1. Provide the title of your story or series and the names of the journalists involved.
"Can Joey Make a Friend?" by Lorenzo Benet, Assistant Editor and Alex Tresniowski. Additional credit: Larry Hackett, Managing Editor.
2. List date(s) this work was published or aired.
Nov. 22, 2010.
3. Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
With one out of every 110 children now diagnosed with an autism-spectrum disorder, People has been committed to covering both the medical and human sides of this national story — from reporting on the debunking of the vaccine-autism theory to highlighting new efforts to diagnose early signs in babies to profiling one Utah family raising six autistic children. While much media coverage is devoted to looking at the disorder in children, we wanted to understand what happens to these kids — and what options do they have — as they get older. How do adolescents with autism manage in high school, where youngsters can be subject to ridicule and exclusion for the most trivial of reasons? That question led us to Joey Hersholt, a 17-year-old California teen with mild autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder, enrolled by his parents in a promising program at UCLA. Its goal: To teach teens with autism the building blocks of friendship. Following Joey and his family through four-months of classes, reporter Lorenzo Benet and photographer David Butow gained unusual access to the hopes, dreams and struggles of a boy who is different — and movingly chronicled his gradual social awakening. Told in great detail and never shying from the very real limitations Joey continues to have, this article offered new hope for parents and vital information for our 45 million readers.
4. Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
N/a.
5. Explain types of human sources used.
N/a.
6. Results (if any).
N/a.
7. Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
N/a.
8. Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
N/a.