Born Without Social Genes | Nick Jr. Parents Blog
A young boy with Asperger’s interviews his mother and the result is a touching tribute to parenting.
Q&A from StoryCorps on Vimeo.
Joshua Littman was a twelve-year-old boy with Asperger’s Syndrome
when he and his Mum took part in an oral history project run by Story Corps.
In it Joshua, who is now twenty, interviews his Mum and the audio has
been beautifully animated to allow the viewer to ‘see’ the world from
Joshua’s eyes.
In the interview, Joshua asks his Mum some pretty candid questions.
The honest and touching answers that Sarah gives illustrates the
powerful bonds of parenthood and also show some of the challenges that
come with being a parent of a kid with Asperger’s.
Kids with Asperger’s Syndrome often miss social cues and can have
topics or interests that can be described as obsessive. Joshua’s
obsession is with animals. His Mum, Sarah, describes him as like “being
born without social genes”.
In the interview Joshua asks his Mum questions such as, “Do you have
any mortal enemies?” and the more tricky one, “Have you ever lied to
me?”. But the most touching moment has to be when Joshua asks his
mother, “Did I turn out to the son you wanted when I was born?” Sarah’s
beautifully articulated answer will bring a tear to your eye, and really
gives a glimpse into how much she herself would have grown and
developed over the course of Joshua’s life.
This interview was one of the most popular produced in the Story
Corps oral history initiative, and prompted a follow up five years
later, when eighteen-year-old Joshua re-interviewed his Mum following
his departure to college. In the updated interview, Joshua questions his
Mum about how she felt when he left for college and again her
sensitive answers to his questions show the depth of their relationship
and the special bonds that they have.
You can here the updated interview here.
Q&A from StoryCorps on Vimeo.
Joshua Littman was a twelve-year-old boy with Asperger’s Syndrome
when he and his Mum took part in an oral history project run by Story Corps.
In it Joshua, who is now twenty, interviews his Mum and the audio has
been beautifully animated to allow the viewer to ‘see’ the world from
Joshua’s eyes.
In the interview, Joshua asks his Mum some pretty candid questions.
The honest and touching answers that Sarah gives illustrates the
powerful bonds of parenthood and also show some of the challenges that
come with being a parent of a kid with Asperger’s.
Kids with Asperger’s Syndrome often miss social cues and can have
topics or interests that can be described as obsessive. Joshua’s
obsession is with animals. His Mum, Sarah, describes him as like “being
born without social genes”.
In the interview Joshua asks his Mum questions such as, “Do you have
any mortal enemies?” and the more tricky one, “Have you ever lied to
me?”. But the most touching moment has to be when Joshua asks his
mother, “Did I turn out to the son you wanted when I was born?” Sarah’s
beautifully articulated answer will bring a tear to your eye, and really
gives a glimpse into how much she herself would have grown and
developed over the course of Joshua’s life.
This interview was one of the most popular produced in the Story
Corps oral history initiative, and prompted a follow up five years
later, when eighteen-year-old Joshua re-interviewed his Mum following
his departure to college. In the updated interview, Joshua questions his
Mum about how she felt when he left for college and again her
sensitive answers to his questions show the depth of their relationship
and the special bonds that they have.
You can here the updated interview here.
