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Kingston, NY - January 5, 2009 The newest documentary produced for young people with Asperger Syndrome has been received with industry praise and public enthusiasm. The Asperger’s Difference: for and about young people with Asperger Syndrome will be featured at Upstate Films in Rhinebeck on February 6 at 11 am---for the second time since its premier back in November.
The screening, which is free and open to the public, will be followed by a panel discussion at 11:30 with the filmmakers and the young adults featured in the documentary.
The Asperger’s Difference debuted at the theatre on November 21 to a sold out crowd of over a hundred fifty people. Over a hundred more, who traveled from all corners of the Mid-Hudson Valley, were asked to sign a mailing list in the hope that another screening would be scheduled.
“The response has been tremendous,” says Jamey Wolff, Program Director for the Center for Spectrum Services and producer of the documentary. “Internet orders for the dvd are coming in from all across the country and Canada. The project’s success illustrates how many people are affected by this disorder.”
The 30-minute documentary is designed to support high-functioning young people with autism as they begin the complicated emotional and physical transition into adolescence and adulthood. One is also given the opportunity to see not only the challenges, but the often overlooked strengths, poise, self-awareness, and sense of humor, which gives a fuller picture of what it means to live with Asperger’s.
The Asperger’s Difference is the only educational documentary written to educate young adults with Asperger’s about their needs and strengths. It is designed expressly to accommodate the learning style of people with Asperger Syndrome and comes with a discussion guide to help parents, teachers and therapists individualize the content for the viewer.
Temple Grandin, PhD, F.A.S., noted scientist, author and spokesperson for the autism experience says of the documentary, “This video would have been very helpful to me in high school…I also really like the way the video presented the positive side of being an ‘Aspie.’ This is a fantastic video, and it should be used in schools across the nation.”
Tony Attwood, Ph.D., a renowned expert on Asperger’s and author, praises the documentary, “This DVD will help teenagers who have Asperger’s Syndrome to acquire greater self-understanding and self-acceptance. I recommend that this well- produced documentary should be used by clinicians, parents and high schools.”
Production of The Asperger’s Difference was made possible by grants from The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation and The Hudson Foundation for Youth Health, Inc.
All proceeds from the sale of the documentary will benefit the Center for Spectrum Services (formerly the Children’s Annex), which has been educating and supporting students with autism and their families throughout the Mid-Hudson Valley for over thirty years.
DVD’s of the documentary are available for purchase for $49.95. DVD’s can be purchased by calling 845-336-2616 or by visiting centerforspectrumservices.org.
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