Making Sense of Autism

I have been asked to review Part 1 and Part 2 of the award winning TV series entitled Making Sense of Autism.  It features Joni Earickson Tada of Joni and Friends TV. 

I read Joni when I was a pretty young girl and found her to be an amazing person.  I felt like a sniveling brat for ever complaining about anything.  I also realized just how lucky I was to be whole.   There are so many in the world who are crippled in some way, by birth or an accident.  I hope that if I were ever to be disabled that I could be as positive and influential for Christ as she is.

Through the Joni and Friends TV Series, Joni asks hard questions and tries to get to the bottom of the things.  In these two episodes, she tries to inform us what the myths are about autism and what we as churches and Christians can do.  One of the statistics thrown out is that 1 in 150 children is diagnosed with autism.  I had no idea the numbers were so high.  I also learned that very seldom are there ever two cases that present in the same way.  The patients run the gamut of low-functioning to very high functioning.  It is truly a baffling disease.

I was particularly interested in what the research says about what causes the disease.  To hear the media and many parent activists, you would think it is linked to immunizations-but there is not a shred of evidence that supports that theory.  The truth is, doctors and research specialists have no idea what the cause is or why some families are unaffected and other families have more than one child with autism.  It is truly a mystery disease and one that is beginning to gain momentum in other countries as the US.

I found this 2 part documentary to be very factual, compassionate and encouraging.  The episodes are each 28 minutes but also have bonus features.  There are two study guides, one for each part.

I am hoping to really bless someone who either faces autism in their own family or has a friend who would benefit from this 2 part series.  I am giving this DVD set away in hopes of spreading some accurate information about the reality of living with autism.  This would be a terrific thing for a small group/classroom study.

Just leave me a comment-any comment and I will put your name in the hat.  Feel free to link back here to my blog if you want to help spread the word about autism.  The drawing will be on Tuesday, May 18th.  I plan to let this post remain until then.

****Cheeseboy, it was close, but it looks like you win!!****