Turning 22 is a documentary film in development about neurodiverse young adults, and the complexities, joys, and challenges of coming of age.
Our Story ... or at least part of it.
24-year-old Gabriel is autistic. He's also a talented musician and swimmer who loves books, transportation, history, anything space-related, and travel on Earth.
Gabe is extraordinarily creative - like so many with autism - yet his anxiety and OCD 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' experiences 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 )
24-year-old Gabriel is autistic. He's also a talented musician and swimmer who loves books, transportation, history, anything space-related, and travel on Earth.
Gabe is extraordinarily creative - like so many with autism - yet his anxiety and OCD 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' experiences 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 in Pittsburgh, often called "the cliff" by families like ours. Everything was changing. Familiar and supportive programs came to a crashing halt without new ones taking their 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 Vermont, in the smaller city of Burlington. For families like ours, the lockdown meant that all supports and services abruptly stopped. That took an immense toll on us and other families whose survival literally depends on those supports. After weeks of trying to help Gabe manage his anxiety, his needs triggered a space in one of Vermont's few transitional therapeutic group homes for individuals with developmental disabilities. Gabe has wanted to live independently from family for several years...like most young people. We just never imagined it would transpire so traumatically and in the middle of a global pandemic. Now, we have one year to figure out next steps for Gabe's living situation and are working with other families to create secure, stable solutions.
We began capturing video as Gabe neared the final full days of formal education in Pittsburgh, often called "the cliff" by families like ours. Everything was changing. Familiar and supportive programs came to a crashing halt without new ones taking their 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 Vermont, in the smaller city of Burlington. For families like ours, the lockdown meant that all supports and services abruptly stopped. That took an immense toll on us and other families whose survival literally depends on those supports. After weeks of trying to help Gabe manage his anxiety, his needs triggered a space in one of Vermont's few transitional therapeutic group homes for individuals with developmental disabilities. Gabe has wanted to live independently from family for several years...like most young people. We just never imagined it would transpire so traumatically and in the middle of a global pandemic. Now, we have one year to figure out next steps for Gabe's living situation and are working with other families to create secure, stable solutions.
(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. Thanks to Gabe's research and parental advocacy, he now works a weekly volunteer shift helping to stock food for the Salvation Army...which he adores! Sadly, the majority of autistic adults are unemployed, largely due to lacking the "soft" or social skills which most of us take for granted. Yet research shows these individuals' significant potential due to their incredible focus when engaged with their passions and loyalty. Customized employment tailored to individuals' interests, talents, and need is the way to go. But that takes time and energy, usually from already overworked and exhausted family members. In Vermont, unlike PA, vocational opportunities are not automatically part of the high school experience. There's a lot of work to do. Pardon the pun.
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 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.
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 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 seasons.)
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. AND A LOT MORE.
Working with agencies to ensure that they're providing adequate adult services, housing and supported employment, finding appropriate physicians and leisure activities can be a full-time job for parents without pay or training.
At least Gabe was able to continue music therapy on Zoom with his PA instructor. We've yet to find a musical outlet for Gabe in Vermont, though he has his eye on the instruments at the Salvation Army, and we're trying to help them find a new band instructor...or rather, conductor, as Gabe corrects!
These folks -like everyone - deserve full, purposeful, enriched 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. AND A LOT MORE.
Working with agencies to ensure that they're providing adequate adult services, housing and supported employment, finding appropriate physicians and leisure activities can be a full-time job for parents without pay or training.
At least Gabe was able to continue music therapy on Zoom with his PA instructor. We've yet to find a musical outlet for Gabe in Vermont, though he has his eye on the instruments at the Salvation Army, and we're trying to help them find a new band instructor...or rather, conductor, as Gabe corrects!
These folks -like everyone - deserve full, purposeful, enriched 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.)
