Michael's story aired

I'm so thrilled that the series has officially started and Michael's story has aired! As many of you returning visitors know, this series has been in the making for quite a while now and it's incredible that the air dates have FINALLY arrived after so many trips, interviews, phone calls, and Ashley's countless hours spent in the edit bays at KOMU.

We've been working hard to bring you the best coverage we can of this disorder that affects so many individuals and their families. We sincerely hope you enjoy the series and learn something new from the people we feature. I know that visiting Michael and his family about a month ago taught me so much about this disorder; I realize that each family truly has its own method and tools for coping with autism.

I also hope that all of our viewers realize the lengths Ashley has gone to in order to provide KOMU's audience with a balanced series. Over the course of this month, we will feature families, doctors and researchers of all types and with all kind of opinions to make sure we provide all sides of the story.

I'd like to stress to everyone again just how much we want to hear from you - please use this blog as an open forum for commenting and visit KOMU.com for special extras and added information. We've used your comments and posts to guide us in reporting, now it's your turn to tell us how we did!

Watch Michael

Michael-First View

Here is a sneak peek from our webcam. Thanks to Katie for putting this together!

Michael-Katie

I'm not even sure how to begin this post and start reflecting on our trip to Brookfield to meet the Colliers. The trip was incredible, especially because this was my first time interacting with one of the families we're featuring in the series.

I was struck by these family members' strength and affection for one another. Although Michael is nonverbal and unable to communicate like most of us, his grandparents, father, and sister all said they have no problem interacting with him - Michael just has his own way of communicating.

Each person had the same look on his face when asked about Michael; everyone smiled, sang his praises and spoke with pride about him and his accomplishments. Like Ashley and Mark mentioned, the Colliers stick to a routine and make everything look so easy! They all really helped us to capture a true day in Michael's life; we spent time with him in the classroom, his grandparents' home, and his home. It was nice to be able to see Michael in a variety of setting and watch him learning, playing, laughing, and communicating. Michael's dad and grandfather both said Michael is one of the happiest kids they know.

I hope you all check out the First View of our trip going up soon and look for the Colliers to appear in the series!

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."

Pictures from Michael Shoot

Michael-Mark

The interview with Michael and his dad, Andy, was unique on several levels. Most obvious, Andy is a single father, which is something we have not found with any of our previous interviewees; Michael is non-verbal, which means that his communication is confined to using a computer device called a "Minnie Moe," or a picture board when at his home; and the level of cooperation that we experienced with Michael's school administration was remarkably open and helpful. Our crew followed Michael from his last couple of minutes in school to the bus stop at his grandparents' house and we ended, 4 hours later, at Michael's house with his sister, Sarah, and dad, Andy.

I have read about how important it is to maintain a routine for children with autism, but to experience it first hand was a different situation. Andy was extremely open about telling us when Michael was transitioning from one part of his routine to another. For instance, we usually do our interviews in the interviewee's house, but when we were about to begin Andy's interview, Michael was ready to transition to the next part of his daily routine - playing around outside and in his dad's parked truck. This was not a problem for our crew; we simply moved our equipment from the house to the front yard. You will see that our interview with Andy is outside. Many of us find comfort in a routine, but to see how rigidly it must be followed in Michael's case in order to provide that comfort is a testament to Andy.

I couldn't help but notice the difference between Michael's after-school routine and his sister Sarah's. Michael starts his evening ritual with routine "stemming" activities like slapping a belt against the ground, while Sarah dives right in to the latest recommended reading list from her honors classes. There we were, observing two siblings doing their starkly different after-school rituals, Michael's routine intended merely to provide a sense of comfort and Sarah's geared toward scholarly advancement. Two routines, done side by side, yet completely different.

Michael Shoot

We had another family shoot this week...
We will post blogs, video, and more pics within the next few days!