Twelve year old boy interviews his mother

Joshua Littman, a 12-year old boy with Asperger's Syndrome, interviews his mother, Sarah, in this revealing and remarkable 4 1/2-minute animation.

The film was made by StoryCorps, an organization dedicated to "recording and preserving America's stories".
Thanks to my son Jules for sending it to me.

Update: An article describing Asperger's, in a format accessible for all devices, is here. Thank you, Tina Richardson of Dopa AccessibleWeb, for the link.


Comments

Susan B said…
Awww, that's so sweet! Thanks for sharing, Duchesse.

Am I detecting a bit of an English accent from the son?
Mardel said…
What a touching video! Thank you.
diverchic said…
Such a patient mother! Such a sensitive son! Thanks for sharing this.
s. said…
Aw. I can only imagine the challenges of raising a child with special needs. Good for this mom; she seems to be doing very well indeed.
MJ said…
Okay, that made me cry. What a wonderful mother.
That's very moving...thanks for sharing.
laurieann said…
Thank you for posting this for more to see. My son was originally diagnosed with Asperger's but over the years it has become clear that while he has always had language, he really has the more severe condition of autism. One of my greatest challenges in life is to not let my son's challenges and limitations limit my life.

All women are searching for balance in our lives, which is one of the reasons I enjoy visiting your blog. It provides a bit of balance to mine.
Rubiatonta said…
How dear! I love the work that Story Corps does -- thanks for sharing this with us all.
Duchesse said…
Deja Pseu: Joshua was born and raised in the UK, then moved back to the US with his mother, and retained his accent.

All: I've watched it over and over; find it illuminating for parents (or aunts, etc)- really, for anyone who cares about children.

laurieann: When he asks, "Did I meet your expectations?", and she replies, I'm moved, even after many viewings. The quality of her presence is remarkable and I think of how much that takes, day after day.

Rubi: Standing ovation for Story Corps. Now there's a dream job!
iminozz said…
Wow, that's awesome it made me cry. Kinda sorry I wimped out on having kids. She seems like a amazing mother and such a deep thinking child. I never thought about my parents expectations of me till I was like 30.
rb said…
My son doesn't have Aspergers but he has some other stuff that results in him being "odd" - obsessive and difficult and not always interactive. I loved this video and it makes me want to go home and hug him and thank him for being himself.
Duchesse said…
iminozz: That's the thing with having kids, you never know what you're gong to be called upon to deal with. Her love and acceptance is so evident.

rb: To feel welcome in the world, loved as ones'self, is for me the deepest gift a parent (or other caring person) can give.
materfamilias said…
This is moving and inspiring and just plain lovely! I'll be sharing it widely, I know -- Thanks, Duchesse, for passing it along, and thanks to Jules as well. It's made my day!
Duchesse said…
materfamilias: You're welcome; I enjoyed hearing you liked it; thought you would.

The posts with the most