00:00 I love singing and I love autism so they both put together they make a big
00:04 bazaam.
00:07 We're realizing now that everybody's brain doesn't work the same.
00:19 Many people with autism think in new and creative and innovative ways.
00:22 I had excellent early intervention and by the time I was four I was done fully
00:27 fluent by four. But they were still the only one who put me in an institution and
00:32 they didn't even know what autism was. They just, the doctor said
00:37 well she's got some kind of brain damage.
00:39 My brain wouldn't wake up!
00:41 Is that what it feels like?
00:43 Stupid brain! Why does it not listen to me?
00:47 She compares herself to what typical kids are doing.
00:49 I want to rip it out and give it to someone else and not have a typical kid's brain and put it in my head!
00:55 She can say she's in a dance class and she can say she knows what she's doing and she can copy some of the moves that Joanne's incorporated and feel like she has a thing that she can do.
01:04 Autism itself comes from the Greek word auto meaning one which describes the
01:18 characteristic of our children is being unto oneself.
01:23 So with movement and music and dance the entire brain is responding to the visual information to the audio information and into the gross motor processing.
01:33 When I was in elementary school, I mean art saved me. It was my best class and if I hadn't had art I would have really been in trouble.
01:42 I usually paint on weekends.
01:46 In exilience by other artists?
01:49 Yeah, like Vincent van Gogh.
01:53 I'm autistic. I'll just say I'm autistic.
01:56 Auntie Sandy is my speech therapist and my auntie. She helps me make my speech better because I've been having horrible speech problems.
02:05 She knew that we had our own companies and asked me what does it take to start your own company?
02:11 It's a five-year plan. Right now I'm working on Mr. Raindrop which is going to be submitted to the Children's Film Festival.
02:17 I made five movies this year. I made five movies this year.
02:20 I would like to be a movie director like Steven Spielberg and James Cameron.
02:26 For me it's not like working with kids with disabilities. They're so good that it's challenging.
02:34 This has transformed his life. He's always finding stories, writing stories.
02:38 Out!
02:43 If you don't like being hit, defend yourself.
02:48 One way to look at autism is that it's a study of extremes.
02:53 Extreme talents coupled with that will perhaps be some significant challenges.
02:58 Kids are so mean to me.
03:00 They ask you why you do that with your hands?
03:02 Yeah, why do you do that? Why do you do that?
03:04 Why do you? Can you figure it out?
03:05 Because it's energy.
03:06 You can sometimes get a situation where a child can sing before they can speak.
03:12 I was diagnosed at 26 months and really it took me until I was like four years old to regain my speech.
03:20 Whatever seems to scramble the speech centers of the brain in autism leaves the musical ones intact.
03:27 He has inattention. He can't focus on anything unless there's a camera running.
03:31 Get your butt up and take me!
03:33 He's in the street and I have to go.
03:36 Everyone watch it!
03:39 All you need is me!
03:43 You just felt like jumping up and singing those parts out of nowhere?
03:47 That was awesome.
03:49 Our school, Exceptional Minds, trains young adults with autism to work in the fields of graphic design, animation, special effects.
03:58 I'm somewhat speechless because of what I've witnessed here today.
04:03 Art gives them that opportunity not only to express themselves but to reach out to the world.
