Powerful! Moving! Hair standing up on the back of your neck! Choked up! Words I would use to describe how I felt when watching this video clip from Autistic Like Me: A Father’s Perspective!
April is Autistic awareness month and after combing through some very emotional and heartfelt projects surrounding Autism, one initiative struck a special chord with us – Autistic Like Me: A Father’s Perspective. Big thanks to NY Metro Parents to bringing the project to our attention. Below is a powerful note from the Director’s Message on their website:
Our children are being diagnosed with Autism at an alarming rate …
“Autistic Like Me: A Father’s Perspective” is a documentary/advocacy film that examines the difficult emotional journey experienced by fathers of autistic children. Having an autistic child turns a parent’s world upside down. Dreams are broken and lives are changed forever. Men are especially affected because we often do not seek out the support network needed to deal with this type of emotional upheaval.
With an incident rate of 1 in 110, autism is now the fastest-growing developmental disability in the United States. Experts agree that early intervention is critical for a child’s development. But the early days of parenting are also the most stressful. It is a painful time for many who are not prepared for “special” parenthood. Why do men specifically, have such a difficult time coping?
Sharing, compassion, understanding and sound advice are the keys to helping men be good parents and to focus on insuring their children receive the earliest possible professional attention. “Autistic Like Me: A Father’s Perspective” is a call to action, an attempt to reach out to all men, regardless of whether they have an autistic child or plan to have a family in the future. By infusing knowledge, education and awareness into our communities, men can gain the voice we are missing. It will empower us to take “care of business” and see that our children get the best help possible.
We are currently in production and anticipate having the film completed by Spring 2012. We are looking for partners to align with, to support our community outreach campaign for this film. If you or someone you know have an interest in partnering with “Autistic Like Me: A Father’s Perspective”, please email us at
-Charles Jones
Director of ALM
I found this article interesting because I was first diagnosed with autism at the age of three-and-a-half and I always used to live in a world of my own because I was afraid of being rejected by other people. However, today I don’t live in a world of my own and I feel that I can overcome my fears of rejection by moving on and choosing other groups of people to hang out with. The Paddle For Autism Awareness is on Saturday August 4th from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. at Valentino Park in Red Hook, Brooklyn.