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Sister Writes Story of Special Needs Brother

Aired June 13, 2003 - 14:50   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: It often takes siblings many years to reach the point where they manage to get along with each other. But Carly Heyman passed that point with her brother long ago, and it has arrived at the true appreciation for the special person that he is. Our Bruce Burkhardt with our story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You like them?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

BRUCE BURKHARDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A brother and his younger sister at the pet store trying to pick out what fish they want to buy. Nothing special, really.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How about that one right there?

BURKHARDT: Except it is special, it is for 17-year-old Carly Heyman and her 22-year-old brother Scott. Scott has fragile X syndrome, leading cause of inherited mental retardation, but for Carly and the rest of the family, that's not a problem.

CARLY HEYMAN, AUTHOR, "MY EXTRA SPECIAL BROTHER": I really like, this is the cool thing in our family. You know, we're like, Scott, what makes you special? He's like, I have fragile X. He knows that. Oh, he's so proud of it, we're so proud of it. That's how you make kids with special needs so proud of what they have.

BURKHARDT: Carly and Scott, along with their oldest brother, Jared (ph), have always been close, but it wasn't until Carly wrote a book, a book that grew out of a school project, that she realized what she had.

HEYMAN: I can clearly remember many times walking home from school with a new friend and finding Scott doing something odd, like talking to himself while playing basketball outside.

BURKHARDT: Carly's book, "My Extra Special Brother," was written to help other families who have a member with so-called special needs. But in the process, Carly realized what their journey together has truly meant.

HEYMAN: He brings me back to simplicity. He taught me acceptance and patience. He used to come home from school sometimes and be so excited because so and so gave him a high five in the hall. I didn't realize that a little high five could make someone's day so much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good bananas?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're awesome, and they're good.

BURKHARDT: Despite his disability, Scott holds down a job in the produce section of their local grocery store. You could try talking to him, but that wouldn't stop him from working.

(on camera): Sure a lot of food, isn't it?

(voice-over): And it was in grocery stores that Carly has some of her earliest memories, an embarrassed 5-year-old dealing with an older brother throwing a temper tantrum right there in the middle of the store.

HEYMAN: That wasn't always (UNINTELLIGIBLE), because the customers would stare, and then they would know that I was with him because I would try to calm him down. And it was just embarrassing.

BURKHARDT: But her book is about growing beyond the embarrassment, embracing, valuing what she and her family have.

It's Wednesday afternoon, time for Scott's weekly bowling game with his buddy Paul. They let me play along. I'd like to say that I was just trying to let him win, but that would be a lie. Scott was able to spot my problem and offer some advice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Right there. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in the middle.

BURKHARDT (on camera): Not in the gutter?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not in the gutter, no.

BURKHARDT: Got it.

(voice-over): Good advice, but what Scott has to teach us goes way beyond gutter balls.

Bruce Burkhardt, CNN, Marietta, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired June 13, 2003 - 14:50   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: It often takes siblings many years to reach the point where they manage to get along with each other. But Carly Heyman passed that point with her brother long ago, and it has arrived at the true appreciation for the special person that he is. Our Bruce Burkhardt with our story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You like them?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

BRUCE BURKHARDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A brother and his younger sister at the pet store trying to pick out what fish they want to buy. Nothing special, really.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How about that one right there?

BURKHARDT: Except it is special, it is for 17-year-old Carly Heyman and her 22-year-old brother Scott. Scott has fragile X syndrome, leading cause of inherited mental retardation, but for Carly and the rest of the family, that's not a problem.

CARLY HEYMAN, AUTHOR, "MY EXTRA SPECIAL BROTHER": I really like, this is the cool thing in our family. You know, we're like, Scott, what makes you special? He's like, I have fragile X. He knows that. Oh, he's so proud of it, we're so proud of it. That's how you make kids with special needs so proud of what they have.

BURKHARDT: Carly and Scott, along with their oldest brother, Jared (ph), have always been close, but it wasn't until Carly wrote a book, a book that grew out of a school project, that she realized what she had.

HEYMAN: I can clearly remember many times walking home from school with a new friend and finding Scott doing something odd, like talking to himself while playing basketball outside.

BURKHARDT: Carly's book, "My Extra Special Brother," was written to help other families who have a member with so-called special needs. But in the process, Carly realized what their journey together has truly meant.

HEYMAN: He brings me back to simplicity. He taught me acceptance and patience. He used to come home from school sometimes and be so excited because so and so gave him a high five in the hall. I didn't realize that a little high five could make someone's day so much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good bananas?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're awesome, and they're good.

BURKHARDT: Despite his disability, Scott holds down a job in the produce section of their local grocery store. You could try talking to him, but that wouldn't stop him from working.

(on camera): Sure a lot of food, isn't it?

(voice-over): And it was in grocery stores that Carly has some of her earliest memories, an embarrassed 5-year-old dealing with an older brother throwing a temper tantrum right there in the middle of the store.

HEYMAN: That wasn't always (UNINTELLIGIBLE), because the customers would stare, and then they would know that I was with him because I would try to calm him down. And it was just embarrassing.

BURKHARDT: But her book is about growing beyond the embarrassment, embracing, valuing what she and her family have.

It's Wednesday afternoon, time for Scott's weekly bowling game with his buddy Paul. They let me play along. I'd like to say that I was just trying to let him win, but that would be a lie. Scott was able to spot my problem and offer some advice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Right there. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in the middle.

BURKHARDT (on camera): Not in the gutter?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not in the gutter, no.

BURKHARDT: Got it.

(voice-over): Good advice, but what Scott has to teach us goes way beyond gutter balls.

Bruce Burkhardt, CNN, Marietta, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com