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For many parents, getting the diagnosis that their child is autistic is a difficult time, and the road ahead can be even more difficult.
Most South Africans know very little about this neurodevelopmental condition, and some only learn about it when they have to deal with it personally.
A new educational animation is trying to assist parents learn how to help their autistic children.
Sam is a unique little hedgehog raised among sheep. He appears to be the odd one out.
Told in verse, Sam’s story sheds light on the experience of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children and their parents.
Sam is shy, a bit prickly and very particular about certain things – just like many autistic kids.
Created by Johannesburg-based animation studio MAAN Creative and writer Julia Smuts Louw, the animation aims to bridge the divide between the autistic community and those of us who are “normal”.
Directed by MAAN Creative founders, Michael Clark and Johan Scheepers, the animation – so far 11 minutes long – is lovingly created by stop-motion animation where the 2-D drawings are composited into exquisite hand-crafted miniature sets.
To get a clear picture of the needs of the autistic, the team worked closely with Bellavista School and experts at other autism-related bodies. “Getting the message right is something we take very seriously,” says Clark.
“Throughout our research, the one message that emerged among autistic adults, looking back on their childhood, was that they wished people hadn’t tried to ‘make them normal’,” says Smuts Louw.
“From this insight, the idea emerged of a hedgehog raised in a world of sheep.”
The script, developed with funding from the National Film and Video Foundation grant, was nominated for a WGSA Muse Award in 2016.
Though it has received a good response so far, the production is looking for funding to continue.
“To date, Sam The Hedgehog has garnered a wonderful response from the autism community and beyond, for which we are immensely grateful. However, such a production is indeed a costly one, despite it being a short film. We are therefore embarking on a fund-raising campaign to help raise enough money to move into the next phase of production,” says Clark.
They would like the film to be made available to the world, free of charge, to boost awareness and acceptance of the autism spectrum disorder.
If you’d like to know more or donate to the project, go to samthehedgehog.com. Follow @SamTheHedgeHog #SamTheHedgehog
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