0:20:17 > 0:20:21Meet Max Graham, an extraordinary 13-year-old boy.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24He loves gaming, Scouts, trampolining,
0:20:24 > 0:20:28hanging out with friends and all things silly on the internet.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31Meet Chris. I've known him for five years.
0:20:31 > 0:20:36He's a film-maker and taught me a lot about film-making
0:20:36 > 0:20:37and brought up my knowledge.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41He's more than a friend because he's going to be a family member soon.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43He's my future brother-in-law.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50When I first met Max, I was immediately struck
0:20:50 > 0:20:53by his eccentric personality and his honesty.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58I later found out that Max has Asperger's syndrome,
0:20:58 > 0:21:00which is a mild form of autism.
0:21:00 > 0:21:05This affected the development of his social skills.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08Looking at Max you might not know he had Aperger's,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11but that's because it all lies under the surface.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13And it's not until you get to know him
0:21:13 > 0:21:15that you begin to see the traits.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19When I was younger I used to have problems fitting in.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23I always felt like an outsider - I just didn't feel right.
0:21:24 > 0:21:29Most of the time I felt really tense and nervous just going around school
0:21:29 > 0:21:32and I couldn't concentrate on some of my work because of it.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34I can be hypersensitive to touch.
0:21:34 > 0:21:40Even a simple pat on the head can really annoy me.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44Every day I like to have a routine or plan
0:21:44 > 0:21:46to keep me calm and organised.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49But if it isn't organised and there was loads of sudden changes
0:21:49 > 0:21:52of plans in it, it wouldn't have been a good day for me.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56People would mistake my anxiety for bad behaviour,
0:21:56 > 0:21:58but I was actually stressed.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01They didn't know I had Asperger's or anything like that.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03This misunderstanding between myself
0:22:03 > 0:22:07and other people made me want to explain it in my own way.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10- I like sea urchins. - Sea urchins?
0:22:10 > 0:22:14Film-making is something that both me and Max are really passionate about
0:22:14 > 0:22:17and Max has been doing it since he was just four years old.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20It got me thinking, why haven't we made films together as a team?
0:22:20 > 0:22:24E equals M C squared!
0:22:24 > 0:22:27I didn't care how I looked or how I acted,
0:22:27 > 0:22:31I just had fun pretending to be characters from films.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34I felt an affinity with the character Terminator because like me
0:22:34 > 0:22:36he was trying to fit in normal society.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40What I loved about it was the practical effects.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43I was getting my parents to buy me latex tax and face moulds and stuff.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45I wanted to look like the Terminator
0:22:45 > 0:22:48and have my skin peeling back to reveal the metal underneath.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50Well, what does that mean, Professor?
0:22:50 > 0:22:54I want to make films to connect to people with Asperger's syndrome,
0:22:54 > 0:22:56to give out a positive message to everyone.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59Social blindness?
0:22:59 > 0:23:02I want people who have just had a diagnosis of autism
0:23:02 > 0:23:05to watch and find out what it is like.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09We will be talking about the artistic spectrum.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12This does not require medication.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15One of the films I came up with is about a boy who fights a robot.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20The robot sees Asperger's syndrome as a bad thing
0:23:20 > 0:23:22and is trying to wipe it out.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25But the boy discovers the power of self belief
0:23:25 > 0:23:29and learns to embrace his Asperger's and defeat the robot.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32I want to keep making my films, tell my own stories
0:23:32 > 0:23:33and get better at it.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36Whilst making these films, I have noticed a big difference in Max.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39He is much more comfortable with himself and he is no longer
0:23:39 > 0:23:42concerned with being different or what's normal and what isn't.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46My dream is to be successful
0:23:46 > 0:23:49and Asperger's syndrome will not hold me back.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52This has been such an exciting part of Max's life
0:23:52 > 0:23:54and I am just glad to have been a part of it.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56Asperger's syndrome is a part of me now
0:23:56 > 0:23:59and I have learned to be more positive about it.