Owen Suskind was apparently a normal toddler until he was three.
Suddenly his language skills started unraveling. He became a frustrated, moody
child, unable to utter anything but gibberish. He was diagnosed with
regressive autism. Doctors told his parents Cornelia and Ron Suskind (the
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist) that Owen might never speak again; many
children never do. Owen’s only comfort was Disney movies like “Dumbo,” “Bambi,”
“Peter Pan,” “The Lion King” and “Aladdin.” He watched them over and over until
he had every line memorized. His mom and dad discovered they could communicate
with their son if they spoke as animated characters, using Disney plush dolls
as puppets. Today Owen is an energetic 23-year-old just finishing school. He’s thrilled
to be living on his own in an assisted living center on Cape Cod. He’s also excited
about a new film based on his dad’s best seller – Life Animated – that documents his amazing journey.
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