Michael

Michael has autism and is non-verbal. This was a very insightful shoot to say the least.

When we got to Brookfield we went to Michael's school to get some video of him. The school was super at accommodating our requests. We were so happy to work with a school who supported our series.

We then followed Michael's bus to his grandparents. Routine is so important for these kids. We didn't want to interrupt Michael's routine so we basically followed him for the rest of the night.

At his grandparents we got video of Michael having his after school snack, and swinging on the swing set with his dad.

Michael is such a happy boy. He was laughing a lot while he played. When I interviewed his grandmother, he became fascinated with the camera. He was just curious and continued to smile while he was checking out what we were doing.

We then followed Michael, Andy, and Sarah home. It was neat to see his big sister giving him so much attention and love. She makes sure everyday to spend some time with him.

Andy was very open and positive with us. He told us his story in an uplifting light. This will be a nice addition to our series. He has gone through so much with his son. I think one of the best parts of the interview is when I said to Andy, "Your son has never said, 'I love you'..." and Andy proceeded to tell me, "Michael doesn't need words to tell him he loves me."