Spectrum: A Story of the Mind is a 25-minute film featuring the perspectives of different people diagnosed with autism, including renown speaker, author, researcher, and animal rights advocate, Temple Grandin.
The film is a combination of live action and animation, and delves into what activities such as swimming, gymnastics, painting, and martial arts might feel like to someone with autism. It also touches on how it might feel to a person with autism to experience overstimulation or aversive sensation. One young man in the film, named Daniel, does not speak, but instead uses a communication device to write about his experience of the world in the form of beautiful poetry. This brief yet moving film begins to explore the mysterious and unique neurological phenomenon of autism, allowing neurotypical individuals a glimpse into the world that our kiddos might live in. While we cannot formally endorse any treatments presented in the film, it is crucial that we seek to understand the “story of the mind” of people with autism, so that we can approach our relationship to autism with a spirit of compassion and appreciation.
If you are interested in seeing the film, you can find it on Amazon Prime Video, kanopy.com, and iowapbs.org. Short excerpts of the film can be found here.
A review by Sara Morris, M.A., BCBA, LBA, Clínical Director,
Behavioral Innovations of Las Colina