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Leah_Beno's Blog

by Leah_Beno

Last Post 3 days, 4 hours Ago


Autistic Twins
Nov 27, 2007 | 5:36 PM
Category: News
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Let me start of by saying in TV we have many fascinating days.  However, shooting a story about autistic twins was an experience I will never forget.  The four minute story about the Hallman Twins everyone saw on air was only the tip of the iceberg.  By the time my friend and photographer, Joe Avary, turned off the camera we had more than FOUR HOURS of footage to work with.  The 10pm News is only one hour long, so needless to say we were forced to leave a lot out. 
 
Emily and Elizabeth Hallman are 6 years old and both autistic,that in itself is very rare because autism is more popular in boys.  The girls were diagnosed around 15 months old. Their parents, Brian and Jamie Hallman, say they weren't talking or crawling in any of the ways their older son Alex did at their age.  The only difference between the identical twins is a freckle on Emily's nose.
 
For the past four years the Hallman's put their twins into all sort of therapies to get them moving and talking. Private tutors are expensive, but working. The girls are adorable and making amazing progress.  In many ways, they are just like any other little girls.
 
The Hallman's no doubt have a lot to deal with. Not only do they have autistic twins, but they have a 9 year old son who has been put on the back burner for years. The strain and the family and the Hallman's marriage is unimaginable.  But after just one day with the Hallman's you can tell they love each other for all their differences... whether life is easy or not.  I hope to have children some day, and hope I am half as dedicated to my future kids as the Hallman's are to theirs.
 
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bearded_one
Nov 27, 2007 | 8:39 PM

every so often a story comes along that's just too big for the time allotted. that was the case with tonight's story on the hallman family.

raising kids is tough - any parent out there will tell you that - but there are special challenges that come with special needs kids. for example, the divorce rate for parents of special needs children is substantially higher than for other married couples. the fact that the family is still together speaks to the love in the hallman household.

i think tonight's story turned out well, but the real story of emily and elizabeth is just getting started. what happens when they get older?

stay tuned....
Tiggersmommy read my blog view my photos
Nov 28, 2007 | 4:55 PM

Great big round of applause to Fox8 for airing this and a Medal of Honor to the Hallman family for courage under fire. Their love for one another and willingness to go the extra mile and fight the good fight - together - for these kids speaks volumes about the true meaning of family and love. We could all take a lesson from them in some way or another. Special kudos to the 9 yr old son Alex, it can't be easy to take the back seat all the time - even more so when you are that young. My heartfelt respect and admiration goes out to the whole family.
On another note, I think it is deplorable that this family had to be on a waiting list for help - yet another example of your tax dollars at work, or not as the case may be.
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Leah_Beno

I am a Fox 8 News Reporter...and loving it!!!

Member Since: 5/3/2007


 

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