Educational Media Reviews Online

This film stays away from the clinical aspects of autism and focuses on how the condition affects the families of the autistic child. It examines the importance in providing quality education for autistic children.

We get a glimpse into the lives of 3 children who have autism. The interesting spin on this documentary is that the 7-year- old brother of one of the autistic children narrates the film. The three children, from various cultural and economic backgrounds, attend the same program for autistic children in Oakland, CA, and have varying degrees of the condition.

The film features the children both at home and at school. We meet the parents of the children, who describe their child’s behavior and characteristics, as well as discuss their own fears and concerns. We also meet the children’s teachers, who point out that the needs of each child will vary depending on the severity of the disorder in each child-some need one on one instruction and others do well in a small classroom setting.

Talk To Me also focuses on the costs of operating special programs. In Oakland, the school district is running out of money, which means some of the teachers may lose their jobs. The film provides statistics citing a large increase in children diagnosed with autism in the past decade, supporting the need for such programs. Home tutoring is presented as another option, although not a feasible one to many, due to economic and cultural factors. The end of the film provides a website to visit for more information on autism.

Recommended for academic library collections with a child development, education, learning disabilities, or parenting focus. A possible purchase for a health sciences, nursing or disability studies collection. Be advised that the film does not present the disorder from a clinical standpoint (no doctors are interviewed in the film).