Reporting Live With Asperger's From Worrall Elementary School

News has an agenda in Worrall Elementary School, where reporters with Asperger's syndrome are routinely pulled from their classrooms to learn the basics of journalism. Their teachers say producing a newscast is one of the best ways for their students to learn how to speak clearly, work together, build confidence ... and become school celebrities all at the same time.

To read the full report, visit: http://to.pbs.org/OecvU7.

Voice over: It was straight to the top for Donato Tocci.

At eleven years old he's already a television news anchor.

And he's about to go LIVE!

Teacher: You look great Donato.

Adult announcer: This is Action 7 News!

Hello. I'm Donato Tocci.

Voice over: News has an agenda at Worral Elementary School in Broomall Pennsylvania.

The reporters aren't simply young and driven, they also have Asperger's Syndrome.

Children with this form of autism often have trouble with social cues

like facial expressions and gestures.

And working well with others.

Child: I said Mona Lisa!

Voice over: And that's the very reason Asperger's specialist Randy Rentz and speech pathologist Kristen Dercole developed the newscast,

filled with kid-friendly skits and commercials.

They wanted their students to see the world from another angle.

Randy: A lot of my kids are very black and white so to speak,

where they don't understand the middle area-- the grey area.

And they may know "happy", they may know "sad", but they don't know the difference in between.

Voice over: But television journalists, even miniature ones, need to watch themselves from time to time

and think critically about how they present themselves. Especially how they sound.

Kristen: I think that reporters in general are really good role models for students as far as good speaking skills.

We always talk about how, to be on a newscast you have to over enunciate.

Child: His owner, Mike Sheelan, even takes him on cross-country races. (He slurs his speech a little...)

Kristen: You have to slow down your rate of speech.

Child: (slurs a little)... in the world.

Kristen: You have to really work on your pitch.

Child: The greatest candy bar EVER MADE.

Kristen: You want to emphasize key words...

Child: In sports news, JETER HITS THREE THOUSAND!

Kristen: So there's a lot of different parts of speech that we can work on while you work on the newscast.

(Child is speaking.) Voice over: That's Augie Penteles, reporting the very latest in sports.

When his mother Michelle learned he has Asperger's and would need treatment,

This isn't exactly what she envisioned.

Mother: So I was a little angry when I first met everyone here... a little frustrated..

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.

The skills that he's learned... coping skills, strategies, just how to react to people and how to read people...

Voice over: It's a good perk, but the journalists themselves can think of a better one.

When the half hour broadcast is complete each year, the whole school gathers to watch.

Child: Well I guess my favorite part about Action 7 is getting to do all the other skits.

AND letting your friends envy you!

Voice over: Even Donato, the anchor, feels it.

Donato: I've never been this famous before.

Voice over: For children with Asperger's, kids who often stand out from the rest of the crowd, that feeling can be, well, monumental.

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.

Not just with their confidence, but with their social skills overall, as a whole.

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.

But she also believes shining this kind of spotlight on kids with Asperger's could be a good approach for any school.

For the PBS Newshour, I'm Betty Ann... Oh wait a minute! Let's let one of them do it!

Child: Reporting live from the red streets of Spain, I'm Aaron Thomas for Action 7 news.