Turning 22 is a documentary film in development about neurodiverse young adults, and the complexities, joys, and challenges they and their families face as they come of age.
Our Story ... or at least part of it.
22-year-old Gabriel is autistic. He's also a talented musician and swimmer who loves books, transportation, and travel.
Gabe is extraordinarily creative - like so many with autism - yet his anxiety can make life difficult. When he began aging out of supports that sustained him through high school, we started filming our journey and other families' to help inform society about the value and needs of these very special people.
Turning the camera on Gabe, on our family, is not always easy, but it feels important. And Gabe is an active member of the producing/directing team....here practicing a favorite Iine from the original Iron Man film. (For the uninitiated, Jeff Bridges' character Obadiah is upset that his scientists can't replicate the ingenuity of Tony Stark played by Robert Downey Jr. The irony is that autistic folks like Gabe are often incredibly ingenious. Clip starts at :30. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_HCUgtJGoI )
22-year-old Gabriel is autistic. He's also a talented musician and swimmer who loves books, transportation, and travel.
Gabe is extraordinarily creative - like so many with autism - yet his anxiety can make life difficult. When he began aging out of supports that sustained him through high school, we started filming our journey and other families' to help inform society about the value and needs of these very special people.
Turning the camera on Gabe, on our family, is not always easy, but it feels important. And Gabe is an active member of the producing/directing team....here practicing a favorite Iine from the original Iron Man film. (For the uninitiated, Jeff Bridges' character Obadiah is upset that his scientists can't replicate the ingenuity of Tony Stark played by Robert Downey Jr. The irony is that autistic folks like Gabe are often incredibly ingenious. Clip starts at :30. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_HCUgtJGoI )
(Above: at graduation with Gabe's beloved teacher "Ms. Kiska" who made his high school years amazing. She even brought Gabe's date to the senior prom where they danced the night away!)
We began capturing video as Gabe neared the final full days of formal education, often called "the cliff" by families like ours. Everything was changing. Familiar and supportive programs came to a crashing halt without new ones in place.
My son spent his 21st birthday week in a psychiatric hospital after predictable schedules and medication management fell apart. It was a downward spiral. Fast forward to where we are now: residing in a new state, in a smaller city, with Gabe living in a therapeutic group home during a pandemic. For families like ours, the lockdown meant that all supports and services stopped taking an unimaginable toll. Gabe has wanted to live independently from family for several years. We just never imagined it would come to pass so traumatically and suddenly.
We began capturing video as Gabe neared the final full days of formal education, often called "the cliff" by families like ours. Everything was changing. Familiar and supportive programs came to a crashing halt without new ones in place.
My son spent his 21st birthday week in a psychiatric hospital after predictable schedules and medication management fell apart. It was a downward spiral. Fast forward to where we are now: residing in a new state, in a smaller city, with Gabe living in a therapeutic group home during a pandemic. For families like ours, the lockdown meant that all supports and services stopped taking an unimaginable toll. Gabe has wanted to live independently from family for several years. We just never imagined it would come to pass so traumatically and suddenly.
(Above: Gabe plays Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds" with music therapist assist. He prefers to play by ear and has perfect pitch)
Like many neurodiverse young people, Gabe worked partial days throughout high school with supported vocational services. Sadly, the majority of autistic adults are unemployed, largely due to lacking the "soft" or social skills most of us take for granted. Yet research shows their significant potential. In the top photo, Gabe meticulously packages food in a nursing home kitchen where he worked in PA. At home, Gabe is often sous chef with his stepdad Chip, and dreams of having his own food truck business (with a name so cool it cannot be disclosed!) Or working in an Amtrak dining car, combining three great loves: transportation, travel, and food.
(Photos: Special Olympics is important to many athletes like Gabe who's a gold medalist swimmer. He first competed in Pittsburgh, PA - top - and most recently, in Burlington, VT. Unfortunately, the pandemic cancelled the recent swim season.)
HELP WANTED - Neurodiversity Sensitivity Please!
The film asks the question: what is society’s responsibility to these individuals? While there is much focus on early diagnosis and intervention, what seems forgotten is that kids grow up and needs continue; family caregivers age and burn out. These people need to be valued, recognized, and supported. We need neurodiversity sensitivity.
Finding agencies to provide adult services, supported employment and housing, new physicians and leisure activities becomes a full-time job for parents without pay or training. The pandemic has made everything harder. At least Gabe has been able to continue music therapy on Zoom and go for walks with family and group home staff. But these folks -like everyone - deserve full, purposeful lives. We are all in this together.
The film features amazing people like Gabe and extraordinary programs uplifting the lives of our special families. But so much more is needed and deserved.
This is a coming of age story that most have never heard.
My goal is to shine a light on this little known situation, sharing the film with audiences at conferences, trainings, film festivals, and on TV.
Will you join our journey?
Contact Donna - aka CameraMom - to learn more & support this work: roberts.donna@mac.com
(Photo: Gabe doing his best Ringo Starr, "Peace & love, peace & love", after scoping out an inclusive higher education program in PA.)
HELP WANTED - Neurodiversity Sensitivity Please!
The film asks the question: what is society’s responsibility to these individuals? While there is much focus on early diagnosis and intervention, what seems forgotten is that kids grow up and needs continue; family caregivers age and burn out. These people need to be valued, recognized, and supported. We need neurodiversity sensitivity.
Finding agencies to provide adult services, supported employment and housing, new physicians and leisure activities becomes a full-time job for parents without pay or training. The pandemic has made everything harder. At least Gabe has been able to continue music therapy on Zoom and go for walks with family and group home staff. But these folks -like everyone - deserve full, purposeful lives. We are all in this together.
The film features amazing people like Gabe and extraordinary programs uplifting the lives of our special families. But so much more is needed and deserved.
This is a coming of age story that most have never heard.
My goal is to shine a light on this little known situation, sharing the film with audiences at conferences, trainings, film festivals, and on TV.
Will you join our journey?
Contact Donna - aka CameraMom - to learn more & support this work: roberts.donna@mac.com
(Photo: Gabe doing his best Ringo Starr, "Peace & love, peace & love", after scoping out an inclusive higher education program in PA.)
