Reaching the Autistic Mind: An Educational Challenge (2002)

Autism, a neurological disorder, affects as many as one in 150 children in the U.S., yet is the least funded of disabilities. By following six families with autistic children for three years, this film takes us inside the world of autism specifically at the Eden II School For Autistic Children and Adults, in Staten Island, New York. There, we gain unique access to children like Sarah, Aaron and Benjamin, triplets who all showed severely autistic symptoms at eighteen months. For years their mother, a speech pathologist, avoided seeking a diagnosis out of fear. When they were diagnosed finally, there was only one space immediately available at the Eden program. The triplets' parents chose to send Sarah. She has now transitioned back into a public school; she reads, talks, dances, practices karate and plays various instruments. The boys eventually were sent to Eden but lost two critical years. Today, at age thirteen, the boys are still severely impaired, but are happy, bright and learning. These individuals and the other autistic children in the film share moments of amazing clarity and uncanny perception with us. Their parents and teachers make a heart-breaking strong case for early intervention and Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA). Treatment has succeeded in moving some children past their diagnosis of autism.