You Are Not Alone Featuring Quinn Bradlee

Gr 7 Up—Quinn Bradlee, the son of former Washington Post Executive Editor Ben Bradlee and journalist Sally Quinn, faced emotional and physical challenges while growing up. Diagnosed with the genetic disorder velocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS), Quinn developed his personal philosophies—"Everybody has problems" and "You are not alone"—in order to cope with his learning disabilities, health issues, and problems with social interaction. The film is divided into chapters and opens with footage of a diverse group of middle and high school children. Quinn explains what VCFS is and talks about his learning disabilities. Quinn shares the strategies he uses to manage feelings of loneliness/being ignored, to form relationships with others, and to meet challenges with self-confidence. He invites young people (ages 13 and up) with learning disabilities or challenges to join his social networking Web site. The teacher's guide includes follow-up and enrichment activities for the strategies, the script of the film, and suggested resources. While the intended audience is teenagers with special needs, this could also be used in regular classrooms to educate students about their special needs classmates and by faculty members.—Stephanie Bange, Wright State University, Dayton, OH