Documentary on Newstalk is proud to present the Award-winning series: The Moon is an Orange Triangle
Three families- six autistic children. This wonderfully insightful three-part documentary series tells their stories. Documentary maker, Alison Toomey, spent eight months living with these families, learning about autism and questioning our pre-conceived notions of normality…
Jack O’Rourke 11, Cormac Mac Suibhne 9 and the Brogan siblings, Marty 8, Cassie 6 and twins, Patrick & Daniel 5, all have autism.
These exceptional children will bring you on a journey like no other you have ever experienced. Challenge your normal mind-set and jump right into the off-beat, quirky, routine driven lives of all these children and their families.
Learn about autism and discover what it is really like to live with people who just don’t see the world the way we do.
Alison, “This is a very real, human series, which tells the stories of families who live positively with autism every day. Through their openness and frank honesty, their optimism and calmness, I got to see a completely different picture and I began to disregard most of my pre-conceived ideas about autism…totally”.
Programme 1: We meet the three families and their six autistic children and begin to learn about the day-to-day realities of living on the spectrum. What are the children’s issues, difficulties and abilities? Parents coping mechanisms, and temper tantrums as family’s prepare for communion days, along with shapes, the colour orange, easter eggs and funny names.
Programme 2: Communion days for two of the families, singing and black tea. We go surfing with the Brogan children and learn about liquid therapy. We see the difficulties involved in hospital visits. We travel to Arran Mór Island as the Sweeny family prepare to open their home to Irish students.
Programme 3: Parents reflect on the children being first diagnosed. We discuss penguins in SuperValu, shopping and going to the cinema. The sensory room acts as a refuge. We say good-bye and ask the hard questions of what does the future hold for the families and their children and if they could wish their children’s autism away, would they?
‘The Moon is an Orange Triangle (Episode Two)’ will be broadcast on Newstalk 106-108fm this weekend, Sat 20th December at 7am, repeated Sun 21st December at 10am
The Moon is an Orange Triangle (Episode Three) Episode 3 airs on Sat 3rd January 2015 at 7am, repeated Sun 4th January 2015 at 10am
‘The Moon is an Orange Triangle’ can also be listened to online at www.newstalk.com A podcast will be available at www.newstalk.com/documentaryonnewstalk after the broadcast.
CREDITS:
‘The Moon is an Orange Triangle’ was directed by Alison Toomey and produced by Real Films and was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland
AWARDS:
‘The Moon is an Orange Triangle’ was awarded Gold Medal for Best Educational Documentary –The New York Festivals World Best Radio programs 2013.
