Autism: The Sequel

Autism: The Sequel puts the spotlight on young people with autism and how it affects them and their families.

Autism: The Sequel hit screens on April 28th, 2020, on the HBO network. Many people and documentaries are focused on young people with autism, but Autism: The Sequel focusses squarely on young adults dealing with the challenges of autism.

This show, Autism: The Sequel, is a follow-up to the successful Autism: The Musical which first premiered in 2007 and followed five autistic children as they created and performed in a live musical performance. The sequel reconnects with the five children and their families from the original show twelve years later to see how their world has changed since the original show was released.

“12 years ago, we heard parents in the film echo one overwhelming concern – what will happen to my child when they are older? What will happen when my child when they are older? What will their lives look like?” said Sasha Alpert, executive vice president of Bunim/Murray Productions and producer of Autism: The Sequel and Autism: The Musical. “What has happened to these sons and daughters might surprise you.”

It was the success of Autism: The Musical, which led the way when it came to shows of this type and eventually led to the creation of the award–winning show Born This Way on A&E which focused on the life of people with Down Syndrome.

If you never had the opportunity to see Autism: The Musical, you still have time before the sequel Autism: The Sequel is on the HBO network. This 40-minute mini-documentary is definitely worth a look with many people excited to see how far the original cast has come in their journey and some of the challenges that they have faced along the way.