An Autistic Filmmaker’s Tale of “Hardship, Perseverance, & Hope”
Jan 21, 2022 Colorado filmmaker Scott Klumb and his film “Autism: One Man’s Journey” tell the story of a young man overcoming 10 years of depression, tendencies toward self-harm, and addiction to become an award-winning Cameraman/Director/Film Editor who just happens to be on the autism spectrum.
This is truly one of our favorite podcasts! Award-winning autistic filmmaker Scott Klum recently spoke with Speech Blubs host Jaka Z.!
This podcast tells the story of Scott’s rocky journey from being undiagnosed to finally receiving an autism diagnosis. He reminisces that his motivation to “stop the bullying” in early childhood led him into therapy. Even more, he eventually found out that his symptoms mirrored that of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
After receiving his diagnosis, Scott reports feeling profound relief. He said it explained “so many incidents,” and he started to give himself a break and finally get the treatment he needed.
We get to meet his “best companion,” his dog ‘2-Paw Barkur,’ a calming, friendly force in his life.
I’m just wired differently than a neurotypical person.
Listen to Blub Talks with Scott Klumb
The conversation begins with Scott admitting that “life hasn’t been easy.”
This is the starting point for his filmed memoir, Autism: One Man’s Journey. The film deals with everything he went through until his late diagnosis at the age of 23. The film’s main message is “The diagnosis was a turning point.”
Fortunately, that diagnosis and the ensuing therapy finally gave him the tools he needed to deal with the issues that most autistic children navigate like delayed communication, lacking the ability to make eye contact or facial expressions, or not even talking.
In fact, he remembers his therapist finally convinced him that “I’m just wired differently than a neurotypical person.”
His story took a positive turn as he discovered an unknown aptitude for photography and filmmaking. Scott entered his latest film into the Disability Film Challenge and won the “Best Editor” prize out of a total of 87 films.
As a result, he hopes that his filmmaking will be the thing that defines him, instead of his being autistic. And he further hopes that his film brings awareness about late diagnoses for autistic people. His story highlights the struggles of those left behind, or the “forgotten or lost generation” of people who undiagnosed as youngsters.
Scott ended the talk saying that “early intervention is very important.”
Advice for Parents by Scott Klumb
Moreover, he advises parents to talk to a therapist or psychologist as soon as they see some of the symptoms he experienced.
An insightful talk about an inspiring filmmaker. We hope our parents will give this podcast a listen. Also, that goes for those who children and adolescents on the spectrum, other young people with ASD, and anyone who suspects their children may need some expert services and are undiagnosed. Scott’s story of courage will inspire you, and his dog is pretty great, too!
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I loved writing this blog post. Truly inspiring “Rocky” type story of overcoming humble beginnings to surpass all expectations! Well done, Scott (and Jaka)!