Aussie actor Hugo Weaving has released a new video in conjunction with Sentis to help raise awareness around Autism. http://sentis.com/
Approximately one child in 100 is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD), and one of those children is Hugo’s nephew Ky.
The video addresses the hardships that not only the children like Ky face, but also their loved ones.
Hugo recounts a story in which his sister, Nicole, was shamed by strangers for her “unruly” child when she took her son to the shopping centre.
“To onlookers, Ky was just a badly behaved child having a tantrum. The hardest part for Ky’s mum wasn’t his behavior, but knowing people were judging his parenting,” the actor says.
“Sometimes, people would even tell her to control her child, and that she was doing it all wrong.”
The campaign hopes to break the stigma around autism, and as Hugo says in the video hopes for more “awareness, understanding and friendship”.
At the campaign’s launch event this morning, Hugh joined Ky and Nicole onstage to speak about their experience and what they hoped to achieve by making the video.
“The reason I got involved was because of family connections,” said the actor. “It’s always wonderful for me to come and spend time with the family so to be involved with something which is to do with family and also which is of great benefit to not only to Ky but anyone living with autism and families dealing with the issues that goes with it is wonderful and something that was very easy to say yes to.”
At the event the QLD health minister has announced plans to recommended that the film be shown in schools across Queensland.
Watch the video below and find out more information here.
