Aida is a child on the autism spectrum with a so-called uneven cognitive profile. On the one hand, she is extremely talented, but on the other hand, her sensory hypersensitivity and the challenges in social settings make it impossible for her to cope with situations that are considered quite ordinary. It is particularly difficult to adapt in the school environment, but finally, when this smart child enters upper comprehensive school, she is two years younger than the others. Aida is supported by her mother and caregiver Johanna.

Inspired by the example of Greta Thunberg, Aida experiences a political awakening, and decides to fix the things that make life difficult for children on the autism spectrum. She gathers a network of decision-makers, whom she lobbies, and unexpectedly becomes heard. The quick-witted child who is not afraid of publicity becomes a poster-child for the cause, as she is asked to give statements and seminar speeches. In everyday life, however, things for the family are as challenging as they were before.

The film follows Aida and Johanna as they find out who actually makes decisions that affect their lives. Aida's own school path also needs to be created. She has big dreams of a career in science, but the journey towards it is difficult as she is forced to adapt to the practices of the school environment and her own sensory overload.

The viewer is drawn into Aida's world: on the one hand, she is an analytical expert who absorbs enormous amounts of information. On the other hand, she is a little girl drowning in her anxiety, who must be allowed to withdraw into solitude from time to time.

At the hear of the story is the almost symbiotic relationship between the child and the mother and their fight for an opportunity to reach their full potential. Tension arises when big changes happen in Aida and Johanna's lives. But the question is: will society ever change?

Director & Screenwriter
Maija Hirvonen
Cinematographer
Marita Hällfors & Anna Antsalo
Editor
Sabina Köteleki
Sound Designer
Tuomas Klaavo
Composer
Salla Luhtala
Producer
Juha Löppönen / Mouka Filmi
Executive Producer
Sami Jahnukainen / Mouka Filmi
Production Support
Finnish Film Foundation / Iris Olsson
AVEK / Mikko Peltonen
Church Media Fund
In Collaboration With
YLE / Jenny Westergård

The movie won the Finnish Documentary of the year Docpoint Award in 2024. 

Neurotypes has been shown worldwide, e.g. in Singapore, Norway, Greece and Poland.

About Aida, (in the film 9-11 years old)

Aida has been hypersensitive to sounds, smells, tastes and tactile sensations since birth. She noticed at the age of 4 in kindergarten that other children do not feel as bad as she does. She dislikes things that are not true, such as fiction. Instead, she has the ability to absorb endless factual information about things that interest her. She especially loves rocks and space. If something can be fixed, Aida wants to find a solution, is brave and unstoppable. The flip side of a straightforward sense of justice is that changes in plans and the ambiguity of things are difficult to tolerate. For Aida, a normal school day is torture just because of the noise, and even positive interactions with others are tiring. The stress and anxiety accumulated during the day is released once she is at home.

The change starts when Aida finds a way to try to influence things related to her own life. During the film, she grows up to be a sounding board and expert for children on the autism spectrum. The whirlwind doesn't seem to take away her strength, but rather increases it. The girl who previously needed her mother's support and at every moment grows, and at the same time the certainty that it is not she who should change, but the world around her.

Aida tends to release both joy and frustration physically: by dancing, spinning, jumping and squeezing into small spaces.

Q&A session have been organized at many Neurotypes film screenings. Here is one at the Thesssaloniki, Greece International Film Festival. Aida was joined by her mother Johanna, the film director Maija Hirvonen and a Greek translator. 

The film Neurotypes was shown at Tromsø both for the general public as well as a special viewing for families that had a lot of joy discussing the film with Aida and her mother.

Neurotypes film was shown at Finland's Jyväskylä University with a Q&A held with Aida's mother Johanna, Aida and the director Maija Hirvonen as a part of their themegroup.