Episode 121 - Cartoons for Autism

It happens one day: you meet someone special. You fall in love, move in together. Support each other. You get married, until death do you apart. You take a mortgage, buy a place in the suburbs or in the city. Everything is going according to plan, and life is smiling at you. Then you decide it’s time to take the next step. And before you know it, the stork delivers a beautiful baby to your doorstep, as if you ordered it in Amazon Prime. You want what’s best for the baby, you invest in him from day one. You send him to the kindergarten, you play with him, sing songs together. You’re genuinely happy. When your child is two, maybe three… something seems a little off. You can’t really put your finger on it. The kid doesn’t talk yet, he seems anxious, and he never looks at you straight in the eyes. You take him to a specialist, and the news is devastating - your child is autistic. An estimated 1 out of 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls are diagnosed with autism in the United States. Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S. And the scariest thing of all - not one know what causes autism, nor why the sickness rate is in constant growth. But when your kid is diagnosed, it’s not the end. Only the beginning, and today, more and more companies are trying to develop ways to aid autistic children. But today’s guest, Gilad Piker, is a little bit different. Gilad works in Candy Bear, a production company for animated content. He co-produced Zack and Quack alongside our guest from episode 41, Gili Dolev. And one day he had an idea, that might revolutionize the world of autistic children. We’re extremely glad to have Gilad on the show today.