1 00:00:01,834 --> 00:00:04,503 Voice over: It was straight to the top for Donato Tocci. 2 00:00:04,503 --> 00:00:08,418 At eleven years old he's already a television news anchor. 3 00:00:08,418 --> 00:00:10,786 And he's about to go LIVE! 4 00:00:10,836 --> 00:00:13,069 Teacher: You look great Donato. 5 00:00:13,230 --> 00:00:16,731 Adult announcer: This is Action 7 News! 6 00:00:16,824 --> 00:00:18,617 Hello. I'm Donato Tocci. 7 00:00:18,617 --> 00:00:24,267 Voice over: News has an agenda at Worral Elementary School in Broomall Pennsylvania. 8 00:00:24,267 --> 00:00:30,902 The reporters aren't simply young and driven, they also have Asperger's Syndrome. 9 00:00:30,902 --> 00:00:35,685 Children with this form of autism often have trouble with social cues 10 00:00:35,685 --> 00:00:38,368 like facial expressions and gestures. 11 00:00:38,368 --> 00:00:40,235 And working well with others. 12 00:00:40,235 --> 00:00:42,284 Child: I said Mona Lisa! 13 00:00:42,284 --> 00:00:49,850 Voice over: And that's the very reason Asperger's specialist Randy Rentz and speech pathologist Kristen Dercole developed the newscast, 14 00:00:49,850 --> 00:00:54,362 filled with kid-friendly skits and commercials. 15 00:00:54,438 --> 00:00:58,451 They wanted their students to see the world from another angle. 16 00:00:58,451 --> 00:01:02,217 Randy: A lot of my kids are very black and white so to speak, 17 00:01:02,217 --> 00:01:05,657 where they don't understand the middle area-- the grey area. 18 00:01:05,657 --> 00:01:13,200 And they may know "happy", they may know "sad", but they don't know the difference in between. 19 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:19,219 Voice over: But television journalists, even miniature ones, need to watch themselves from time to time 20 00:01:19,219 --> 00:01:25,669 and think critically about how they present themselves. Especially how they sound. 21 00:01:25,669 --> 00:01:31,069 Kristen: I think that reporters in general are really good role models for students as far as good speaking skills. 22 00:01:31,069 --> 00:01:36,101 We always talk about how, to be on a newscast you have to over enunciate. 23 00:01:36,101 --> 00:01:41,418 Child: His owner, Mike Sheelan, even takes him on cross-country races. (He slurs his speech a little...) 24 00:01:41,418 --> 00:01:43,485 Kristen: You have to slow down your rate of speech. 25 00:01:43,485 --> 00:01:45,751 Child: (slurs a little)... in the world. 26 00:01:45,751 --> 00:01:48,501 Kristen: You have to really work on your pitch. 27 00:01:48,501 --> 00:01:52,101 Child: The greatest candy bar EVER MADE. 28 00:01:52,101 --> 00:01:53,986 Kristen: You want to emphasize key words... 29 00:01:53,986 --> 00:01:57,686 Child: In sports news, JETER HITS THREE THOUSAND! 30 00:01:57,686 --> 00:02:03,069 Kristen: So there's a lot of different parts of speech that we can work on while you work on the newscast. 31 00:02:03,069 --> 00:02:08,867 (Child is speaking.) Voice over: That's Augie Penteles, reporting the very latest in sports. 32 00:02:08,867 --> 00:02:13,868 When his mother Michelle learned he has Asperger's and would need treatment, 33 00:02:13,868 --> 00:02:16,951 This isn't exactly what she envisioned. 34 00:02:16,951 --> 00:02:22,801 Mother: So I was a little angry when I first met everyone here... a little frustrated.. 35 00:02:22,801 --> 00:02:31,285 And you know, scared for my son. But I think that being in the program for six years has changed the course of his life. 36 00:02:31,285 --> 00:02:38,625 The skills that he's learned... coping skills, strategies, just how to react to people and how to read people... 37 00:02:38,625 --> 00:02:43,517 Voice over: It's a good perk, but the journalists themselves can think of a better one. 38 00:02:43,517 --> 00:02:49,600 When the half hour broadcast is complete each year, the whole school gathers to watch. 39 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:57,109 Child: Well I guess my favorite part about Action 7 is getting to do all the other skits. 40 00:02:57,109 --> 00:03:00,050 AND letting your friends envy you! 41 00:03:00,050 --> 00:03:03,300 Voice over: Even Donato, the anchor, feels it. 42 00:03:03,300 --> 00:03:06,384 Donato: I've never been this famous before. 43 00:03:06,384 --> 00:03:15,134 Voice over: For children with Asperger's, kids who often stand out from the rest of the crowd, that feeling can be, well, monumental. 44 00:03:15,134 --> 00:03:23,485 Teacher: One year I was over at the middle school and there was a huge huge difference with the kids who had been through the program socially. 45 00:03:23,485 --> 00:03:29,418 Not just with their confidence, but with their social skills overall, as a whole. 46 00:03:29,418 --> 00:03:37,267 Voice over: At the moment, Action 7 is the only program of its kind in the nation. At least as far as Randy Rentz knows. 47 00:03:37,267 --> 00:03:46,385 But she also believes shining this kind of spotlight on kids with Asperger's could be a good approach for any school. 48 00:03:46,385 --> 00:03:52,667 For the PBS Newshour, I'm Betty Ann... Oh wait a minute! Let's let one of them do it! 49 00:03:52,667 --> 00:03:56,667 Child: Reporting live from the red streets of Spain, I'm Aaron Thomas for Action 7 news.