How life turned out for the first child diagnosed with autism, and what acceptance means.
In a Different Key airs Thursday, April 2 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI and PBS apps.
A mother tracks down the first person ever diagnosed with autism, now an elderly man living in rural Mississippi, to learn if his life story holds promise for her own autistic son. Her journey exposes a startling record of cruelty and kindness alike, framed by forces like race, money and privilege – but leads to hope that more communities are learning to have the backs of people on the spectrum.
This film is presented as part of Move to IncludeTM, an award-winning national initiative to promote disability inclusion, representation, and accessibility in public media.
Photo: Title card • Credit: WXXI