One of my favorite topics I like to discuss with audiences is autism in the media. I got to do just that at Millburn High School as we discussed the impact of autism in film and television. Of the highlights of the presentation was a discussion on Rain Man’s impact on the autism community.
Rain Man brought the topic of autism to national attention in 1988 but it also created a stereotype of what autism is in our community. Since than incredible work has been done to defeat this stereotype but some people still see Rain Man as what autism is today (i.e. individuals with autism are all great at math, have photogenic memories, lack social interaction, etc.). Movies such as HBO Film’s Temple Grandin though have been able to show the spectrum of autism more and more and that if you’ve met one person with autism you’ve truly met just that…one person with autism.
I’d like to thank Millburn High School for inviting me back for letting me share my perspective on this along with sharing how I was able to consult on the 2012 Motion Picture Joyful Noise and several other indie films to this day.
You can watch the entire presentation above as filmed by Millburn High School’s Studio team. This presentation will also be available to watch on HomeTowne Television later this week through the link here.
