Big Orange Films LLC
About the Film
Learning from Autism is a documentary film about how Rhode Island families, schools, and communities are working together to better understand and support the growing population of individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
One in 110 children today are diagnosed with ASD — that’s almost 1% of all children. This growing population of children affected by ASD raises many issues and questions that impact us all, including questions of access to a fair education, appropriate services, and adequate financial support.
Each child on the autism spectrum has a unique set of symptoms, conditions and behaviors that requires a multifaceted approach of support, which may include behavioral therapy, speech therapy, and special diet trials, or medications, biomedical treatments, and occupational therapy.
The film will look at the history of mental health services in Rhode Island, which reflects society’s evolving view of its relationship with those identified as mentally ill, from the era of institutionalization to the current era of community membership and inclusion.
Documentary Approach
We’re following the lives of three Rhode Island families, each with an ASD child, over the course of one year. In the process we will witness how unique each child is, and how each of the families’ stories intersect with a myriad of people involved in their everyday lives – from neighbors, extended family, and parent advocate groups, to therapists, neurologists, and special education teachers.
Providing important contextual information to the verité material, the film will look at the question of why Autism rates are rising by exploring the latest research involving genetic and environmental factors. We’ll hear directly from experts and researchers in the fields of genetics, developmental neuroscience, and environmental toxins.
Would you like email updates about the film? Sign up below.
Funding and Distribution
“Learning from Autism” is a non-profit project. To date, the project has received funding support from the RI Council for the Humanities, the RI Council on the Arts, and Bailey's Team. Fiscal sponsorship for the project is provided by Documentary Educational Resources.
Upon completion, the film will tour film festivals and be made available for regional and national television broadcast.
Advisory Team
We are grateful to the following project Advisors for their guidance and support:
Sue Constable, M.A.
Rhode Island Autism Support Center,
The Rhode Island Technical Assistance Project (RITAP)
Ms. Constable holds an M.A. in Counseling from Framingham State College and a B.A. from Wheelock College. Sue taught young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders for 10 years at ACCEPT Collaborative in Framingham, MA. As the Director of the Center, Sue is working to create a stronger state infrastructure to support individuals with ASD in Rhode Island. This includes providing training and job-embedded support to staff in schools, developing a state wide ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders) network, creating and supporting demonstration classrooms and looking closer at the incidence numbers of students with ASD within specific school districts. Sue is also currently teaching the first graduate course specific to autism at Rhode Island College.
Alex Gibney
Consulting Producer
Alex Gibney is the founder of Jigsaw Productions. An Oscar, Emmy and
Grammy award-winning producer, he is well known for producing one of
the top grossing documentaries of all time, “Enron: The Smartest Guys
in the Room.” An accomplished writer and director, Gibney is the leading creative force behind Jigsaws Productions and is well known for crafting stories that take an unflinching look at the political landscape of America. His work as a writer/director includes: the 2008 Oscar-winning film "Taxi to the Dark Side," the 2006 Oscar-nominated film “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room,” and the Magnolia Pictures release, “Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson,” featuring Johnny Depp.
Matthew S. Goodwin, Ph.D.
Matthew S. Goodwin
is the Director of Clinical Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Media Laboratory and Associate Director of Research at the Groden Center – an Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders in Providence, RI. He serves on the Executive Board of the International Society for Autism Research, is Vice-Chair of the Autism Speaks-Innovative Technology for Autism Initiative, and has an Adjunct Associate Research Scientist appointment in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University. He has over a decade of research and clinical experience working with the full spectrum of children and adults with ASD; is well acquainted with a variety of experimental methods and statistical approaches used in the behavior sciences; and has extensive experience developing and evaluating innovative technologies for behavioral assessment, including telemetric physiological monitors, accelerometry sensors, and digital video/facial recognition systems.
Mark Osteen, Ph.D.
Professor of English and the Director of Film Studies at Loyola College, Baltimore
Mark's recent scholarly work has focused on autism: in 2005 he organized a conference on autism for humanities scholars, and has given talks and lectures on the topic. Mark is the father of a twenty-year-old young man with autism. His powerful narrative, "One of Us: A Family's Life with Autism" recounts the struggles he and his wife endured in diagnosing, treating, and understanding their son Cam's disability. Mark also edited an essay collection entitled Autism and Representation, the first scholarly book about autism spectrum disorders and the humanities (Routledge, 2008).
Joanne G. Quinn,
Executive Director, The Autism Project
Mother of 3 boys, Joanne's youngest son Patrick was diagnosed with high-functioning Autism in 1999. She’s been involved with the Autism Project for seven years, starting as a volunteer for the APRI organizing their National Speaker Conference and A Starting Point training series. She was hired in January 2002 as Executive Director. Joanne has a BA in History from College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. She’s completed both Level I and II of the TEACCH training on Structured Teaching and Consultation.