April is (among other things) Autism Awareness Month. PBS has a number of valuable programming for this purpose. Check out the following programs and use the request form for a recording.
POV #3011 “Swim Team” – Parents of teens on the autism spectrum form a competitive swim team, training them with high expectations. Follow the rise of three athletes as the film captures a moving quest for inclusion, independence and a life that feels like winning.
Airs 4/3 at 7 p.m.;
Spectrum: A Story of the Mind – Take a journey into the rich sensory experience of autism. Imagine a world where words taste and thoughts feel, where sounds swell with color and leaves on trees change tones visible to the naked eye, and where eye contact with another can cause physical pain. Spectrum: A Story of the Mind explores autism through the lens of diverse characters on the spectrum.
Airs 4/6 at 1:30 p.m.
America Reframed #514 “Deej” – the story of DJ Savarese (“Deej”), a gifted, young writer and advocate for nonspeaking autistics. Once a “profoundly disabled” foster kid on a fast track to nowhere, DJ is now a first-year college student who insists on standing up for his peers: people who are dismissed as incompetent because they are neurologically diverse. Will Deej be able to find freedom for himself and others like him?
Airs 4/13 at 10 p.m.
Autism: Coming of Age – In the next 10 to 15 years, an estimated 800,000 children with autism will age out of the school system and transition into adulthood. Then, they will look to ill-prepared state and federal governments for the support services and resources to meet their many needs – a situation autism experts refer to as the “coming tsunami.” The one-hour documentary AUTISM: COMING OF AGE provides an inside look at the lives of three adults with autism and includes interviews with their families and support teams. Autism and disability experts from Massachusetts, New York, Washington, Virginia and Pennsylvania also discuss the current system, impending challenges and possible outcomes for the future.
Airs 4/13 at 11 p.m.
Keep checking the Offair Listings portion our blog throughout the month as we post more information and links to request these.
