Documentary Featuring Autism Society of Maine One of Most-Watched Online

November 17, 2011
By Autism Society

Making Our Way: Autism is a new documentary produced by Maine Public Broadcasting Network (MPBN) that seeks to demystify autism. Rather than focus on limitations, the film examines a broad spectrum of individual experiences with autism and looks at how many with autism have gone on to achieve great success. Viewers also learn about autism research that is being conducted in Maine.

Featuring prominently in this hour-long program is Dr. Temple Grandin, an individual with autism who has achieved enormous success despite the hurdles she has faced. MPBN interviewed her in Vicksburg, Mississippi and followed her for a day in Fort Collins, Colorado, where she’s a professor of animal sciences at Colorado State University.

The Autism Society of Maine (ASM) partnered with MPBN to bring together individuals, families and professionals to contribute to this documentary.  Cathy Dionne, Director of Programs for ASM, and her  17 year old son Ben were featured in the film demonstrating Ben’s strengths using an augmentative device.

Scientific perspective on the search for a cure is provided by Dr. Zhong-wei Zhang, a neurophysiologist at Bar Harbor’s Jackson Laboratory who studies the mechanisms involved in human brain development like those found in autism spectrum disorders.

Making our Way: Autism was produced by MPBN’s Dan Lambert, a Maine native and resident of Cumberland who has been nominated for two Emmy Awards for his most recent MPBN documentaries, Caring for the Caregiver: Alzheimer’s Disease (2009) and Easing the Burden: Parkinson’s Disease (2010). Narration is provided by MPBN Radio’s Suzanne Nance.

The online video has broken online sharing records for MPBN and the numbers continue to rise! Watch the video and share it with your family and friends!