the story of Jeanne and her autistic teenage daughter, Mandy. As the pressures of work and her child’s needs increase, she must decide whether or not to enroll Mandy in a therapeutic residential facility. Over the course of a few weeks, Jeanne is confronted with the most difficult decision a parent can make: to let go, allowing her child to grow, but also grow apart; or to hold on tight and fall together.
- DAD’S IN HEAVEN WITH NIXON: a documentary filmmaker chronicles his mother’s passionate mission to help his brother who has brain damage and autism, while delving into his family’s history of both mental illness and creative brilliance.
- A MOTHER’S COURAGE: TALKING BACK TO AUTISM: a documentary by Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, tells the story of a mother who has done everything in her power to help her son. She has the quenchless thirst for knowledge about the mysterious and complex condition that autism undeniably is. Along they way, Margret meets other families and hears their unique stories about how they too have been touched by autism.
- THE STORY OF LUKE: a film about Luke, a 25-year-old man with autism who lives a sheltered life with his grandparents. When his grandmother dies, he is forced to live with his dysfunctional relatives who have no patience for him or his senile grandfather, who they quickly force into a nursing home. Luke is left with his grandfather’s final semi-coherent words: “Get a job. Find a girl. Live your own life. Be a man!” For the first time in his life, Luke has a mission. He is about to embark on a quest.