AGXStarseed
Well-Known Member
(Not written by me. May cause upset to readers/viewers)
Autistic teen who was told to kill himself by bullies uses a selfie stick to film heart-rending video capturing his daily anguish at the hands of his tormentors
A 14-year-old boy with Asperger's syndrome has made a short film to highlight his experience as a victim of bullying.
Armed with a selfie stick, a broken tripod and his mother's HD video camera, Ryan Wiggins from Watford, Hertfordshire, has written, produced and starred in his own short film about the psychological effects of bullying.
Moving and at times uncomfortable to watch, the film was created from start to finish by the teenager and posted on the YouTube channel he runs for autism awareness charity, Anna Kennedy Online.
Diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome at the age of ten, Ryan has been consistently bullied at school ever since he can remember, for being 'different'.
Ryan's moving DIY short film, which has been viewed 893 times, was posted as part of National Anti-Bullying Week.
In the black and white footage the camera follows Ryan through a typical day, from waking up in the morning to going to bed at night, with his own voice providing the commentary and a moving insight into the trauma he faces on a daily basis.
The video, titled Tomorrow, opens with Ryan's voice: 'Will I ever know what it's like to get out of bed without feeling reluctant or stand on my own two feet without falling or stumbling? Indeed not today. Maybe tomorrow.'
Next as he washes his face in the sink, his voiceover continues: 'Will I ever know what it's like to look at my own reflection without wanting to look away because I feel ashamed and disgusted at who I real am? I guess not today. Maybe tomorrow.'
Late after school Ryan is seen running home in distress and locking the front door behind him as he collapses to the floor in tears. But even there he is not safe. He receives a text message from an unknown number telling him to 'kill yourself'.
As he takes his medication, his voice asks: 'How much more of this do I have to take?'
Then when he is seen running home from school, the commentary says: 'Will all this ever end? Will there ever come a time that I'm finally happy? I know it won't be today. Maybe tomorrow.'
Ryan is seen grappling with many emotions, from sadness and despair to anger and frustration.
His mother Jo, said: 'What started with children excluding Ryan from play ground games soon escalated to name calling and constant teasing.
'His first primary school tried to tackle the issue but without much luck, so I was forced to move him. When the bullying started at his next school I ended up doing the same. I couldn't bear to see how much he was suffering.'
Thankfully now Ryan seems settled at his local technical college, studying photography, media and computing.
'I still have to put up with the odd bit of teasing', he said. 'But it's generally much better now.'
'From as early as I can remember, other children seemed to want to have a dig at me. I was constantly teased at primary school, with people calling me names like "nerdy" and "gay". Once one started, it wouldn't take long before others joined in.
'At worse they would push me around physically and a couple of kids threatened to beat me up in an alleyway. I tried to toughen up and deal with it but it gets unbearable after a while.
'When I started at my last school, everything was okay at first, then as soon as the other children got to know me and realised I was different, the relentless name calling and teasing would start all over again.'
Extremely articulate and mature for his age, Ryan is also very softly spoken.
'He's always been a very gentle child', said Jo, also mother to Ryan's little sister Lucy, age four.
'Ironically I think it's his maturity and gentleness that's part of the problem', she added. 'I think other children often find it difficult to relate to him.
'He's always been good at making friends, he just can't seem to hold onto them, which makes him very sad.'
With few friends at school, Ryan turned his focus to supporting other young people with autism and concentrating on his love of drama and singing.
Last year he performed for Autism's Got Talent and sung Someone Like You by Adele on the stage at London's Mermaid Theatre.
'It was an amazing experience', he said. ' I felt really confident, even in front of all those people.'
An annual event, Autism's Got Talent is organised by Anna Kennedy OBE. Named the Daily Mail's Woman Of The Year in 2012, Anna helps raise awareness about the condition which has around 700,000 sufferers here in the UK.
A lifelong developmental disability, autism impacts on how a person communicates with and relates to the world around them. A spectrum condition, it affects different people in different ways.
Ryan Wiggins speaks and sounds much like any other 'normal' boy of his age and talks with huge passion about his work with the charity that's given him so much encouragement and support.
In May this year, he returned to the Autism's Got Talent stage as an official patron of the charity. Standing up in front of an audience of over 600 people, he delivered a moving speech about his own experiences living with Asperger's and his battle against the bullies.
Speaking about the video, Ryan said: 'I wanted to make a film that shows people just how helpless and isolated you actually feel when people say and do horrible stuff to you over and over again.
'It wears you down. I think it's really important we all keep talking about this issue.
'Putting my feelings onto film was a big step for me but I hope it will encourage other kids to come forward if they're being bullied. It's so important not to suffer in silence.'
Auditions for Autism's Got Talent 2016 close December 31. For more information about this and autism charity, Anna Kennedy online.
SOURCE (with images and video): http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...es-selfie-stick-film-video-daily-torment.html
Autistic teen who was told to kill himself by bullies uses a selfie stick to film heart-rending video capturing his daily anguish at the hands of his tormentors
A 14-year-old boy with Asperger's syndrome has made a short film to highlight his experience as a victim of bullying.
Armed with a selfie stick, a broken tripod and his mother's HD video camera, Ryan Wiggins from Watford, Hertfordshire, has written, produced and starred in his own short film about the psychological effects of bullying.
Moving and at times uncomfortable to watch, the film was created from start to finish by the teenager and posted on the YouTube channel he runs for autism awareness charity, Anna Kennedy Online.
Diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome at the age of ten, Ryan has been consistently bullied at school ever since he can remember, for being 'different'.
Ryan's moving DIY short film, which has been viewed 893 times, was posted as part of National Anti-Bullying Week.
In the black and white footage the camera follows Ryan through a typical day, from waking up in the morning to going to bed at night, with his own voice providing the commentary and a moving insight into the trauma he faces on a daily basis.
The video, titled Tomorrow, opens with Ryan's voice: 'Will I ever know what it's like to get out of bed without feeling reluctant or stand on my own two feet without falling or stumbling? Indeed not today. Maybe tomorrow.'
Next as he washes his face in the sink, his voiceover continues: 'Will I ever know what it's like to look at my own reflection without wanting to look away because I feel ashamed and disgusted at who I real am? I guess not today. Maybe tomorrow.'
Late after school Ryan is seen running home in distress and locking the front door behind him as he collapses to the floor in tears. But even there he is not safe. He receives a text message from an unknown number telling him to 'kill yourself'.
As he takes his medication, his voice asks: 'How much more of this do I have to take?'
Then when he is seen running home from school, the commentary says: 'Will all this ever end? Will there ever come a time that I'm finally happy? I know it won't be today. Maybe tomorrow.'
Ryan is seen grappling with many emotions, from sadness and despair to anger and frustration.
His mother Jo, said: 'What started with children excluding Ryan from play ground games soon escalated to name calling and constant teasing.
'His first primary school tried to tackle the issue but without much luck, so I was forced to move him. When the bullying started at his next school I ended up doing the same. I couldn't bear to see how much he was suffering.'
Thankfully now Ryan seems settled at his local technical college, studying photography, media and computing.
'I still have to put up with the odd bit of teasing', he said. 'But it's generally much better now.'
'From as early as I can remember, other children seemed to want to have a dig at me. I was constantly teased at primary school, with people calling me names like "nerdy" and "gay". Once one started, it wouldn't take long before others joined in.
'At worse they would push me around physically and a couple of kids threatened to beat me up in an alleyway. I tried to toughen up and deal with it but it gets unbearable after a while.
'When I started at my last school, everything was okay at first, then as soon as the other children got to know me and realised I was different, the relentless name calling and teasing would start all over again.'
Extremely articulate and mature for his age, Ryan is also very softly spoken.
'He's always been a very gentle child', said Jo, also mother to Ryan's little sister Lucy, age four.
'Ironically I think it's his maturity and gentleness that's part of the problem', she added. 'I think other children often find it difficult to relate to him.
'He's always been good at making friends, he just can't seem to hold onto them, which makes him very sad.'
With few friends at school, Ryan turned his focus to supporting other young people with autism and concentrating on his love of drama and singing.
Last year he performed for Autism's Got Talent and sung Someone Like You by Adele on the stage at London's Mermaid Theatre.
'It was an amazing experience', he said. ' I felt really confident, even in front of all those people.'
An annual event, Autism's Got Talent is organised by Anna Kennedy OBE. Named the Daily Mail's Woman Of The Year in 2012, Anna helps raise awareness about the condition which has around 700,000 sufferers here in the UK.
A lifelong developmental disability, autism impacts on how a person communicates with and relates to the world around them. A spectrum condition, it affects different people in different ways.
Ryan Wiggins speaks and sounds much like any other 'normal' boy of his age and talks with huge passion about his work with the charity that's given him so much encouragement and support.
In May this year, he returned to the Autism's Got Talent stage as an official patron of the charity. Standing up in front of an audience of over 600 people, he delivered a moving speech about his own experiences living with Asperger's and his battle against the bullies.
Speaking about the video, Ryan said: 'I wanted to make a film that shows people just how helpless and isolated you actually feel when people say and do horrible stuff to you over and over again.
'It wears you down. I think it's really important we all keep talking about this issue.
'Putting my feelings onto film was a big step for me but I hope it will encourage other kids to come forward if they're being bullied. It's so important not to suffer in silence.'
Auditions for Autism's Got Talent 2016 close December 31. For more information about this and autism charity, Anna Kennedy online.
SOURCE (with images and video): http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...es-selfie-stick-film-video-daily-torment.html
