ExceptionalFamilyTV.com Launches Second Season of Webisodes Oct. 15

Arvada, Colo. (Thurs., Oct. 14, 2010) — Exceptional Family TV – the first web video series for and about families raising children with special needs – is premiering its second season on Friday, October 15 at ExceptionalFamilyTV.com.

Each Friday, a new short video will take viewers inside the lives of families affected by developmental and intellectual disabilities. In addition to telling the stories of families around the country, episodes will explore therapies and tackle topics that include parental disagreements, balancing between life and therapies and communicating needs to friends and family members.

The series is the brainchild of Nathan Charlan whose three-year-old son was diagnosed with cerebral palsy in 2007. After receiving the diagnosis, Charlan suddenly found it difficult to relate to friends and family members who had no experience with the emotional, social and financial issues he was facing. To find other parents going through similar experiences, Charlan turned to the Web where he created a blog and used his professional background in video production to document his emotional experience in short YouTube clips. The relationships he formed through the blog encouraged him to co-found ExceptionalFamily.com in order to give special needs families around the world a centralized place to connect.

Together with his wife Renee and son Zachary, Charlan interviews families affected by developmental and intellectual disabilities and edits their stories into five to ten-minute videos that are often deeply inspiring. The first season began in April with the story of Jack, a nine-year-old child with autism whose life was transformed when his mother put a video camera in his hands. Other season one episodes, which are archived on the site, include an interview with the Kemps whose daughter received stem-cell treatment for septo-optic dysplasia syndrome in China and a Skype conversation with Australian mother Meagan Cross who has taken great measures to advance the availability of information and research funding for Angelman’s Syndrome in her country.

Throughout the first season, Nathan and Renee received hundreds of comments from parents, family members and professionals who have been positively affected by the videos. Since launching, the Exceptional Family TV web site has grown to include multiple blogs written by parents, discussion boards and a Facebook Page where parents from around the world frequently weigh in on a variety of topics.

To view the 20-part season one series and to catch new episodes from season two please visit ExceptionalFamily.com