Autism is a World - CNN
by Gerardine Wurzburg
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DVD details
Actor: Narrated by Julianna MarguliesDirector: Gerardine Wurzburg
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); Spanish (Unknown); English (Published)
Format: NTSC
Running Time: 40 minutes
Published: 2004
DVD Release Date: 2005-06-14
Studio: CNN Productions and State of the Art
DVD Reviews of Autism is a World - CNN
DVD Review: Propaganda - Unanswered Questions are Disturbing
Summary: 2 Stars
I saw this movie on TV a week ago, and it troubled me deeply. Purportedly it was written by an autistic woman named Sue Rubin, and it tells her story. It is either the heartwarming story of a woman locked in a prison of autism until she was rescued by assisted communication. Or, she is still a retarded, autistic, uncommunicative person being manipulated by her family and some academic supporters of assisted to communications to appear as a genius, a sort of autistic Helen Keller.
It disturbed me enough that I did quite a bit of research since I've seen it, and I am left with the conclusion that this movie is a piece of propaganda for a highly controversial view of autism. It tells a very one-sided story, and in the end I find myself unconvinced and concerned that parents of autistic children are being misled. I am giving this movie two, rather than one, star because it does what it set out to do well. I am only giving it two stars because it is so misleading. It certainly leaves way too many questions unanswered.
On the surface this is the story of Sue Rubin a 26 year old college student at Whittier college. Sue Rubin looks and sounds retarded as well as autistic. Until she was 13 she was considered to have a mental age of three. Then, with the aid of something called "assisted communication" which involves an aid holding her hand while she types on a keyboard, she gradually blossomed into someone with an IQ over 130. She is still autistic; she is still severely handicapped; she still cannot perform basic functions, but she can read and write and learn. She graduated high school and she goes to college.
Now, at the first mention of assisted communication,the movie says "controversial assisted communication." It never elucidates. It never explains. It just goes from there.
Controversial? Here's where I was driven to do research. The community of people who work with autistics are seriously split over this issue. Many experiments demonstrate that assisted communication in the case of autistics may be little more than (as one critic said) "using autistic people as a ouija board." There is no doubt that assisted communication is real with respect to some handicapped people such as those suffering from cerebral palsy, but there is serious doubt that it is effective with autistics.
So here's where this movie really troubled me. Is Sue Rubin for real? Or is her "progress" an illusion, a combination of wishful thinking from her family and overzealous advocacy by academics with an axe to grind? The movie never raises or acknowledges this question let alone answers it. It assumes she is "real." Yet, it just isn't possible to tell from the movie. Did Sue Rubin really write it? or Did a well-meaning care giver guide her had to write it? Is it really Sue Rubin communicating, or is it her care-givers?
I don't know. I can't tell. I can't tell from this movie and I can't tell from what I read on the web.
On the one hand Sue Rubin supposedly tested over 1300 on the SAT. I'm sure that she had unlimited time, and I'm sure that her caregiver gave her lots of help. But still, even with unlimited time the vast majority of people will not score that high, and it's unlikely that her assistant would be that smart, so how did that happen. And, if you read her writings on the web, to the extent you can find them, they are quite articulate and sophisticated. Most people can't write that well. Is it likely that her caregiver would? Were the writings edited to read so well? Or, did she really write them. In some of the writings "she" says that she now writes unassisted. I'd like to see that in the movie. Similarly she does seem to respond with comprehension to what people say to her, and she seems to give appropriate, if hard to understand verbal responses. Maybe she is for real. I'd like to see the proof.
In the end I really don't know. This movie disappoints me for pretending the reasons for skeptiscism don't even exist. Because the movie begs the real questions so thoroughly I find it highly suspect. I'd love to see the evidence that this story is real and not a well-meaning hoax. Until then I don't believe it.
Description of Autism is a World - CNN
This Oscar-nominated documentary is a collection of thoughts written by autistic 26-year old Sue Rubin who takes viewers on a poignant journey into her world to educate the public while empowering the autistic community toward their potential. "This is not my voice, but these are my words," begins Rubin as she tells her story (narrated by Julianna Margulies) of being diagnosed with autism as a young child and assumed mentally retarded until, at age 13, she was trained to use Facilitated Communication, a verbal tool that enabled her mind to "wake up." Rubin was reassessed with an IQ that allowed her to attend high school and college and live on her own, assisted by a team of caregivers. The film briefly explains autism and how it affects the brain?s wiring, yet is not meant to be a tutorial on neuro-biology but rather a personal attempt at unveiling a world that is both frustrating and confusing. Rubin discusses her feelings about solitude, social situations, and the need for familiar places and routines. Though autism will be her constant struggle, Rubin?s story is both inspiring and thought provoking. While the film does not presume to be the final word on autism, it is a beginning--and a noble one at that. (Ages 12 and older) --Lynn GibsonBestsellers in DVD
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