[10] According to Stuart Murray, author of Representing Autism: Culture, Narrative, Fascination, disability rights advocates criticized the film for categorizing the condition as "one of problems and difficulties, especially for parents", while ignoring the positive aspects.

[11][12] Additionally, criticism stemmed from an interview in the film where a mother said she had contemplated driving off a bridge with her autistic daughter.

It is also criticized for the fact that many of these interviews - most of which are about the things the parents can't do and how horrible it is to have a child with autism - are conducted with said child in the room, again without any regard for the fact that their children can hear and understand the parents talking about how horrible it is to have to take care of them.

This is especially focused on with the aforementioned case of Alison Singer, who spoke about contemplating murder-suicide with her daughter Jodie in the room.

[15] According to the book Battleground: The Media, Thierry instructed the families she interviewed not to do their hair, vacuum or have therapists present, and appeared with her film crew at homes without preliminary preparations, in order to authentically capture the difficulties of life with autistic children, such as autistic children experiencing meltdowns or physically struggling with parents.