Autism: The Musical

Having autism myself, I really have been touched by this movie. I liked each and everyone of the children; I'd like to meet them and help them. Unfortunately that will not be possible (I guess). So, I'm going to write the following in the hope that some parents will read it, and help in that way.

What did strike me, often, is that these children are not understood. The parents love them very much (in most cases) and that is good; but they have no real clue what is going on in the minds of their child.

One of the parents said that she tries to 'crack open' a door to get her kid to develop. While I completely agree that lack of development will be the result of the kids shutting out others / the world around them, and living in their own world, often the shutting out has a reason and forcing yourself past that is harmful (or at least extremely stressful). I think that the right way to get these kids to learn something is to do that without force; thus, not for "5 minutes", but through getting them be interested. During the two months they worked on this project they have a learned a LOT, AND had fun doing it.

One of the main problems that people (especially the children) with autism have is dealing with incomplete information. Making a choice while the choice is not 100% obvious. Normal people constantly process incomplete information and just guess, or randomly make choices, drop in formation etc. They don't mind being inaccurate, illogical or even wrong. They prefer doing SOMETHING over taking more time to come to a decision, or even not do anything. A child with autism is aware of all the possibilities, consciously, at the same time-- and is not able to make choices-- to throw away data "randomly" for the sake of getting to a conclusion or decision.

Here are my takes on the respective children:

Henry is doing very well. The main thing he has to do is learn things about social interaction. Someone will have to teach him this like others learn to play a piano, he won't pick it up himself. At the very least he should start to realize that others cannot read his mind (you need to tell him that once (saying ANYTHING just ONCE is enough; even if the kids don't react, they heard you and they will process it in their own pace), just like he can't read the minds of others: therefore it is better to communicate about things that he and the one he is communicating with have in common: the surrounding world, instead of communicating about what he is thinking of. I know that the process of becoming interested in what moves OTHERS is very hard and a long road, but I believe he can be taught that putting time into listening to others and trying to understand THEIR thoughts can be rewarding in the end.

Neal has problems with formulating sentences. This is probably caused by not being able to throw away data (as I said before): thoughts are NOT words. You need to project the multidimensional "thought" space onto the "one dimensional" speech. This process is highly inaccurate and therefore impossible for him. More importantly however, his perception of the world around him is probably very unreal. The processing of his perceptions are distorted, not coherent. When the input can't be ordered and given a place, uncertainty about the perception translates to a feeling of de-realisation: the feeling that things around him do not relate to him as they do in fact. That is a direct reason (because it gives a lot of stress) to disconnect himself from that world: it is often easier to throw ALL data away, instead of making the decision about what to throw away and what not. I think that him not speaking is a direct result of his forced disconnection from the world (or at least, how he perceives it). He is still a normal, intelligent boy however, in there. And he will be very lonely without communication and understanding. It seems that the only person he every communicates with is his mother and that is NOT enough. Even more, she talks too much!!! Neal wants to tell you that he wishes you to be silent. Use less words, more like he does. "Listen" to him by observing him instead of talking an endless stream of words; that does not given him the feeling of contact. The contact, the true "togetherness" is one of emotional understanding; and that needs silence. Long silences will also give him time to find a way to express himself, a chance he doesn't get if you keep talking. Finally, you might want to consult a psychiatrist (or whatever is needed for this) and try a doses of Ritalin: it might help him to concentrate more and to filter better. Here's a story of another boy that needed Ritalin: at one point he told his mom, while brushing his teeth in the bathroom in front of a mirror: I have X-ray eyes! "What do you mean?" his mother asked. "Well, I can see the toothbrush and myself at the same time." His problem, she realized(!) was that he wasn't able to concentrate on one thing at a time: he saw EVERYTHING at once. They started with Ritalin and his condition improved a lot because now he could finally concentrate on one thing at a time for some period of time. Of course, it would just be an experiment and ultimately you'll have to ask Neal himself if he likes the effect or not.

Unfortunately, I had to remove the comments on the other kids because of IMDb's word limit (would have been nice to have known that up front).

Powerful, poignant, and beautifully candid, this documentary brings awareness to the viewer in a unique, eye-opening, and often endearing manner. Stemming from their participation in The Miracle Project, a theatre arts program created by Elaine Hall, five autistic children and their parents are followed over a seven-to-eight month period. The viewer is allowed an intimate look into the daily routines of family life, school, therapy, music lessons, and holidays. We are allowed the rare opportunity of entering the world of autism through the eyes of the child and the parents, and gain a seldom-seen or heard perspective from them both that brings about a strong feeling of connectedness. The candor from the parents is both stunning and, at times, raw in its painful truth of autism's impact on the individual parent and in their spousal relationships. Through it all, humor and wit help maintain an upbeat feel so that one leaves not with a sense of heaviness, but with greater awareness, understanding, and hope of what can be. Not to be missed !

What a loving respectful and clear-eyed gateway into an unfamiliar world. The kids are a revelation and a joy. Elaine's strength and kindness is heartening and wonderful to see and the openness, courage and honesty of the parents is deeply affecting. There is so much love in this film! The ease with which the families related to the camera says so much about the director. As mentioned previously, we do leave the theater with a feeling of connection and openness. What an inspiring, touching, funny, tender, raw, moving and heart-lifting journey. Brilliant and caring film-making. Thank you for making this film! Don't miss it!

I must be honest. I was very frustrated with many of the adults in this movie. The kids were all great, but the grownups for the most part were not paying attention to the non-verbal messages their kids were sending. I even felt that for some of these parents, including Elaine, the "Miracle Project" was all about them (the parents) and their idea of what they wanted to achieve. They even had a "professional screenwriter" to "polish the script"!

For much of the film, the kids were over-stimulated. The adults got right in their faces many times and talked loudly. These kids are not hard-of-hearing. It's too much! And how many scenes where adults were just sitting around tables staring at the autistic kid! What a horror. Worst of all was that scene at the table of Elaine's future husband, and by the way, he didn't get it at all. That scene in the park -- he told Elaine that Neil had tossed the little kid to the ground "on purpose", and described Neil's nefarious motives. No! Autistic kids do not have evil motives! Not to mention -- good move, Stepdad Tattletale.

The moms I thought were great were Lexi's, Adam's, and Henry's. They seemed to really LISTEN to their kids, and I loved that Adam's mom fought for his right to play the cello. The mom of an autistic child has to be a real tiger sometimes, that's just the way it is.

The musical finale, I'm sorry to point this out, but the kids had their aides up there, including Adam's from school. Neil's "Stepdad" was holding Neil up and looking miserable. Tell you what, in that setting, bright lights and all that commotion, my kid would have taken a hike, and he's very high-functioning.

(shame on that "professional" who waved the papers and said Wyatt was "low-functioning". I hope Wyatt's parents never went back to him.)

This film blends everything you ever could imagine about a documentary feature. It makes you laugh one second and cry the next. As serious as the subject matter is, it leaves you feeling inspired and wanting to make a difference.

The approach to autism is comprehensive and educates you about its challenges in numerous ways. I couldn't possibly recommend this movie at a higher level. It's simply awesome.

Go see this film the first chance you get. If it doesn't come to your town, make sure to catch it on DVD when it gets released. You won't be disappointed.