The documentary of Autism: The Musical showcases children who have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families throughout a twenty two week program ending with a live performance. The documentary not only highlights the growth the children experience socially and emotionally throughout the program, but the challenges faced by the families and the strategies they employ to overcome them. There are five children focused on over the course of the documentary, Neil, Lexi, Henry, Adam, and Wyatt. Each child is at a different place on the spectrum therefore each family is effected differently by it. In fact each family can be seen at a different stage of acceptance ranging from sock, denial, anger, loneliness, sadness, to acceptance (Autism & Your Family, 2015). Lexi’s father Joe nicely describes some of the stages he experienced starting with denial which he said ended up taking over his whole life for a period of time, a period he describes as fix it mode, then depression because the parent realized that no amount of money or wishing can change the fact that the child has ASD and will always be living with it and finally comes acceptance. Neil is non-verbal and is an example of the most severe form of ASD out of the children in this documentary. He has a very difficult time communicating and is over aggressive, tending to lash out physically when he is frustrated. His frustration seems to stem from his inability to communicate, therefore to try and overcome this
Radio is a film based on the true story of James Robert Kennedy and Coach Harold Jones in the year 1976. The movie shines a very positive light on people with disabilities. A person with a disability is a person first and if others give them the time and attention, their special characteristics and skills begin to show and grow. In Radio, Coach Jones gives James, or more popularly known as Radio, the chance to develop into his greatest potential. Radio begins to have a large supportive network from the town of Anderson, South Carolina and TL Hanna High School all because of the single actions of Coach Jones.
The video begins by introducing a revolutionary new possibility in the understanding of what autism is and how to approach those persons afflicted. Through a technique called "facilitated language" many autistic children were seemingly freed from the inability to communicate. Many were able
A lot of people don’t realize the challenges of living with a child who has been diagnose with Autism can be. It is a twenty-four-hour seven day a week job no vacation, no sick time and no pay. From the time the child is diagnosed it is a constant worry especially if the parents don’t know much about the condition. It starts with continuous Doctor visits, social services, and therapy sessions, just to figure out how serious the condition may be and what level of the disability the child has and this is only this beginning. Next, to find the tools the child needs to overcome the disability, like learning development and cognitive process, social skills, comprehension capabilities, and many more depending on the severity of autism.
Autism is a brain disorder that is characterized by slow and difficult comprehension of spoken and non-verbal communication and repetition of behaviors. Autism is normally noticed in the first two years of a child (Myers & Johnson, 2007). Asperger syndrome is an autistic disorder that has almost the same similarities with autism. People with Asperger syndrome have little comprehension of the world and its surroundings and poor communication with other people. People with Asperger syndrome are hard to recognize, as they do not show on their outward appearances. They are average or above average intellectually and have fewer problems in terms of speech and specific learning disabilities unlike in autism. These difficulties include dyslexia, epilepsy, and attention
From 1997 to about 2007 the number of children with autism spectrum disorder has increase from 42,517 to about 258,305 and has risen since (Reschke-Hernández, 2011). With this rise of children who have autism, the rise of music therapy has since appeared greatly. When music therapy was first documented, the music was used in both group and individual settings. It was used with those who lacked social skills, those who needed rehabilitation, for self-expression, for psychological improvement and also recreational purposes (Rescheke- Hernández, 2011). Music therapist use techniques such as improvisation music therapy, dancing and singing, speech dynamics, and rhythm to help clients with social skills, body awareness and communication skills (Rescheke- Hernández, 2011). Children who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder can be treated through music therapy to enhance their social skills, learning skills, and coordination.
Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain. Waiting for the tests results, I find myself flushed; perhaps my blood pressure is rising. Sitting in a small windowless office set off from the main waiting room my knee begins to bounce in anxiety. This was the moment of truth. I’m awaiting the results to find out if Lillianna tested positive for Autism. I stand up and begin to pace hoping the colorful pictures on walls that were designed to relax and entertain kids will have the same affect on me. My mind begins to relive this epic battle I have found myself on; the battle of strength and acceptance of my daughter Lillianna, as I become her voice in the face of this disorder.
Autism Rocks organizes concerts by popular musicians to raise awareness about autism. Founded by Sanjay Shah and his wife Usha, Autism Rocks uses the £600,000 raised so far from live concerts by Michael Bublè, Lenny Kravitz and other artists to fund research into the condition. Usha says that their next concert is going to be a family-friendly event with face painting, a petting zoo and a bouncy castle.
Neurotypical, which is a film on ASD, shows the signs of the dysfunction and the insights on how these individuals live in their daily
The lecture “Life on the Spectrum: Living, Learning and Growing as an Autistic Person” presented by Howie Jordan was given on October 27, 2015 at USC Upstate. This speech was about the struggles one with autism faces on a daily basis and the adversity they must overcome. Jordan tells the audience about autism through his eyes and the lessons he has learned through his struggles. Lessons such as how to overcome bullying, physical and mental obstacles, and educational struggles. Jordan’s purpose is to shine light on the idea that a person with autism is just that, a person. No matter what disabilities one may have they are still human and deserve to be treated like one in every part of life.
Did you know that one in very sixty-eight children is diagnosed with autism? Many Americans do not know that much about autism or its effects and challenges that come with it. What is autism anyways? Autism is a neurological disorder that affects one’s ability to communicate with others, respond to stimuli in an appropriate way, or build relationships (Barnes,2015). Temple Grandin was just two years old when she was diagnosed with autism. Temple has faced, and will continue to face many barriers in her life with this disorder, but has overcome many of them. She has used her abilities and her different perspective to accomplish amazing things.
Autism has been around for more than 100 years. Autism is still evolving and becoming more prevalent all across the world. This paper will focus on a film about an autistic female and how she managed with her disorder. The primary focus of this paper is to give the reader a brief overview of the main character, Temple, and essential information regarding autism. Each diagnosis of autism is different based on the individual. Today, there are several controversies that are apparent in the autistic community. There is still substantial research that needs to occur for the comorbidity of the autism spectrum disorder. We pass by people
For the most part, I tend to dislike documentaries. Especially documentaries that are about a disability, or a disorder, or a disease. I question the motives of the film makers because I often feel like they are exploiting the disability, disorder, or disease for profit and/or notoriety. However, I am aware that many involved in the production of Autism: The Musical have had experiences with autism. I know that Kristen Stills, (Henry’s mother) was an executive producer. That being said, I feel like this documentary was produced in the best of intentions.
The Chosen movie is Mozart and the Whale (2005), based on the life of mathematical talent Jerry Newport and his wife, a couple with Asperger syndrome (. The movie discussed the daily life of two people with Aspergers Syndrome (Donald and Isabella) and how they are facing various challenges. This movie represents autism from a different prism. It shows the strength and competences that autistic people have. For instance, it talks about their emotions, love, pride and aspirations. It also represents autism as a part of their lives, but not the most important thing. Sometimes it’s just something that some people have to live with, while busy with work, family, errands and relationships; as they are occupied
The movie of Life, Animated is an inspirational film towards the people viewing it. Which it takes a deeper look in Owen Suskind life as he is the main actor in the film, that unfortunately is living a life with Autism. As Owen was growing up he was always a happy kid and nothing was wrong with him, but at the age of three, his parents realized something different about him. Whereas they noticed he could no longer talk nor walk right, that was when he was diagnosed with Autism. Like any other parent, Owen parents were really worried about him. His parents almost lost hope where he could no longer talk nor walk and them no longer being able to communicate with him. One day Owen was saying “Just your voice” but his family did not know what he was saying, they couldn’t understand him. So then they noticed he was watching The Little Mermaid movie and “Just your voice” was a scene in the movie. So, then he and his family came to a conclusion a distinct way to communicate with him by engaging themselves in the world of classic Disney animated
Financial burdens are an obvious upset to families with autistic children, on top of the already heavy expense of having a child there is now medical costs and often counselling. Sen and Yurtsever (2007) reported that families often feel “shock, denial, suffering, depression, guilt, indecision, anger, shame, bargaining, acceptance and adaptation” upon discovering they have a child who suffers from ASD. This disorder has effects on their daily “lifestyles, social relationships, economic situation, health, and goals or expectations for the future” (Norton & Drew, 1994; Sen & Yurtsever, 2007). “Autism is the most common neurological condition diagnosed in children and it is now