What About Autism is a documentary channel by me, Tim Brand, a filmmaker on the Central Coast of NSW, about life with my son Eden, who is 13, autistic and non-speaking. Eden can’t tell his story, so I’m telling it for him: the hard days, the exhaustion, the small victories and the system that so often fails families like ours. This four-minute film is the place to start.
Eden is 13. He’s autistic and he doesn’t speak. He can’t tell his story, so I’m telling it for him.
What’s in the film
- 0:00 Who we are. Me, Eden, and the family around him.
- 1:33 Why I’m telling his story. What I want people to understand.
- 3:20 Thank you.
Why What About Autism exists
This channel isn’t about pity, and it isn’t about pretending autism is easy. It’s about seeing the person beyond the diagnosis, and what autism means for the whole family: kids, parents and siblings.
Eden has changed the way I see the world. Living with him means the tough days and the exhaustion, and it also means laughter and moments of connection that make everything worthwhile.
And it means seeing, up close, how often the systems that are meant to help families like ours don’t. Schools, services, the gaps between them. That’s part of the story too.
Who it’s for
If you’ve never lived with autism, you’re exactly who I made this for. There are more of you than us, and you’re the ones who can make the world easier for kids like Eden.
And if you have lived it: you’re not alone.
The music
The song in the film is Hidden Histories, which I wrote for Eden. It’s the theme of What About Autism.
Worth knowing
autistic Australians counted in 2022. More than half had a profound or severe communication restriction.
ABS, 2022Australians are the primary carer of a child or young person with disability. Nine in ten are a parent.
ABS, 2022Researchers now say the language capacity of non-speaking autistic people has been seriously underestimated.
Jaswal et al., 2024Mothers of autistic adolescents and adults in a US study were nearly three times as likely to have a stressful event on any given day.
Smith et al., 2010Questions people ask
What is What About Autism?
A documentary channel by Tim Brand, a filmmaker and photographer on the Central Coast of NSW, about life with his son Eden, who is autistic and non-speaking, and about the systems that affect families like his.
What is level 3 autism?
Level 3 is the description used for autistic people who need very substantial support in daily life. Eden needs support with almost everything and can’t be left alone.
What does non-verbal or non-speaking autism mean?
It means an autistic person doesn’t use spoken words to communicate, or uses very few. It does not mean they don’t understand. Eden communicates with his hands, his sounds, his face and by leading us to what he wants.
Keep reading
Follow our story
If this meant something to you, the best thing you can do is subscribe and share it with someone who has never lived with autism. That is who I am making this for.
Sources
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, Autism in Australia, 2022.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, Children and young people with disability, 2022 (released April 2025).
- Jaswal VK et al., Autism, 2024; University of Virginia, study reveals unexpected literacy in autistic people who cannot speak (March 2024).
- Smith LE et al., Daily experiences among mothers of adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder, J Autism Dev Disord, 2010 (US study).
