Reaching Rosie
Director jessica morris
Countries United Kingdom
Duration 26 min
Synopsis
Rosie Morris is five years old and severely autistic. She still has virtually no speech and depends on parents Andy & Kara entirely. This is their story. Andy and Kara have developed a staggeringly positive attitude to combat their daily challenges. They see Rosie’s autism as ‘beautiful and magical’. An estimated 1 in 100 people in the UK fall somewhere on the autistic spectrum. Andy and Kara were told by doctors that Rosie faced a ‘lifelong developmental disability’ - but they refused to accept it. After unsuccessful experiences with a state ‘special school’, they began searching for alternatives. Finally they discovered the Florida-based Growing Minds programme, run by behaviour analyst Stephen Wertz, who promised a hybrid tailored to Rosie’s needs - insisting that autism is not incurable. After a tough year of fund-raising to reach the $17,000 needed, the family set off for Florida. Over the next 10 days Andy and Kara made many discoveries, about themselves as well as Rosie. By the end of the week, they were seeing an ordinary child, willful, spirited and often manipulative. Ironically their desire to preserve her ‘perfect’ world was holding back her development and, ultimately, their own lives.
Rosie Morris is five years old and severely autistic. She still has virtually no speech and depends on parents Andy & Kara entirely. This is their story. Andy and Kara have developed a staggeringly positive attitude to combat their daily challenges. They see Rosie’s autism as ‘beautiful and magical’. An estimated 1 in 100 people in the UK fall somewhere on the autistic spectrum. Andy and Kara were told by doctors that Rosie faced a ‘lifelong developmental disability’ - but they refused to accept it. After unsuccessful experiences with a state ‘special school’, they began searching for alternatives. Finally they discovered the Florida-based Growing Minds programme, run by behaviour analyst Stephen Wertz, who promised a hybrid tailored to Rosie’s needs - insisting that autism is not incurable. After a tough year of fund-raising to reach the $17,000 needed, the family set off for Florida. Over the next 10 days Andy and Kara made many discoveries, about themselves as well as Rosie. By the end of the week, they were seeing an ordinary child, willful, spirited and often manipulative. Ironically their desire to preserve her ‘perfect’ world was holding back her development and, ultimately, their own lives.