Earlier this summer, my family went to see the documentary Swim Team which follows a Special Olympics swim team in New Jersey focusing on the lives of three swimmers in particular. These three swimmers (Mike, Kelvin, and Robert) are all on the autism spectrum, and Kelvin also has Tourette's syndrome. Tourette's syndrome usually consists of blurting out words involuntarily and tics. While all of the characters provided different and valuable perspectives into the lives of people with autism, the one I felt my family could most connect to was Kelvin. While Kelvin and Robb are very different people, they are both sometimes treated as outsiders by their Special Olympics team. His mom talks about how you think that the Special Olympics team is going to be okay with all differences, but sometimes certain differences can isolate members of the team.
I think that this movie is a must see because despite the athletes' differences the movie makes them human. They become powerful protagonists who are funny, smart, and amazing swimmers. This shows viewers not to confine people with autism to that one characteristic. One of my goals from the start of this blog was to show people that my brother's identity does not end when I say he has special needs, but instead, it often expands in unique ways. Though I can make parallels between characters in the movie and relatives of my own, I want to emphasize the saying that "if you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism." Meaning, watching this movie does not make the viewer an autism expert, and autism can present itself in so many different ways.
Another precaution before you watch this movie: In the movie, some parents say their son was never supposed to talk, but he can now speak because they worked at it. I hear this often, and it always stings a little because my parents worked so hard to help Robb learn to talk. (He could say some words before he had autism, but when he developed autism at three, he become non-verbal.) My mother did flashcards with him every morning, and he has had many speech therapists. And though he is still non-verbal, he tries so hard to make words, and often he makes noises that are so close to words. So just because these parents worked really hard and their son can now talk, does NOT mean that Robb's or my parents' lack of work is the reason Robb cannot talk.
Check out http://www.swimteamthefilm.com to find a screening near you!
