1 TONIGHT ON 20/20 ` # UNDER THE SEA. # THE FAMILIAR VOICES A LITTLE BOY LOVED UNTIL HIS LOST HIS OWN VOICE AND HIS CONNECTION TO THE WORLD... IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. KIDS DON'T GROW BACKWARDS. YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'VE LOST YOUR CHILD. ...AND THEN FOUND HIS VOICE AGAIN... OH MY GOD. THAT'S WHAT HE'S SAYING. ...WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM THE CHARACTERS WE KNOW AND LOVE,... # ALL THE BEAR NECESSITIES, THE SIMPLE BEAR NECESSITIES... # ...USING THEIR VOICES TO SPEAK FOR HIM. HE'S USING THESE MOVIES TO INTERPRET OUR WORLD. THE ASTOUNDING STORY OF PARENTS WHO FOUND A WAY TO TALK TO THEIR SHUT-OFF SON. I GRAB THE PUPPET. (BASSY) 'OWEN, OWEN, HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE YOU?' WAIT A MINUTE. WAIT A MINUTE. JAFAR! AND THAT SON WHO GREW UP... YES, MERIT! GILBERT GOTTFRIED! (CHEERING) GILBERT GOTTFRIED! ARGH! ...AND FOUND A WAY TO SPEAK TO THE WORLD. WHAT WAS MUFASA TEACHING SIMBA? # UNDER THE SEA! # (CHEERING) NOW HE'S SPREADING HIS MESSAGE ON THE RADIO... MY NAME IS DJ ANIMATOR. ...AND IN A NEW MOVIE... SO PLEASE WELCOME OWEN SUSKIND. ...THAT YOUR LIFE CAN BE ANIMATED, NO MATTER HOW IT STARTS. YOU'RE THE GREATEST. I AM THE GREATEST. YOU ARE THE GREATEST. FINDING OWEN ` A BOY'S STORY. Captions by Faith Hamblyn. Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2017. KIA ORA. I'M CAROLYN ROBINSON. TONIGHT ON 20/20, THE INSPIRATIONAL STORY OF A FAMILY WHO NEVER GAVE UP AND A BOY WHO LOST HIS VOICE, BUT FOUND IT AGAIN THROUGH DISNEY MOVIES, MOVIES LIKE THE LION KING, THE LITTLE MERMAID, ALADDIN AND PETER PAN ` STORIES THAT GAVE HIM HIS LIFE BACK. AND NOW HE'S HAD HIS LIFE TURNED INTO A MOVIE. REPORTER DEBORAH ROBERTS BRINGS US THIS EXTRAORDINARY STORY. (GROWLS) DADDY AND OWEN FIGHTING WITH SWORDS IN THE LEAVES. A DAD AND SON PLAYING MAKE-BELIEVE IN A MASSACHUSETTS SUBURB. IT'S A VIDEO LIKE EVERY FAMILY HAS A ZILLION OF AT THIS POINT ` LEAFY BACKYARD, IT'S AUTUMN, WE'RE RUNNING IN THE CRUNCHING LEAVES. A TREASURED MOMENT IN TIME, A BACKYARD RECREATION THAT APPEARS UNREMARKABLE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE'RE DOING A SWORD FIGHT, PETER PAN SWORD FIGHT. OWEN, WHO ARE YOU? OH, I'M CAPTAIN HOOK, YOU'RE PETER PAN. OK. COME ON, PAN. OH NO! AND IT WAS REALLY A GLIMPSE OF A LIFE THAT WOULD, UH, SOON, UH, CHANGE AND VANISH. RON AND CORNELIA SUSKIND ARE JOURNALISTS RAISING TWO BOYS ` 5-YEAR-OLD WALT... YOU WANNA HI TO MOMMY? HI, MOMMY. AND YOUNGER BROTHER OWEN. SAY NIGHTY-NIGHT. NIGHT-NIGHT. IN THE EARLY DAYS, WE LIVED ON WHAT WE NOW LOOK BACK ON AND CALL THE CONTINENT NORMAL. IT WAS JUST PERFECT. WALTER ` INCREDIBLY SPIRITED CHILD FROM THE START, AND THEN OWEN, THIS BEAUTIFUL, CURLY BOY; YOU KNOW, JUST TWO REALLY GREAT KIDS. OWEN WAS EASY AS PIE, JUST GENTLE, HAPPY. HE WAS INTERACTING, SPEAKING COMPLETELY NORMALLY, YOU KNOW, 'THIS IS MY CRIB. THIS IS WALTER'S BIG-BOY BED.' I STILL CAN'T WATCH IT. YOU STILL CAN'T WATCH IT? HE HAD A FEW HUNDRED WORDS, A USUAL 2.5-YEAR-OLD VOCABULARY. IS THIS A HOUSE? YES, THIS IS A HOUSE. HE COULD SAY WHAT HE WANTED, I LOVE YOU, LET'S GET ICE CREAM. WHERE ARE MY NINJA TURTLES? THEN, THREE MONTHS AFTER THE BACKYARD SWORD FIGHT, A SUDDEN AND SEISMIC SHIFT ` OWEN'S WORDS BEGIN DISAPPEARING AT AN ALARMING RATE. CORNELIA SAYS, 'SOMETHING ISN'T RIGHT WITH OWEN.' SHE SAYS, 'HE'S NOT TALKING.' AND I'M NOTICING IT TOO. AND THEN SHE SAYS, 'HE WON'T LOOK AT YOU.' AND I ACTUALLY THOUGHT THAT HE WAS HAVING A HEARING ISSUE, BECAUSE YOU'D SAY, 'OWEN,' AND HE WOULDN'T TURN AND LOOK AT YOU. OWEN, LOOK. OWEN! LAURA, YOU WANNA GIVE OWEN A HUG? IN THEIR HOME MOVIES, YOU SEE HE'S DISCONNECTED. HIS MOTOR SKILLS SEEM TO HAVE GONE HAYWIRE. YOU KNOW, HE'S WALKING AROUND LIKE SOMEONE WITH THEIR EYES CLOSED. IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. KIDS DON'T GROW BACKWARDS. WORRIED, THEY TAKE OWEN TO A SPECIALIST, A SCENE NOW SEARED IN THEIR MEMORY, BROUGHT TO LIFE IN THESE ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE FILM DOCUMENTING THE FAMILY'S JOURNEY, 'LIFE ANIMATED.' SHE HAS US STAND IN A LONG HALLWAY. I HAD TO LET HIM WALK FROM ME TO CORNELIA. I REMEMBER KNEELING DOWN NEXT TO OWEN AND SAYING, 'HEY, BUDDY.' I SAID, 'JUST WALK LIKE YOU USED TO WALK. OK?' AND THEN I LET GO OF HIM. AND, YOU KNOW, HE JUST WEAVES DOWN THE HALL. I REMEMBER LITERALLY JUST, LIKE, HOLDING HIM IN A BEAR HUG AND JUST THINKING, YOU KNOW,... 'I'M JUST GONNA HOLD YOU SO TIGHT AND LOVE YOU SO MUCH THAT WHATEVER IS GOING ON WILL GO AWAY.' AND THEN THE DOCTOR SITS US DOWN, AND SHE SAYS, 'LET ME EXPLAIN THIS TO YOU. THIS IS CALLED AUTISM.' WE DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING SHE SAID AFTER SHE SAID THAT WORD. IT'S 1994 ` WE KNOW WHAT EVERYONE KNOWS AT THAT POINT; WE KNOW 'RAIN MAN.' FLYING'S VERY DANGEROUS. 1987 THERE WERE 30 AIRLINE ACCIDENTS, 211 WERE FATALITIES. 231 WERE DEFINITE PASSENGERS. YOU'RE TELLING ME MY SON IS LIKE DUSTIN HOFFMAN IN THAT MOVIE? THAT CAN'T BE. AND HER RESPONSE IS, 'MAYBE, MAYBE NOT. MANY OF THEM NEVER GET THEIR SPEECH BACK.' WE JUST COULDN'T POSSIBLY COMPREHEND THAT THIS COULD BE OWEN AND THIS COULD BE HIS FUTURE. WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT VIDEO LIKE WE'RE LOOKING FOR CLUES TO A KIDNAPPING. WHERE DID HE GO? WALT, THREE YEARS OLDER THAN OWEN, IS BAFFLED BY THE CHANGE IN HIS BROTHER. ALL OF A SUDDEN, MY PRETTY CONVENTIONAL 2.5-YEAR-OLD BROTHER, WHO I'D PLAY AROUND WITH, KIND OF JUST DISAPPEARED. IT WAS SCARY. YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'VE LOST YOUR CHILD. WHEN YOU CAN'T GET THEM TO SMILE WHEN YOU SAY SOMETHING OR TO RESPOND WHEN YOU SAY, 'I LOVE YOU,'... THAT DOESN'T LEAVE YOU WITH A LOT. IT'S HARD TO LIVE WITHOUT HOPE. IT'S NOT NATURAL, IN FACT. LOOK WHAT WE HAVE HERE. WHAT IS THIS, OWEN? FOR THE NEXT YEAR, INTENSIVE SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPY BECOMES OWEN'S FULL-TIME WORLD, BUT HE REMAINS SILENT. THOSE FEW HUNDRED WORDS WERE DOWN TO A SINGLE WORD, 'JUICE' ` ONE WORD. NOW CORNELIA THINKS HE WANTS MORE JUICE, COS HE'S SAYING 'JUICERVOSE' OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS. RIGHT? JUICERVOSE, JUICERVOSE. SHE'S, LIKES, 'OH, HE WANTS MORE JUICE.' DOESN'T WANT THE JUICE. OWEN HAD ALWAYS ENJOYED DISNEY MOVIES, LIKE 'THE LION KING',... # IT MEANS NO WORRIES FOR THE REST OF YOUR DAYS... ...BUT NOW THEY ARE HIS ONLY COMFORT. HE WOULD CALM DOWN DURING THE MOVIES, SO THAT WAS OUR LITTLE REFUGE. # HAKUNA MATATA. # THAT WAS REALLY THE ONLY TIME WE WOULD BE TOGETHER. # I WANNA BE WHERE THE PEOPLE ARE. # THEN ONE DAY, DURING A FAMILY VIEWING OF 'THE LITTLE MERMAID', A MOVIE THEY WATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN, A REVELATION ` OWEN'S REPETITION OF THE WORD 'JUICE' SUDDENLY MAKES SENSE. IT'S THE MOMENT WHERE ARIEL REALISES SHE NEEDS TO BECOME HUMAN. CAN YOU DO THAT? AND SHE MAKES HER DEAL WITH URSULA, THE SEA WITCH ` THE KEY MOMENT OF THE MOVIE. AND URSULA SAYS, 'IT WON'T COST YOU MUCH ` JUST YOUR VOICE.' IT WON'T COST MUCH ` JUST YOUR VOICE! AND OWEN REWINDS. THIRD REWIND, FOURTH REWIND. JUST YOUR VOICE! CORNELIA SAYS, 'IT'S NOT JUICE.' I SAID, 'WHAT?' SHE SAYS, 'IT'S NOT JUICE. IT'S JUST.' I THOUGHT, 'OH, MY GOD, THAT'S WHAT HE'S SAYING. HE'S SAYING, JUST YOUR VOICE.' JUST YOUR VOICE! I'M LIKE, 'OH MY GOD.' I GRAB OWEN. 'JUST YOUR VOICE.' AND HE SAYS, 'JUICERVOSE. JUICERVOSE. JUICERVOSE' AND IT'S THE FIRST TIME HE LOOKS AT ME IN A YEAR. AND WALT STARTS JUMPING IN THE BED, 'OWEN'S TALKING AGAIN!' AND CORNELIA BEGINS TO CRY, SAYING, 'HE'S STILL IN THERE.' RON IS CONVINCED HIS VANISHED BOY IS RE-EMERGING. WE GO TO THE DOCTOR THE NEXT DAY, AND HE'S, LIKE, 'YOU'RE PROBABLY NOT GONNA LIKE THIS. HAVE A SEAT. 'WE CALL THIS ECHOLALIA.' 'IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT MEANS?' HE'S LIKE, 'KIND OF. ECHO.' AND I'M, LIKE, 'YOU MEAN LIKE A PARROT?' HE'S, LIKE, 'KINDA.' AND THE DOCTOR SEEMS PROPHETIC. OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS, OWEN BARELY SPEAKS. THEN HE DEFIES THE MEDICAL PREDICTION. IT IS WALTER'S 9TH BIRTHDAY. OWEN IS 6. WE WERE CLEANING UP, AND WALT WAS HANGING OUT IN THE BACKYARD AND KIND OF DOWN IN THE DUMPS. AND THEN OWEN FOLLOWS US INTO THE KITCHEN. AND HE SAYS, 'WALTER DOESN'T WANNA GROW UP, LIKE MOWGLI OR PETER PAN.' AND THEN OFF HE RUNS. IT WAS LIKE A THUNDERBOLT WENT THROUGH THE KITCHEN. CORNELIA'S, LIKE, 'WELL, WHAT IS THAT? WHAT JUST HAPPENED?' WOW. WHAT? WHAT DID HE JUST SAY? YOU KNOW, HE ACTUALLY NOTICED SOMETHING ABOUT WALTER, AND HE IS ABLE TO VERBALISE THAT TO US? I MEAN, IT WAS NOT ONLY HIS FIRST SENTENCE; IT WAS A BIG SENTENCE AND A COMPLEX SENTENCE AND, ACTUALLY, AN INSIGHT THAT WE OURSELVES DID NOT HAVE ABOUT WALTER. IT WAS ENORMOUS. YOU KNOW, IT WAS A COMPLETE CHANGING OF THE TELESCOPE, REALLY. HE'S USING THESE MOVIES TO INTERPRET OUR WORLD, THE BIGGER WORLD. SO AT THAT POINT, WE JUST ARE GIDDY. AND CORNELIA, AFTER SEVERAL HOURS OF THIS CONVERSATION, IN THE KITCHEN SAYS, 'FIND A WAY BACK IN. FIND A WAY.' NEXT ` I'D GRAB THE PUPPET. AND I SAY TO HIM IN GILBERT GOTTFRIED'S VOICE, 'OWEN, OWEN, HOW DOES IT FEEL 'TO BE YOU?' FINDING OWEN. HOW DOES A PUPPET SHOW CRACK THE CODE? IT'S OUR FIRST CONVERSATION SINCE HE WAS 2 YEARS OLD. SO, JUST HOW DOES THAT CONVERSATION GO? WE'LL HAVE THE ANSWER WHEN 20/20 RETURNS AFTER THIS BREAK. . All right, so, this is Tim. 34-year-old male. RTC. Multi-vehicle... VOICES OVERLAP I think about the car crash a lot. I know he caused it and I reacted the best way possible. But it's hard to let it go. SOMBRE MUSIC When I asked what had happened to him, the doctors said he really wore the impact ` any more and things would've been much worse. They said he was lucky ` lucky I wasn't going any faster. Thank you. SOMBRE MUSIC CONTINUES It's OK. MUSIC CONTINUES It's OK. 1 WELCOME BACK TO 20/20, WHERE TONIGHT WE'RE BRINGING YOU FINDING OWEN, THE REMARKABLE STORY OF A BOY WHO SEEMED LOST INSIDE HIMSELF FOREVER, UNTIL HE DEFIED ALL PREDICTIONS BY FINDING HIS VOICE AGAIN, THANKS TO MOVIES. AS DEBORAH ROBERTS CONTINUES, OWEN SUSKIND IS ABOUT TO HAVE HIS FIRST CONVERSATION WITH HIS FATHER, AND A PUPPET, IN FOUR YEARS. (POIGNANT MUSIC) OWEN SUSKIND'S BROTHER, WALT, IS CELEBRATING HIS 9TH BIRTHDAY, AND IT'S BROUGHT THE BEST GIFT THE FAMILY COULD IMAGINE ` 6-YEAR-OLD OWEN, TRAPPED IN SILENCE BY HIS AUTISM, FINALLY SPEAKS. THAT WAS REALLY A HUGE MOMENT OF REVELATION. OWEN COMPARES HIS BROTHER, WALT, TO PETER PAN, A SUDDEN GLIMPSE INTO THE MYSTERY OF HIS MIND. COS I HAVE TO GROW UP TOMORROW. GROW UP? COULD DISNEY MOVIES BE THE CODEBREAKER, THE KEY TO COMMUNICATION WITH OWEN? RON HAS AN EPIPHANY. I GO UP TO THE BEDROOM. AND THEN I SEE ON THE FLOOR, NEXT TO THE BED, IS A PUPPET. IT'S IAGO, THE EVIL SIDEKICK TO THE VILLAIN, JAFAR, IN 'ALADDIN'. JAFAR? JAFAR? GET A GRIP! (CHUCKLES) SO I CRAWL ACROSS THE RUG AS QUIETLY AS I CAN ` I DON'T WANT HIM TO LOOK AT ME ` AND I THROW THE BEDSPREAD OVER MY HEAD, I GRAB THE PUPPET, I PUSH THE PUPPET UP THROUGH THE BEDSPREAD. AND I SAY TO HIM IN GILBERT GOTTFRIED'S VOICE, 'OWEN, OWEN, HOW DOES IT FEEL... 'TO BE YOU?' AND OWEN TURNS TO THE PUPPET LIKE HE'S BUMPING INTO AN OLD FRIEND, AND HE GOES, 'NOT GOOD. I'M LONELY, AND I HAVE NO FRIENDS.' AND THEN WE TALK. IT'S IAGO AND OWEN. IT'S OUR FIRST CONVERSATION SINCE HE WAS 2 YEARS OLD. IT'S LIKE MOZART. I THROW OVER THE BEDSPREAD. I'M, LIKE, 'WE'RE SPEAKING IN DISNEY DIALOGUE!' I HUG OWEN; I RUN DOWN, I HUG CORNELIA. THAT BEDSIDE DISCOVERY LAUNCHES AN EXPERIMENT, WHAT RON CALLS THE BASEMENT SESSIONS. EVERY NIGHT, THE FAMILY GATHERS TO WATCH AND RE-ENACT DISNEY SCENES, LIKE FROM 'THE JUNGLE BOOK'. # WHEREVER I WANDER, WHEREVER I ROAM. # CORNELIA AND I BASICALLY GET PHDS IN DISNEY. WE WERE JUMPING INTO HIS LANGUAGE AND HIS WORLD, GOING IN TO WHERE HE WAS, RATHER THAN TRYING TO BRING HIM OUT TO WHERE WE WERE. RON, NOW A PULITZER-PRIZE-WINNING 'WALL STREET JOURNAL' REPORTER, BEGINS LIVING WHAT HE CALLS A DOUBLE LIFE, INTERVIEWING BIG NAMES BY DAY, IMITATING CARTOON CHARACTERS BY NIGHT. THEY SOON DISCOVER OWEN HAS MEMORISED DOZENS OF DISNEY MOVIES. AND NOT ONLY KNOWS THE LINES; HE'S USING THE FILMS TO TEACH HIMSELF ABOUT LIFE. HE STARTED TO USE THE MOVIES AS A KIND OF MIRROR TO UNDERSTAND HIS LIFE; 'HERCULES', FOR NOT GIVING UP. YOU'VE GOTTA SWEAR SHE'LL BE SAFE FROM ANY HARM. 'THE JUNGLE BOOK' FOR MAKING FRIENDS, 'PINOCCHIO' FOR WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE A REAL BOY. YOU ARE A REAL BOY! OWEN'S AT A SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES. HIS LANGUAGE SKILLS ARE IMPROVING. WHAT IS IT, O? IT'S A MONKEY. RIGHT. YEAH! ALSO A FISH AND A PRESENT. AND SOON HIS ART SKILLS TOO. BY AGE 11, FIVE YEARS AFTER UTTERING THAT FIRST SENTENCE AT WALT'S PARTY, OWEN'S SPENDING HOURS IMMERSED IN ANIMATION IN A NEW WAY ` DRAWING. WHEN RON STUMBLES UPON HIS SKETCHPAD, HE BEGINS TO UNDERSTAND OWEN'S VIEW OF HIMSELF. AS YOU FLIP THROUGH THE PAGES, I SEE THERE'S A HUNDRED SIDEKICKS, NO HEROES. THE LAST TWO PAGES, HE WRITES TWO THINGS ` 'I AM THE PROTECTOR OF THE SIDEKICKS,'... AND ON THE LAST PAGE, HE WRITES, 'NO SIDEKICK GETS LEFT BEHIND.' AND FOR EVERY SIDEKICK, THERE'S A HERO. FOR OWEN, IT'S HIS BROTHER, WALT ` A STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT, ON THE FOOTBALL TEAM AND POPULAR. LIKE ANY BIG BROTHER, YOU WANNA BE HIS PROTECTOR, YOU WANNA BE HIS ROLE MODEL. WALT'S RITES OF PASSAGE BECOME A ROADMAP FOR OWEN. WHEN WALT CELEBRATES HIS BAR MITZVAH, OWEN TAKES NOTICE. AND AS THE AGE APPROACHED,... OWEN SAID, 'WHEN IS MY BAR MITZVAH?' I NEVER THOUGHT, 'OK, WALTER'S HAVING A BAR MITZVAH ` OWEN WILL HAVE A BAR MITZVAH.' WHY WOULD I PUT HIM THROUGH ALL OF THIS? WE HAD ENOUGH TROUBLE JUST GETTING THROUGH DAY TO DAY. IT WOULD BE A LIFE-CHANGING EVENT. THE YEARS OF THERAPY, DISNEY MOVIES AND OTHERWISE, HAVE PAID OFF. SHABBAT SHALOM. OWEN WROTE THE SERMON HIMSELF. READS: 'SOMETIMES, PEOPLE ARE SCARED OF PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT LIKE THEM. 'THEY CAN BE MEAN AND IGNORE THEM SOMETIMES. 'WE SHOULD NEVER TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ANOTHER PERSON'S WEAKNESS.' I WOULD SAY THAT OWEN'S BAR MITZVAH DAY WAS THE PROUDEST DAY OF HIS LIFE. READS: GOD GAVE ME STRENGTH, COURAGE AND A BIG HEART. HE WAS BURSTING, JUST BLEW EVERYBODY AWAY. TAKE A LOOK AT ALL THE FACES BEAMING AT YOU. TAKE THAT SNAPSHOT WITH YOU EVERY DAY FROM NOW ON. LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE STAR OF THE SHOW! (CHEERING) AND UP HE GOES! ALL RIGHT! (CHEERING) THE MESSAGE OF ACCEPTANCE THAT OWEN HAS SHARED WITH HIS TEMPLE, HE WANTS TO SHARE WITH THE WORLD. HE SAID TO US, 'I REALLY WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHAT PEOPLE LIKE ME WITH AUTISM ARE, 'THAT WE'RE JUST LIKE THEM.' HE, OF COURSE, SAID, YOU KNOW, 'I'M A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH, AN UNPOLISHED GEM,' FROM 'ALADDIN'. BY NOW, RON'S WRITTEN FIVE BESTSELLING BOOKS ABOUT EDUCATION, POLITICS, THE ECONOMY, BUT NOW HE DECIDES TO SHARE THE STORY OF OWEN IN A BOOK HE CALLS 'LIFE, ANIMATED'. THEN ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING FILMMAKER ROGER ROSS WILLIAMS TAKES NOTICE. I REALLY WANTED TO TELL THE STORY OF THE OUTSIDERS, AND I REALLY WANTED TO TELL THE STORY OF PEOPLE LIKE OWEN, WHO PEOPLE LOOK PAST. NEXT ` MEET GROWN-UP OWEN TODAY,... MY NAME IS OWEN SUSKIND. PROUD OF YOU, BUDDY. ...LIVING IT UP WITH HIS DISNEY HEROES... BASSY: WHAT IF YOU WERE THE CHUMP HUSBAND? ...AND FINDING LOVE. (POIGNANT MUSIC) SO, AFTER A REMARKABLE TURNAROUND, WHAT MORE REMAINS FOR OWEN? WELL, AS IT TURNS OUT, MUCH MORE, WHEN WE CONTINUE THE STORY. 1 WELCOME BACK TO 20/20 AND THE STORY OF OWEN SUSKIND, THE BOY WHO LEARNED TO COMMUNICATE THANKS TO ANIMATED MOVIES, AND THEN FOUND HIS OWN LIFE TURNED INTO A FILM. AS FINDING OWEN CONTINUES, NOW ABLE TO COMMUNICATE AGAIN, OWEN USES HIS LANGUAGE SKILLS TO FIND LOVE. DEBORAH ROBERTS TAKES UP THE STORY. (JAZZ MUSIC) OWEN WAS ABOUT TO GO THROUGH THIS REALLY TRANSFORMATIVE YEAR OF HIS LIFE ` HE WAS ABOUT TO GRADUATE FROM SCHOOL,... SO I WAS GONNA FOLLOW OWEN AND HIT THESE MOMENTS IN HIS LIFE THAT ARE UNIVERSAL. UNIVERSAL MOMENT NUMBER ONE ` BOY MEETS GIRL. OWEN FINDS LOVE AT HIS SCHOOL FOR SPECIAL NEEDS, SURPRISING HIS FAMILY. SEEING OWEN IN WHAT HE CALLS A LOVE RELATIONSHIP WAS THE SINGLE MOST JOYOUS THING OF MY LIFE. THESE ARE... FOR YOU. AW, THANK YOU, OWEN. YOU'RE SO WELCOME. THEY ARE VERY ATTENTIVE TO EACH OTHER FOR A GOOD LONG TIME IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP, AND IT'S A TIME OF JOY. I ALSO HAVE THIS NECKLACE FOR YOU TOO. THANKS, EMILY. IT'S BEAUTIFUL. IT'S ROMANCE. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, OWEN IS GETTING ADVICE FROM WALTER, A LOT OF ADVICE FROM WALTER AT THIS POINT. EVEN BASIC THINGS, LIKE HERE, WHEN YOU'RE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION, MAKE SURE TO ASK HER, LIKE, WHAT SHE'S INTERESTED IN, OR, YOU KNOW, THIS MIGHT BE A GOOD PRESENT OR HERE'S A GOOD DATE IDEA. IT'S PRETTY SERIOUS THING, A GIRLFRIEND OF THREE YEARS, YOU KNOW. YEAH. IT IS PRETTY SERIOUS. YOU'VE HAD A CLASS ON THIS AT SCHOOL, RIGHT? HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT THOSE THINGS? SOMETIMES I HAVE. HOW DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL? IT MAKES ME FEEL A LITTLE NERVOUS AND A LITTLE EXCITED. EMILY IS WONDERFUL AND SHE'S ADORABLE AND SPEAKS SOFT AND GENTLE. SEEMS OWEN HAS HIS FUTURE ALL MAPPED OUT. WHEN I MOVE INTO MY APARTMENT, EMILY WILL MOVE INTO THE APARTMENT ABOVE ME, AND WE'LL BE NEIGHBOURS IN LOVE. THE MAN CAPTURING THESE MOMENTS, DIRECTOR ROGER ROSS WILLIAMS, WANTS HIS FILM TO BE AN HONEST PORTRAYAL OF OWEN. BUT BEHIND THE SCENES, HE'S FORCED TO BE HONEST WITH HIMSELF. I DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT AUTISM. TO BE HONEST, I WAS UNCOMFORTABLE IN THE BEGINNING AROUND OWEN. I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO BEHAVE. I WAS LIKE EVERYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD. BUT OVER TIME, SOME THINGS COME INTO FOCUS FOR THE FILMMAKER. THAT WAS THE FIRST STEREOTYPE THAT, SORT OF, GOT BROKEN DOWN FOR ME, BECAUSE I WAS, LIKE, HUH. PEOPLE WITH AUTISM ACTUALLY FALL IN LOVE AND HAVE RELATIONSHIPS. OWEN MET HIS FIRST LOVE AT DISNEY CLUB, A GROUP HE CREATED FOR CLASSMATES WHO SHARE A LOVE OF DISNEY TO DISCUSS THEIR FEELINGS. WHAT WAS MUFASA TEACHING SIMBA? JESSICA? THE CLUB EVEN HAS AN OCCASIONAL STAR DROP BY, LIKE JONATHAN FREEMAN, THE VOICE OF JAFAR IN DISNEY'S ALADDIN. YOUR FATHER'S CHARGED ME WITH KEEPING PEACE IN AGRABAH. THE BOY WAS A CRIMINAL. JONATHAN AND OWEN TAKE CENTRE STAGE TO RUN A FEW LINES TOGETHER. WAIT A MINUTE. WAIT A MINUTE. JAFAR, WHAT IF YOU WERE THE CHUMP HUSBAND? BUT THE TWO ARE QUICKLY UPSTAGED BY ANOTHER FAMILIAR VOICE. THE IDEA HAS MERIT. YES, MERIT! GILBERT GOTTFRIED! (CHEERING) THE SURPRISE GUEST, GILBERT GOTTFRIED, BRINGS DOWN THE HOUSE. I JUST DON'T BELIEVE IT! (LAUGHTER) WE'RE NEVER GOING TO GET A HOLD OUT OF THAT STUPID LAMP! (LAUGHTER) (APPLAUSE) (POIGNANT MUSIC) IT'S GRADUATION DAY ON THE CAPE, AND OWEN SUSKIND HAS A CHEERING SECTION WORTHY OF THE RED SOX. EVERY SINGLE MEMBER OF OUR FAMILY CAME TO THAT GRADUATION. IT WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY DAY. IT REALLY WAS. OWEN HARRY SUSKIND. (CHEERING) AND THERE HE WAS WITH THIS MORTAR BOARD ON... AND HOLDING UP HIS ARMS, SAYING, 'I MADE IT.' (CHEERING) DAD. I'M SO PROUD OF YOU. YOU'RE THE GREATEST. I AM THE GREATEST. YOU ARE THE GREATEST. AND THAT WAS, I THINK, MAYBE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PART OF THAT DAY ` THE PRIDE HE FELT. 'LOOK AT ME. LOOK AT WHAT I'VE DONE.' HERE WE, OWEN. YES, HERE WE ARE. MONTHS LATER, ANOTHER FIRST, WHEN OWEN MOVES INTO HIS OWN APARTMENT, TAKING UP RESIDENCE HERE IN A SUPPORTED COMMUNITY, BUT LIVING ON HIS OWN IN A CONDO. AND JUST AS HE IMAGINED, HIS DREAM GIRL IS LIVING RIGHT UPSTAIRS. IN A MILLION YEARS, I WOULD NEVER HAVE IMAGINED THAT OWEN WOULD BE WHERE HE IS TODAY, NEVER. MY NEW HOME. GOODBYE, MOM. AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, IT'S THE MOMENT OF LETTING GO. AND THEN WE SAY, UH,... UH, 'SEE YA. I LOVE YOU. 'HAVE A GOOD NIGHT. CALL US TOMORROW.' AND WE LEFT. AND CORNELIA AND I SAT IN THE CAR AND... AND SAID, 'OH WOW.' THAT MOMENT OF RELEASE AND EXHILARATION AND TERROR AT ALL AT THE SAME TIME. AFTERWARDS, THE DOCUMENTARY CAMERAS KEEP ROLLING. LIKE MOST NIGHTS, OWEN PICKS A MOVIE TO WATCH. ON THE FIRST NIGHT OF HIS INDEPENDENCE, HE CHOOSES 'BAMBI'. HUNTERS ARE IN THE FOREST CHASING BAMBI AND HIS MOTHER. AND HIS MOTHER GETS SHOT. (GASPS) I DIDN'T SEE THAT UNTIL I WAS SITTING IN AN AUDIENCE AT SUNDANCE AT THE PREMIERE. SO THERE I AM SITTING WITH 800 PEOPLE AROUND ME, AND I'M SEEING THE... OWEN'S FIRST NIGHT ON HIS OWN AND THE MOVIE THAT HE CHOSE, AND I` IT JUST BLEW MY MIND. MOTHER, WHERE ARE YOU?! I THINK HE CHOSE 'BAMBI' BECAUSE HE WAS LOSING HIS MOTHER. MOTHER! THAT REALLY TORE MY HEART OUT. 28-YEAR OLD WALT ALSO SURPRISES HIS MOTHER, REVEALING HIS DEEPEST FEELINGS ABOUT BECOMING THE FUTURE CARETAKER OF HIS YOUNGER BROTHER. IT WILL BE JUST BE ME, AND I'LL BE READY ` I'VE BEEN GETTING READY MY WHOLE LIFE ` BUT IT CAN KIND OF BE OVERWHELMING TO THINK ABOUT. YEAH, IT CAN KEEP YOU UP AT NIGHT. THOSE WERE FEELINGS THAT WALTER NEVER SHARED WITH US, NEVER. YEAH, RUN. OWEN, GO! THAT'S HIS LIFE. THAT HAS BEEN HIS LIFE. IT'S VERY HARD FOR US TO HEAR, BUT IT'S TRUE. IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT, I FEEL LIKE, FOR ME AS A BROTHER, COS IN SOME WAYS, YOU KNOW, I FEEL LIKE A BROTHER, AND IN SOME WAYS I FEEL LIKE HIS PARENT. I'M PROUD OF YOU, BUDDY. I DID GREAT. WHAT ROLE WILL THE BIG BROTHER PLAY NEXT, WHEN THE PHONE RINGS AND THE NEWS IS NOT GOOD? (SIGHS) EMILY BROKE UP WITH OWEN. ARGH! THIS IS DRIVING ME CRAZY! HOW WILL OWEN COPE WITH THE END OF HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH EMILY? STAY WITH US TO FIND OUT. 1 WELCOME BACK. TONIGHT ON 20/20, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE LIFE OF OWEN SUSKIND, THE AUTISTIC BOY WHO LEARNED TO COMMUNICATE THROUGH HIS LOVE OF ANIMATED FILMS. NOW, AFTER YEARS OF STRUGGLE, OWEN SEEMS TO HAVE HIS LIFE TOGETHER AND IS EVEN LIVING ON HIS OWN. BUT NOW HE HAS TO DEAL WITH SOMETHING BIG ` HIS FIRST HEARTBREAK. HERE'S DEBORAH ROBERTS. OWEN'S BROTHER, WALTER, IS BEING FILMED FOR THE DOCUMENTARY, WHEN THE PHONE RINGS. UM, I JUST GOT A CALL. (SIGHS) EMILY BROKE UP WITH OWEN. THERE WAS A MEETING WITH ALL THE CASE WORKERS TODAY, SO BASICALLY, THE CASE WORKERS TOLD OWEN THAT IT WAS OVER WITH EMILY IN THE ROOM. IT SOUNDS BAD. HAVING HIM FIND SOMEONE TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH,... UM, WAS THE MOST JOYOUS THING, AND HAVING HIM LOSE THAT WAS THE HARDEST THING. THE CAUSE FOR THE BREAKUP? THE SAME AS SO MANY OTHERS. EMILY GAVE THESE REASONS,... LIKE, FIVE POINTS ABOUT OWEN BEING TOO CLOSE AND NEEDING SPACE AND EVERYTHING ELSE, SO... (SIGHS) HI, EMILY. EMILY? GOOD LUCK, EMILY! YEAH. AT LEAST I WAVED TO HER. (PHONE LINE RINGS) HI, HONEY! MOM? YES, SWEETIE? WHY IS LIFE SO FULL OF... UNFAIR PAIN AND TRAGEDY? OWEN, IT'S JUST THE WAY LIFE IS. THAT'S THE WAY LIFE HAS ALWAYS BEEN AND WILL ALWAYS BE. WE HAVE INCREDIBLY JOYOUS TIMES,... YEAH! AND RELAXING TIME, BUT WE ALSO HAVE SAD TIMES AND PAINFUL TIMES. BUT IT'S... BUT IT'S NOT FAIR. I KNOW, HONEY. SO MUCH THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN LIFE AREN'T FAIR, SO MANY THINGS. THE YOUNG MAN WHO RUNS THE DISNEY CLUB NOW A MEMBER OF A MUCH BIGGER CLUB ` THE BROKEN HEART SOCIETY, AND IT HURTS. THEY WERE LIVING ON TOP OF EACH OTHER TOO, MIND YOU, WHICH WAS COMPLICATED. EMILY WAS LIVING ABOVE OWEN. HE COULD HEAR HER WALKING BACK AND FORTH, AND HE WOULD JUST BE LOOKING AT THE CEILING. AND EVERY SINGLE TIME SOMEONE WOULD COME DOWN THE HALL AND OPEN THE FRONT DOOR, HE'D RUN TO THE DOOR AND OPEN IT, AND GO, 'EMILY?' IT WAS PAINFUL TO SEE HIM IN SO MUCH PAIN. AS A FILMMAKER, I WAS... I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I DIDN'T WHETHER TO KEEP GOING OR WHETHER TO STOP FILMING. MANY TIMES I WAS... I WAS IN TEARS WITH HIM, BECAUSE HE WOULD GO TO HIS BEDROOM, AND HE WOULD WATCH THE SADDEST SCENES HE COULD SUMMON UP FROM DISNEY FILMS, AND HE WOULD WATCH THEM OVER AND OVER AGAIN, AND THAT'S HOW HE PROCESSED IT, THAT'S HOW HE DEALT WITH HIS PAIN. WHAT'S THE SAYING? BOY LOVES GIRL, BOY LOSES GIRL, BOY GETS GIRL BACK IN THE END? OR HE FINDS ANOTHER GIRL? BUT I` I` I` I` ARGH! THIS IS DRIVING ME CRAZY. YEAH. WHY DID THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN TO MAKE MY LIFE SAD FOREVER? IN THE FILM, WE WATCH OWEN TRY TO MAKE SENSE OF HIS HEARTACHE BY PUTTING PENCIL TO PAPER. I CREATED FUZZBUTCH, WHO IS A VILLAIN IN THE LAND OF THE LOST SIDEKICKS. FUZZBUTCH'S EVIL POWERS ARE TO BLOW FOG INTO PEOPLE'S HEAD, TO MAKE THE WORLD LOOK LIKE A WEIRD PLACE TO THEM AND MAKE THEM LOOK SAD. ONCE AGAIN, ILLUSTRATIONS AND ANIMATIONS HELP OWEN TO NAVIGATE HIS WAY THROUGH A ROUGH REALITY. AND TODAY, THE DOCUMENTARY TEAM FOLLOWS HIM AS HE'S ABOUT TO MEET SOME OF THE LEGENDS WHOSE FAMOUS CHARACTERS OPENED UP HIS WORLD. OWEN! (LAUGHS) ERIC! ERIC GOLDBERG, LEAD ANIMATOR FOR 'GENIE' IN 'ALADDIN,' GUIDES THE WAY. DOWN THIS HALLOWED HALL, SOME OF DISNEY'S FINEST ANIMATORS. OWEN KNOWS EVERYTHING THEY'VE EVER DONE, EVERY CHARACTER THEY WORKED ON. THOUGH OWEN SEES HIMSELF AS A SIDEKICK, HE GETS A HERO'S WELCOME FROM THE TEAM. WELL, FIRST OFF, THE DISNEY ANIMATORS ARE JUST GIDDY. THEY'RE, LIKE, 'OWEN KNOWS OUR WORK BETTER THAN WE DO.' HE'S AN ARTIST, YOU KNOW, AS GOOD AS MANY. HE CAN SIT DOWN AND DRAW MOST OF THE CHARACTERS BETTER THAN I CAN. AND THAT'S WHAT THEY LOVE ABOUT HIM. LIKE, 'LOOK WHAT HE'S DOING THERE ` THAT'S A LITTLE MORE VIVID.' SO THAT'S... THAT'S OWEN'S LIFE. AND WE HOPE, AND HE HOPES, THAT SOMEDAY, THAT'LL BE A PART OF WHAT HE DOES. BUT UNTIL THAT DAY COMES, OWEN SUSKIND IS ON THE CLOCK, JUST LIKE THE REST OF US. (TINKLY ALARM PLAYS) (GROANS) JUST GONNA SHOWER AND BRUSH MY TEETH, OK? MY LUNCH IS ALL SET AND READY TO GO. I'M READY. HE HOLDS DOWN TWO PART-TIME JOBS ` ONE, NO SURPRISE, AT A MOVIE THEATRE; ANOTHER AT A TOYS 'R' US. 90.7, WKKL. AND ONCE A WEEK, HE'S A DEEJAY AT A COMMUNITY COLLEGE RADIO STATION. MY NAME IS DJ ANIMATOR, AND YOU'RE LISTENING TO THE DISNEY SHOW. DJ ANIMATOR, PLAYING MUSIC IN THE KEY OF DREAMS. NOW HERE'S 'SOON YOU'LL COME HOME TO MY HEART' FROM 'ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN' ON 90.7. THIS HERE IS MY KITCHEN. WITH SOME SUPERVISION, HE MAKES HIS OWN MEALS ` CALORIES HE BURNS OFF AT THE LOCAL 'Y',... ARGH! IT'S COLD. OH! ARGH! IT'S COLD! ...WITH A CHALLENGING ROUTINE OF LAPS. I AM JUST GONNA TAKE A BREATH, OK? THERE, OWEN HAS A COMFORTING GROUP OF FRIENDS REASSURING HIM ABOUT SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN BOTHERING HIM SINCE HIS BREAKUP ` HIS PROSPECTS FOR FINDING A NEW LOVE. HE'S CAPE COD'S MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR. NO MATTER WHAT, THERE WILL BE SOMEONE OUT THERE FOR ME. THERE WILL DEFINITELY BE SOMEONE OUT THERE FOR YOU. THERE'S NO QUESTION. AND MAYBE I CAN VISIT THAT PERSON, SHE CAN COME VISIT ME. ABSOLUTELY. THAT I DON'T SEE EVERY DAY, JUST SOME DAYS AND SOME WEEKENDS. AND BESIDES, I'M BEING FILMED, SO THEY WILL KNOW I'M AVAILABLE. THEY'LL KNOW YOU'RE AVAILABLE! NEXT ` HITTING THE RED CARPET. OWEN IS RUNNING DOWN THE AISLE, HIGH FIVING PEOPLE AS HE TAKES THE STAGE. PEOPLE ARE IN TEARS; THEY'RE SCREAMING OUT HIS NAME. WHEN WE RETURN ` OWEN BECOMES A CELEBRITY, AND WE SEE HOW HE HANDLES BEING THE STAR OF THE MOVIE ABOUT HIS LIFE. 1 WELCOME BACK TO 20/20 AND TONIGHT'S STORY ` FINDING OWEN. OWEN SUSKIND IS THE AUTISTIC AMERICAN MAN WHO LEARNED TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE WORLD THROUGH HIS UNDERSTANDING OF DISNEY MOVIES. AS DEBORAH ROBERTS CONTINUES WITH HIS STORY, OWEN HAS BECOME THE SUBJECT OF A MOVIE HIMSELF. AND HE'S USING HIS NEWFOUND CELEBRITY TO HELP OTHERS. IT'S THE LAST PLACE THE SUSKINDS EXPECTED TO FIND THEMSELVES ` THE RED CARPET. PLEASE WELCOME TO THE STAGE OWEN SUSKIND. (CHEERING) BUT THAT'S WHERE OWEN AND HIS FAMILY ARE SPENDING MUCH OF THEIR TIME. THEIR NEW FILM, 'LIFE, ANIMATED', IS PLAYING AT FESTIVALS AROUND THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD. THE MAGIC CARPET OF ANIMATED MOVIES AND THE DOCUMENTARY ARE CARRYING OWEN FARTHER INTO THE WORLD THAN HIS FAMILY EVER DREAMED. THE WAY PEOPLE SEE THOSE WITH AUTISM IS THAT THEY DON'T WANT TO BE AROUND OTHER PEOPLE. THAT'S WRONG. THE OWEN EFFECT IS EXTRAORDINARY. SO HAPPY THAT... (LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE) PEOPLE ARE IN TEARS; THEY'RE SCREAMING OUT HIS NAME. (APPLAUSE) HE RELISHES HIS PLACE IN THE SPOTLIGHT. YEAH! KER-SPLAT! SOMETIMES, HE'S FRONT AND CENTRE WITH NOTABLE FRIENDS FROM THE ANIMATED WORLD ` HIS OLD PAL GILBERT GOTTFRIED... YOU MARRY THE PRINCESS, AND THEN YOU BECOME THE SULTAN! I BECOME SULTAN? THE IDEA HAS MERIT. (LAUGHS) HE ACTUALLY KNOWS IT A HELL OF A LOT BETTER THAN I DO. (LAUGHTER) ...AND PAIGE O'HARA, THAT VOICE OF BELLE FROM 'BEAUTY AND THE BEAST,'... IF ONLY I COULD SEE MY FATHER AGAIN. ...HERE AT THE VIRGINIA FILM FESTIVAL,... I JUST WANNA GIVE YOU A HUG. IT'S A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU. YOU ARE SO WONDERFUL. THANKS. ...OSCAR-WINNING COMPOSER OF 'LITTLE MERMAID' AND MANY OTHER CLASSICS, ALAN MENKEN, HAPPY TO SIMPLY ACCOMPANY HIS FRIEND. # UNDER THE SEA. UNDER THE SEA. # DARLING, IT'S BETTER UNDER THE SEA! # (CHEERING) YEAH! WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO LEARN ABOUT YOU, OWEN, AND YOUR LIFE, BY WATCHING THE FILM? WHAT DO YOU HOPE OTHER PEOPLE WILL LEARN? UNDERSTAND ME. UNDERSTAND WHAT? UNDERSTAND MY WAY IN THE WORLD. HOW MANY PEOPLE HERE LIKE DISNEY? SHOW OF HANDS. I LOVE DISNEY! AT UVA, OWEN AND HIS DAD ALSO MEET WITH STUDENTS STUDYING AUTISM, AND A FEW NONVERBAL PEOPLE WITH AUTISM FROM THE COMMUNITY. IT'S GREAT TO MEET YOU. WHAT'S YOUR NAME? I'M RON. USING A LETTER BOARD, A STUDENT JOINS OWEN'S QUEST TO NOT BE FORGOTTEN. I'M INSPIRED TO KNOW NEW FRIENDS AND ADVOCATES. I'M GLAD TO BE YOUR NEW FRIEND, JUAN. WE FEEL NO AUTISTIC SHOULD BE LEFT BEHIND. LET'S HEAR IT FOR THAT. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT EVERYBODY WANTS. AND OWEN SAYS THAT, AS SO MANY OF THE SPECTRUM KIDS I TALK TO, AND ADULTS SAY IT ` 'I WANNA BE OUT THERE. I WANNA LIFE SO MUCH LIKE THE LIFE YOU'RE LIVING OR THE ONE YOU WANT,' SO THAT WAS ALWAYS OUR CHALLENGE. IT'S BECOME THEIR MISSION, BRINGING AWARENESS TO PEOPLE WHO ARE ALL TOO OFTEN OVERLOOKED. CORNELIA AND I WOULD SAY TO EACH OTHER, 'WHO DECIDES WHAT THE MEANINGFUL LIFE IS?' BECAUSE I CAN'T COUNT THE NUMBER OF TIMES WHEN PEOPLE WOULD LOOK AT OUR SON AND SAY, 'THAT'S NOT A MEANINGFUL LIFE.' WHO DECIDES THAT? WHO DECIDES WHAT THE MEANINGFUL LIFE IS? HE'S ASKED THAT NOW, HE SAYS, 'I DO, AND THIS LIFE I LIVE IS MEANINGFUL. LET ME SHOW YOU HOW.' RON IS NOW WORKING TO HELP OTHER FAMILIES. SOME OF THE PARENTS ARE GOING, 'HOW DO I DO WHAT YOU DID? 'LOOK, LOOK, YOU KNOW, I DON'T HAVE A PULITZER PRIZE, MY WIFE WORKS OUT OF THE HOME, 'AND I CAN'T SPEND 10 YEARS IN THE BASEMENT WATCHING DISNEY.' WHILE THERE IS NO CURE FOR AUTISM, RON SAYS THEIR EXPERIENCE WITH OWEN SUGGESTS THERE MAY BE A WAY TO REACH PEOPLE WITH AUTISM THROUGH THEIR OBSESSIONS OR AFFINITIES. THEN WE SAW THERE'RE MANY AFFINITIES ` THE KIDS WHO ARE HARRY POTTER KIDS AND STAR WARS KIDS, DINOSAUR KIDS. DINOSAUR KIDS. YEAH. I HAVE KIDS. I KNOW A BOY WHO'S OBSESSED WITH DINOSAURS. THEY'RE EVERYWHERE. RON'S CREATED TECHNOLOGY LOOKING AT WAYS THAT THOSE AFFINITIES CAN OPEN THE DOOR TO COMMUNICATION FOR OTHER CHILDREN SILENCED BY AUTISM, USING MOVIES AS A LAUNCHING PAD TO SPARK CONVERSATION. YEAH, I DO. (LAUGHS) SOMETIMES. BECAUSE I HAVE LOW SELF-ESTEEM AND AUTISM. AUTISM RESEARCHER KIRSTIN BIRTWELL, WITH HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL AND MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL, IS NOW STUDYING THIS THEORY THAT AFFINITIES CAN BE THERAPY. IF IT WORKS FOR FAMILIES, AND IF FAMILIES HAVE AN EXPERIENCE WITH IT THAT IS POSITIVE, WHO ARE WE, AS PROFESSIONALS, TO REALLY NOT WANNA LOOK INTO THAT AND NOT WANNA EXPLORE IT? CAN YOU LOOK AT THE 'RATATOUILLE' TEASER TRAILER? THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS PERFECTION. AUTISM IS A WAY OF BEING ` IT'S NOT SOMETHING TO BE FIXED. IT'S JUST THE IDEA OF RECOGNISING THE JOY IN YOUR CHILD AND FOLLOWING THAT JOY,... AND RESPECTING YOUR CHILD FOR WHO THEY ARE... AND FOR WHAT THEIR INTERESTS AND TALENTS AND PASSIONS ARE. WE'RE ABOUT TO SURPRISE DAD FOR HIS BIRTHDAY. THIS WEEK CORNELIA AND THE BOYS THREW A SURPRISE PARTY FOR A SPECIAL MAN IN THEIR LIVES. BOTH: SURPRISE! HEY, GUYS! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD! (CHUCKLES) THERE'S CAKE AND CANDLES,... ALL: # HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR DAD. # HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU. # OK, READY? WE'LL DO IT TOGETHER. READY? ONE, TWO, THREE. (BLOWS) BOTH: YAY! ...BUT ALSO A FLICKERING CONCERN,... YOU BOTH ARE STILL YOUNG. NEXT YEAR YOU'RE STILL YOUNG? WE ARE SO YOUNG. NEXT YEAR YOU'RE STILL YOUNG? SO STILL YOUNG. ...A REMINDER THAT WITH EACH PASSING YEAR, OWEN'S PARENTS ARE GROWING OLDER,... DO YOU WANNA DO IT YOURSELF? DIDN'T WALTER TEACH YOU HOW TO DO THIS? NO. CAN YOU HELP ME? ...A REALITY FOR WHICH THEY CONSTANTLY PREPARE HIM. OK. I'M NOT ALWAYS GONNA TO BE HERE TO DO YOUR TIE, YOU KNOW. I KNOW. WE HAVE TALKED TO HIM ABOUT OUR LIFE AND HOW LIFE UNFOLDS,... AND WE MAY NOT ALWAYS BE HERE FOR HIM, AND WE ARE GOING TO HELP HIM PREPARE FOR A TIME WHEN WE'RE NOT. FOR OWEN, DISNEY HELPS HIM DECIPHER THIS LESSON TOO. A FAVOURITE SCENE FROM 'THE LION KING' OFFERS COMFORT. DAD? HMM? SIMBA SAYS, 'WE'LL ALWAYS BE FRIENDS, RIGHT, DAD?' RIGHT. BOTH: AND WE'LL ALWAYS BE TOGETHER, RIGHT? AND MUFASA SAYS, 'SIMBA, LET ME TELL YOU WHAT MY FATHER ONCE TOLD ME.' LOOK AT THE STARS. ALL: THE GREAT KINGS OF THE PAST LOOK DOWN UPON US FROM THOSE STARS. SO WHENEVER YOU FEEL ALONE, JUST REMEMBER THAT THOSE KINGS WILL ALWAYS BE THERE TO GUIDE YOU. AND SO WILL I. THERE WILL BE A TIME UP AHEAD WHEN WE'LL BE GONE. HE WILL NOT ONLY LOOK AT THE STARS; HE WILL HEAR IN HIS HEAD THE VOICES OF ALL OF THE CHARACTERS HE'S EMBRACED. # WE WOULDN'T HAVE GOT ANYWHERE IF IT WEREN'T FOR YOU,... # DAD. # THAT HAS HELPED HIM LIVE. THEY'VE HELPED HIM MAKE HIS WAY IN THE WORLD, AND HE WILL REMEMBER US. PRECISELY ` OUR VOICES, OUR FACES, OUR WORDS AND OUR LOVE. HEY, GIVE ME A HUG. SEE, DAD? THINGS ARE REALLY... ALL'S RIGHT WITH THE WORLD, AND GOOD THINGS WILL COME MY WAY! ALL'S RIGHT WITH THE WORLD. HA! SUCH A WONDERFUL STORY. 'LIFE, ANIMATED' WAS NOMINATED FOR AN OSCAR FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY. WHILE THE SUSKINDS CONTINUE THEIR WORK WITH AUTISM, OWEN CONTINUES TO TEACH OTHERS AND LOOK FOR A LUCKY NEW GIRLFRIEND. THAT'S OUR SHOW FOR TONIGHT. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. KIA ORA. NGA MIHI.