He Helps the Parents of Autism

This is an encore production while I focus on my teaching. Enjoy!

 

I had the honor of hosting Mark Jonathan Harris, winner of three Academy Awards for his work on a variety of important documentaries that present the stark reality of such topics as post-WWII and the events that led to the creation of the State of Israel (The Long Way Home) and the British rescue operation known as the Kindertransport, which saved the lives of over 10,000 Jewish and other children from Nazi Germany by transporting them to Great Britain (Into the Arms of Strangers). But it was his short story, Mute, that drew me to contact Mark.

Mute is the fictional story of how a father coped with learning that his toddler son, Samual, was autistic. In Mark's story, the father and his wife first struggle with not only the reality of autism but with finding no clear explanation or direction. A pivot point comes in the father's observation that Sammy is settled by the story of Curious George along with a stuffed monkey that his father gifts him. 

After tiring of running into brick wall after brick wall without finding any sense of direction from professionals, the father decides to trust his observations of his son and his comfort with monkeys. Read Mute, I know that you will find this story worthy of becoming a film. I hope you make it so, Mark.

To learn more about autism, visit Interacting with Autism: A video-based resource. Visit Mark's personal website to find out more about his award-winning films and stories.