Educational Media Reviews Online

Detailing the struggle of one family in Banjarmasin, Indonesia, Wawan's Prayer, follows a family as they learn how to provide for and meet the needs of their son, Wawan, who has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Autism spectrum disorder is a neurological and developmental disorder that impacts an individual’s ability to communicate, interact with others, and learn. This family’s experience will be relatable to a wide audience for families in similar situations but also provides a good introduction to caring for a child with ASD. While the family understood their son had different needs, it was not until Gusti Rauda, Wawan’s mother, read an article about ASD in the newspaper that they knew how to describe his condition. While Wawan was able to graduate from kindergarten, he was unable to attend his local public elementary school because the school did not have the resources to properly educate him. Ultimately, the family had to make the difficult decision to send Wawan to a special school focused on educating individuals with ASD. This is a strength of the film, understanding how a specialized school was founded and grew to serve these students. Wawan was the driving factor and was the first student to board at the school. The film shows what students with ASD can achieve in this type of environment as Wawan’s ability to communicate and interact with others improves. Ultimately, through his faith and education, Wawan is recognized for his ability to recite prayers.

Interviews with family and teachers are conducted in Indonesian and Balinese with English subtitles. While the English subtitles are easy to read, the pace of the dialogue can make it difficult for those viewing the film to read the subtitles and follow the images on the screen. This is not a problem that everyone will experience when engaging with this film but something worth noting. With a short run time of 23 minutes, this film is recommended as it is easily integrated into any classroom focused on international education, special education, and autism spectrum disorder. While this film along would be a good addition to any collection supporting these subject areas, it is worth noting that this film is bundled with All God’s Children. While this is another relevant title focused on the subject area, this does increase the cost for institutions and will be required those making collection development decisions to take that into account.

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