RePost TV Alert

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-16-2006
RePost TV Alert
Fri, 04-06-2007 - 10:10pm

This was posted last week and I wanted to repost, it seems interesting.

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Nick News with Linda Ellerbee PRIVATE WORLDS: KIDS AND AUTISM Airs Sunday,
April 22 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on Nickelodeon

NEW YORK, March 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, an estimated one in 150 kids
is diagnosed with autism. Imagine being disconnected from the world around
you; not being able to make sense of some things you see, hear, smell and
touch; needing something and not being able to express yourself. The
award-winning Nick News with Linda Ellerbee takes a look at the lives of
kids struggling with different levels of autism in Private Worlds: Kids and
Autism premiering Sunday, April 22 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on Nickelodeon.
"Autism is not a mental illness. It's not contagious, and it's not a
choice; and while kids with autism have been described as living in their
own private worlds," Ellerbee said, "they are also living in our world.
Therein lies the challenge for all of us: How do we live differently
together?"
Private Worlds: Kids and Autism begins with the story of Andrew, a
severely autistic fifth grader. It's difficult to understand what life is
like for Andrew because he can't communicate his feelings. His family can't
go places or do things with out considering his needs, or without worrying
he might do something inappropriate in public. Though Andrew will never get
entirely better, the family is doing what it can to make his life as full
as possible.

The special also introduces viewers to Bond, a 15-year-old with
Aspergers Syndrome, generally considered a more high functioning form of
autism. He's smart and articulate, but still has problems socializing.
Temple Grandin tells her amazing story through her groundbreaking books
about being autistic, and implores kids not to tease their autistic
classmates. Matt is fourteen and has "Savant Syndrome," which means he
possesses an extraordinary gift, in his case, the ability to play the
piano. "Savant syndrome" is rare, but it happens.
A final segment highlights how other kids can be a part of the lives
and worlds of kids with autism. We meet kids who are part of a special
hockey program where kids with autism play with typical kids. Their story
shows us that kids with autism have a lot to offer as friends. Private
Worlds also features commentary from kids who are not autistic, but speak
about what it's like to be around kids who are.
Nick News with Linda Ellerbee, which recently celebrated its 15th year
on the air, is the longest-running kids' news show in television history,
and has built its reputation on the respectful and direct way it speaks to
kids about important issues of the day. In 2005, it won the Emmy for
Outstanding Children's Programming for From the Holocaust to the Sudan. In
2002, "Faces of Hope: The Kids of Afghanistan," won the Emmy for
Outstanding Children's Programming. In 1994, the entire series, Nick News
with Linda Ellerbee, won the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programming.
In 1998, "What Are You Staring At?" a program about kids with physical
disabilities, won the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programming. Nick
News with Linda Ellerbee has received more than 20 Emmy nominations. Nick
News, produced by Lucky Duck Productions, is also the recipient of three
Peabody Awards, including a personal one given to Ellerbee for her
coverage, for kids, of the President Clinton impeachment; two Columbia
duPont Awards; and more than a dozen Parents' Choice Awards.
Nickelodeon, in its 28th year, is the number-one entertainment brand
for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in
everything it does. The company includes television programming and
production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer
products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films.
Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in almost 92 million
households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for almost
12 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and
logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc.