Re: PBS special Aspergers syndrome

[Guest guest]

_http://www.orchardpictures.com/todaysman_

(http://www.orchardpictures.com/todaysman)

Premiers: WTTW (PBS) on January 8th at check your local listing times

From the Director:

From the time my brother was born, we could tell that he was not like other

children. As a small child he had amazing skills- could tell you what day of

the

week you were born, could figure prime numbers into the thousands, but he was

incapable of holding a real conversation, of making friends. No one could

tell

us what might be wrong with Nicky or how to help him. I grew up struggling to

understand a strange and brilliant and mysterious boy.

As a young man Nicky does not quite seem to be disabled, but is also not

fully

functional. It is not until Nicky is twenty that we learn of a new diagnosis

called Asperger Syndrome - a high functioning form of Autism - and it seems

to

fit Nicky exactly. Suddenly we are not alone. And there is an explanation for

his behavior. But no cure, and in fact, no clearer treatment or plan. As

Asperger Syndrome is still so newly recognized, no one can tell us what he is

capable of, what may help him realize his dreams, or what his limitations may

be.

I started making this film when Nicky turned 21 - to explore the

extraordinary

path that had gotten him and us to this point, and to follow what might

happen

as he tries to get a job, keep a job, move into his own apartment, create a

life

for himself. In the film, I follow him for the next six years as he leaves

the

safety or our family's home to go out into a world that he is not fully

prepared

for and that may not be fully prepared for him.

Asperger Sydrome has gotten lot of attention in the media lately, but the

focus

seems to be on young children with the disorder - " little professors. " No one

seems to be asking what happens when these little professors grow up. There

is

little public awareness of, or resources for, adults with Asperger Syndrome.

Today's Man is at once a personal exploration of a family drama, and also a

larger effort to create an awareness and understanding of this fascinating,

mysterious disorder.

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