
Swim Team: The Impact of Sports
Clip: Season 30 Episode 15 | 6m 16sVideo has Closed Captions
In Clip 3 we meet Kelvin, a teen with both autism and Tourette’s Syndrome.
In Clip 3 we meet Kelvin, a teen with both autism and Tourette’s Syndrome. We also meet his parents and learn more about their journey in figuring out how best to support their son including the successful role of swimming in his life.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Major funding for POV is provided by PBS, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Wyncote Foundation, Reva & David Logan Foundation, the Open Society Foundations and the...

Swim Team: The Impact of Sports
Clip: Season 30 Episode 15 | 6m 16sVideo has Closed Captions
In Clip 3 we meet Kelvin, a teen with both autism and Tourette’s Syndrome. We also meet his parents and learn more about their journey in figuring out how best to support their son including the successful role of swimming in his life.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Every two weeks, we curate a selection of POV docs, old and new, around a central theme. Stream while you can — until the next Playlist!Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship-Kelvin is autistic.
He also have Tourette Syndrome.
-Oh, bitch!
-I know!
-No...bitch!
-No, no.
Stop.
Stop.
Right.
In the water, stay in the water.
I need you in the water.
-Ass!
-No.
-He has body tics and vocal tics.
-Swimmers on your mark.
Go!
In!
-But he cannot control that.
He's not doing those on purpose.
-No.
No, no.
No.
-That's very dangerous.
-That's very dang-- Going to hurt yourself.
I know.
I know the tics bother you, but you're okay.
Go!
Go!
Go!
Go!
Go!
Hey.
You guys are getting timed on this today.
-He has two disability, so he's kind of balancing each other on and off.
Sometimes, he's getting more tics.
Maybe he has more tics, then he doesn't have the time to do the autism thing.
-... -Oh.
You say the F word?
-I'm sorry.
I curse a lot.
-Let's go, in the water.
Vincent, in the water.
-Don't you ever say the F word.
-Kelvin!
Twenty-five-meter breaststroke, 25-meter free coming back.
-Okay.
-Swimmers on your mark.
Go!
-Last night, I was feeling stress.
I'm not telling you I hate you.
-Yeah.
Are you supposed to do that?
-No.
-No.
You're not supposed to say that.
-No.
No.
Sometimes, say, "I want to kill you," but it wouldn't be very nice.
I might get in trouble.
-Yeah.
-So what do you do when you get angry, Kel?
-Just do right thing.
-What is the right thing to do?
-Right thing you have to do is some -- do right choice.
You have to do something -- If I tell someone I feel angry, we should use anger management.
-Anger management!
Yes.
-Sometime, when you guys were not home, sometimes, I was home by myself.
Sometimes, I yell around the whole house.
Sometimes, I feel frustrated.
-Yeah.
-Some day when you're not home.
-Yeah?
-That's why I got it out of my system.
When I feel angry, I just don't feel -- I don't like stuff.
I don't like -- Or maybe want to shout, yelling around when I feel pissed off when I'm yelling around the whole house.
That's how they make me crazy.
-If you remind him to wash his hands, he gets mad.
If you remind him, "Oh, it's time to go to bed," he gets mad.
If you remind him, say, "Oh, the bus, school bus, is here."
And he just say, "You don't tell me what to do!"
-Like this, over here, okay.
You got to see right here.
There's a hole behind it.
And the holes behind this and that and this.
He's got a really powerful arm and a big strength, and that's one of the holes that he make.
And see this?
This, like, very solid, solid wood, and he just kicked the door and these holes, and like this, a punch.
This is a kick, and it's broken.
I don't really have a strategy.
Sometimes, we just try to scare him, say, "Kelvin, we're going to call the policeman.
If we call 911, and police found you hurt us, hurt anybody, you're going to be in jail.
You cannot come back home."
And Kelvin likes... He likes the policemen, but he also understand, you know, that jail life is not that pleasant.
So he will say, "Please, don't call police."
He say, "No.
Don't call police."
[ Chuckles ] Kelvin was typical-developed baby.
I still remember Grandpa hold his little, tiny hand and walk up the stairs, and he was counting.
He was learning counting in Chinese with Grandpa.
After he turns 2, the world changed.
He lost his vocabulary.
He didn't talk.
He needs to pull me and scream and cry, and I couldn't understand him, what his needs.
And when he frustrated, he'd bump his head on the wall.
Um... I didn't know what happened, and... ♪♪ ♪♪ We went to different doctors.
We've tried different kinds of medicines and different combination of the medicine, different dosage of the medicine.
-The medication has no impact.
We seen his reduction of tics and anger through swimming.
Swim Team: Behind the Lens: Robbie Learns he's Autistic
Clip: S30 Ep15 | 1m 27s | Filmmaker Lara Stolman tells why she included the scene where Robbie learns he has Autism. (1m 27s)
Swim Team: Is Swim Team a film about autism?
Clip: S30 Ep15 | 1m 21s | Filmmaker Lara Stolman shares lessons learned from making Swim Team. (1m 21s)
Swim Team: Why does this small town swim team matter?
Clip: S30 Ep15 | 1m 13s | Filmmaker Lara Stolman explains why the Jersey Hammerheads swim team is so unique. (1m 13s)
Preview: S30 Ep15 | 2m 4s | Parents of a boy on the autism spectrum form a competitive swim team. (2m 4s)
Swim Team: Special Olympics - Experiencing Success
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S30 Ep15 | 2m 52s | Mikey McQuay’s swimming as he is selected to participate in the national Special Olympics. (2m 52s)
Swim Team: Sports and Perseverance
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S30 Ep15 | 3m 17s | the very personal challenges autism presents for Mikey and for Robbie with their parents. (3m 17s)
Swim Team: Sports and Social Emotional Well Being
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S30 Ep15 | 7m 17s | This segment is the opening of the film where we meet the three main athletes in Swim Team (7m 17s)
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Major funding for POV is provided by PBS, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Wyncote Foundation, Reva & David Logan Foundation, the Open Society Foundations and the...



















