Watch: The three-minute video teaching children about autism

A 13-year-old boy is hoping to challenge society’s attitudes towards autism by sharing his personal story about growing up on the spectrum.

Beppe Caruana, who is unable to speak, uses a tailor-made augmentative device that has allowed him to find his voice and share his thoughts in a short powerful video titled Dan Jien.

The video was designed with middle school students in mind and has already been shown to over 1,000 students in 45 workshops across state, Church and independent schools in Malta and Gozo.

“Where do I begin? One word comes to mind: complicated! I was always judged and called names such as ‘caflangu’ (weird) or ‘hyper’… all to my face as if I didn’t exist,” Beppe says in the video, accompanied by his parents Olivia and Joseph.

“Let me tell you who I am. I’m different from you. I see the world around me as complete chaos; it drives me crazy to walk in a crowd. I hear differently from you; bright lights and loud noises make me very anxious… Although I cannot speak, with great effort I can write, and I wrote this script to share my thoughts about who I really am; an autistic individual, who is perfectly complicated. This is me. Dan Jien.”

From initial observations, the students’ feedback clearly shows the video is achieving its objective and has resonated with students, sparking curiosity, open discussions, and genuine interest in the topic of autism.

The video was produced through a €19,000 grant from the Voluntary Organisations Project Scheme in collaboration with The Malta Trust Foundation’s E3 Project.

That project has for the past years been raising funds to purchase specialised devices that give children who are non-verbal the chance to communicate.

Dan Jien, which forms part of a national campaign, was coordinated by The Malta Trust Foundation chair Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, and launched this week in the presence of Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela, Education Minister Clifton Grima and Inclusion Minister Julia Farrugia.

Beppe has already written five children’s books, and Coleiro Preca said the young boy has been instrumental is helping to dismantle society’s misconceptions about autism.

“Beppe is an inspiration to us all. He’s a living example of what people with autism can achieve when given the right tools and support. His message is one of encouragement to all parents that their autistic children have huge untapped potential; they should not give up — Beppe is living testimony of this,” Coleiro Preca said.

“This video is a strong appeal for action. It’s a manifesto of encouragement that inclusion is not a buzzword, that effective inclusion is appreciating that everyone has a right to voice their thoughts, even when they’re unable to speak.”