Autism Every Day
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Autism Every Day is a short video created by Lauren Thierry, Jim Watkins and Eric Solomon in 2006 that chronicles the adversities and tribulations that a few mothers of autistic children face on a daily basis. It also expresses the feelings of these mothers about their children's autism and how it has drastically affected their lifestyles, personality, and view on life. The movie was sponsored by Autism Speaks, an organization devoted to finding a cure for autism. It debuted at a fundraiser named "A New Decade for Autism" in New York City on May 9, 2006. The movie made its mainstream debut on Don Imus' show on MSNBC the following day.
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[edit] Synopsis
Autism Every Day explores the opinions of mothers of young children diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorders. It intends to show the viewer what it is like to be the mother of an autistic child. The movie depicts a depressing, somber view of autism -- where life is an "absolute pure hell" for the parents and siblings of the autistic child. It shows the viewer what the autistic parents go through just to get their child to their therapies, to take their medication, and to do basic, everyday tasks, such as getting dressed, brushing their teeth, and going to bed. It also shows some of the scary moments these mothers have been through, such as when a child escapes and tries to run away.
Alison Singer, the vice president of Autism Speaks, tells how she contemplated putting her autistic child, Jodie, in her car and driving it off of the George Washington Bridge, rather than face having to put her into a particular school for special-needs children. The mothers also speak about the bleak futures they imagine for their autistic children.
Autism Every Day is accompanied by somber classical music and a montage of the mothers' autistic children having tantrums, acting unusually, and "flapping" (this action is when a person moves his/her arms or body back and forth, usually an indication of excitement and/or happiness).
[edit] Criticism
Viewed by some as propaganda, the film aroused a great deal of anger from the autistic rights movement [1] [2] Critics allege that the film is a textbook example of selective framing, choosing the worst possible moments of life with an autistic child. There is no mention of the fact that autistic people have a wide range of behaviors and not all autistic children 'act out' in the way portrayed in the film. Further criticisms have to do with the obvious self pity exhibited by the mothers; and one mother's declaration, in front of her autistic daughter, that she had contemplated murdering her. Although we would be appalled to see a similar movie being made about parents of children with Down's Syndrome or other developmental delays, there has been little outcry over this grim, depressing view of life with a disabled child. On May 13, 2006, only a few days after Autism Every Day was released to the public, Karen McCarron smothered her autistic daughter Katie, leading some to speculate that the film inspired Katie's killing.
[edit] References
- ^ Christschool, 'Autism Every Day Is A Doctored Film'. At Youtube, found 2008-01-11.
- ^ Autism Every Day, or Autism Staged? By Amanda Baggs, Ballastexistenz blog, found on 2008-01-11.
[edit] Sources
- AutismSpeaks.org - Autism Every Day video
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