Sundance Channel to Premiere Documentary Autism Every Day on World Autism Awareness Day, April 2nd at 8:...( Film Captures Everyday Lives of ...),Health

Film Captures Everyday Lives of Eight Families Living with Autism

NEW YORK, Feb. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Sundance Channel will present the U.S. television premiere of Lauren Thierry's documentary Autism Every Day on April 2, 2008, which has been designated World Autism Awareness Day by the United Nations. The film, which debuted at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, documents a typical 24-hour day in the lives of eight families struggling to raise children with autism. Autism Every Day premieres on April 2nd at 8:00pm et/pt.

Autism is a complex brain disorder that inhibits a person's ability to communicate and develop social relationships, and is often accompanied by extreme behavioral challenges. There is no cure for autism and the symptoms can range from quite mild to very severe. Autism rates are increasing throughout the world. In the United States, diagnoses have increased tenfold in the last decade, affecting 1 in 150 children according to the Centers for Disease Control. Autism's cause remains unknown, and there is currently no test to help prevent it. Addressing the disorder as a global health issue, the General Assembly of the United Nations has designated April 2nd as World Autism Awareness Day in perpetuity, starting in 2008. On April 2nd, U.N. member nations will seek to raise society's awareness of autism through education and celebration.

With Autism Every Day, director Lauren Thierry (who is herself the mother of a child with autism) illuminates the struggles parents of children with autism face every moment of the day. Thierry goes inside the homes of eight diverse families doing their best to cope with a perplexing disorder that completely dominates their lives. Autism Every Day shows how developmental skills that most parents take for granted -- a child's ability to brush his teeth or communicate a need -- can prove enormous hurdles for an autistic child. At the same, Thierry's film captures the unconditional, powerful love th
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