British boy with Asperger's finds his niche performing in film

From the St. Albans Review in the UK:

A young Redbourn boy with Asperger's syndrome has enjoyed a taste of stardom after playing the body double of a main character in fantasy film Nanny McPhee.

James Crawley (pictured), 12, of Saberton Close, attends Roundwood School and was diagnosed with the syndrome three years ago.

He recently finished filming the sequel to the 2005 blockbuster, titled Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang, at Pinewood Studios.

James was cast as the body double of Cyril, one of the mischievous children taught to obey by Nanny McPhee, which stars award-winning actress, Emma Thompson.

He said: "It was a great achievement - it is anyone's childhood dream.

"When I first shook hands with Emma Thompson I didn't know it was her.

"When I realised I'd shaken hands with an Oscar winner I thought I was going to faint."

Landing the role proved a huge achievement for James, whose condition has often been misunderstood in the past for naughtiness or disobedience.

He said: "At infant school I used to sneak out of the classroom and start fiddling with the taps. Sometimes someone would come out and I'd hope it wouldn't be the teacher.

"I use to throw stuff around the classroom, I used to hum and refuse to sit on the carpet with everyone else."

The syndrome is a form of autism which affects people in various ways. Characteristics of James's Asperger include obscure obsessions, repetitive patterns of behaviour and difficulty interpreting a person's emotions, among other traits.

His erratic behaviour when he was younger made him the victim of social exclusion. Now that James is older and has learned to control many of his symptoms he is passionate about raising awareness of Aspergers.

He said: "Some people think I'm weird and I'm not like a normal human being, but I am normal and that's what people have got to understand. "I just want to be accepted and have a right to be autistic."

Asperger Syndrome affects more than half a million people in the UK - around one in 100 - and appears to be more common in men than women.

James's mum Maxine Crawley, who is a county councillor for Redbourn, said: "When he was little it was heart-breaking - I remember the day he came out of school and said 'mum am I a bad person?' He was five."

Maxine said that James would be excluded from classmate's birthday parties and other social activities because he was deemed different from other children.

"These are normal kids," she explained. "They are very aware of what's going on around them. They know when they're being left out.

"When your child hurts, you hurt. Watching that was very difficult.

"Despite everything, he's always been a very happy boy and affectionate. I don't see why he shouldn't achieve whatever he wants to in life."

Speaking about her son's starring role, Maxine said: "I thought it would be wonderful for his self-esteem which hasn't always been great. I was so proud of him.

"There was a feeling of trepidation, I questioned whether he would cope. But he didn't muck up, he did it.”

Supporting her son's drive to raise awareness about his syndrome, she added: "It's so important that Asperger's is understood by parents, teachers and others so that these children feel alright about themselves."