A Place to Belong: Asperger's and a School

Matthew and Josh are middle school boys who were bullied because of their unusual social behavior. In 'A Place to Belong' they enroll in an innovative school that only accepts children with Asperger's syndrome. There, the boys share their experiences of bullying and begin to make friends for the first time in their lives. Children with Asperger's are unable to read normal social cues. At this new school the boys are taught to compensate for this. They learn, for example, that if they find it disturbing to look into a person's eyes when talking, to 'fake it' by looking at the person's forehead. In the film the boys learn new skills, transform and gain confidence. Today, one in seventy boys has autism.