In this episode, Lisa talks with filmmaker Tyler Sansom and actor John Wells about the film Learning You. The movie follows a single father and his autistic son after the father removes him from an institution and takes him on an unplanned Christmas road trip.

The conversation explores why this story felt different to tell and to watch. Tyler shares how the film came to him through a producer parenting a profoundly autistic daughter and how interviews with families shaped the script. John talks about stepping into the role as a father raising an autistic son himself, and how closely the character’s experiences mirrored his own.

They discuss institutions, marriage breakdowns, system failures, meltdowns, and the way autism parenting requires constant recalibration. The focus stays on learning your child over time, reading early cues, and understanding behavior as information rather than something to correct.

In This Episode, You’ll Hear and Learn

What Learning You is about and how the story came to be made
Why the film centers on institutional decisions and their impact on families
How John’s experience parenting an autistic son informed his performance
How parents learn to recognize early signs before a meltdown escalates
Why behavior often reflects nervous system overload
How autism parenting evolves as children grow and change

To watch Learning You, visit https://www.learningyoumovie.com to find a theater near you or learn more about the film’s release.