“It opened up the world of a boy with autism in a gentle and caring manner”

Paper Owl Films for CBeebies

The first children’s show with an all-autistic cast performing stories by autistic writers was a triumph of animation and characterisation.

Writer Andrew Brenner unearthed stories from writers on the spectrum, mentoring them to coax out the clearest ways of relating their real-life experiences. The team then established a safe environment for the autistic cast by building a sound booth at Paper Owl’s Belfast office.

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Inspired by managing director Gráinne McGuinness’ experience with her nephew, Pablo features a five-year-old whose magic crayons create characters that reflect individual aspects of the autism spectrum.

His imagination puts him in control of the story as he conjures up adventures featuring Mouse (a perfectionist who is sensitive to sounds), Noasaurus (an anxious worrier), Tang (who is excitable and clumsy), Wren (who channels her energy into the self-stimulatory behaviour of flapping her wings), Llama (who has echolalia, which causes her to repeat what people say) and Draff (a fact-lister).

The judges said the show was illuminating about the condition, leading to an understanding of how a child on the spectrum could become confused or scared.

“It opened up the world of a boy with autism in a gentle and caring manner,” said one, while another said it was “beautifully realised and exceptionally well-judged for the audience in opening a window on a misunderstood world”.

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