The number of individuals diagnosed with autism has risen dramatically during the past 10 years, with a current incidence rate of 1 in 150 (1.5 million Americans). At the same time, advocacy groups have grown in numbers and their message to the public has become increasingly more powerful and influential. There is heated debate about which therapy is the most effective and which discovery will lead to a cure. Throughout this controversy, individuals with autism continue to go about their daily lives, with or without the help of others.

What is it about autism that has captured the imagination of so many people? Is it because people with autism don’t look any different from the rest of us? Perhaps it’s because many autistics possess extraordinary skills that amaze the rest of us or their aloneness attracts that part of us that feels alone. Their literal approach to the world can take on Zen-like proportions, making those of us caught in a world of abstraction, stop, look and ponder. What new insights await us when what we consider to be the most mundane events are deconstructed and looked at anew? Through interviews with individuals on the autism spectrum our documentary exposes the disparity that exists when the neurotypical’s (name used for normals by autistics) natural inclination to be helpful mistakenly makes the assumption that all autistics want and need their help. By exploring the behavioral and perceptual differences that autistics express, differences that tend to separate them from a society that not only sets the standard but attempts to have them meet it, the very definition of “normal” comes into question.

Autism affects individuals on a spectrum that extends from the severe to the mild, resulting in an array of behaviors that defies easy identification. Individuals with autism who have good command of language and the ability to self-reflect have given us incredible insights into their world. Others who either live with, or work closely with autistics, have gained perspectives that enlighten us about those who are unable to tell their story. Our interviews include those individuals who may be outside the spectrum, yet intimately connected with it, to help broaden our concept of autism, and, in some ways act as connectors to society at large.

Theories about the nature of autism are incomplete when they neglect the perspective of those individuals on the spectrum. Neurotypical, the movie asks, “Who is the ultimate authority on the subject of autism and how does public perception and policy derive from that supposed authority?” If the audience leaves questioning their own belief systems regarding “Normal”, we will consider our efforts a success.

Neurotypical, the movie
Format: 720P HD (upconvert to 35mm)
TRT: 90-120min
Venue: festivals / theatrical release
Release date: Fall 2008