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VICTORIA – The Province is providing B.C. school districts with copies of a critically acclaimed made-in-B.C. documentary, The Boy Inside, to give middle school and high school students a rare inside look at the challenges of growing up with autism.
“Our goal is to ensure students with special needs reach their full potential, academically and socially,” said Minister of State for Child Care Linda Reid. “Teachers will be able to use the film to create awareness and empathy for the unique social challenges autism presents.”
The Boy Inside chronicles a tumultuous year at school for 12-year-old Adam, a boy with a form of high functioning autism called Aspergers syndrome. Aspergers impairs the ability to understand facial expressions and body language and creates difficulty interacting with others.
“It is my hope that students will gain a better understanding of their
peers,” said Education Minister Shirley Bond. “What students will learn from
this film could enhance the overall school experience for more than 3,700 B.C.
students with autism spectrum disorder.”
“We know that children with Aspergers are at least four times as likely as other students to endure exclusion or bullying, so tackling this at the classroom level makes good sense,” said Tom Christensen, Minister of Children and Family Development.
Along with DVDs of the film, teachers will be provided with study guides to help stimulate classroom discussion and activities.
“As a Grade 7 teacher with a child with Aspergers in my class, I feel the film is a valuable tool,” said Gina Challenger of Surrey. “It dramatically shows the impact of exclusion on not only a child who is on the autism spectrum, but on any child.”
“After a TV broadcast of the film, we were inundated with responses from parents, teachers and youth about the need for this film in schools,” said Adam’s mother, award-winning filmmaker Marianne Kaplan. “This is a fantastic opportunity to be part of something that can make a difference to the way youth with autism are understood, accepted and included.”
The Ministry of Children and Family Development and the Ministry of Education are spending $16,000 on this project. Provincial investment in diagnosis, intervention, family support and education funding for students with autism rose to more than $97 million in 2006/07.
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contact: |
Ministry of Children and Family Development 250 920-9088 |
Ministry of Education 250 387-6940 |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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