Autism: The Musical

Plot synopsis:
Henry, the son of Stephen Stills (of Crosby, Stills and Nash), relates to the world through a near encyclopedic knowledge of dinosaurs. Fourteen-year-old Lexy, on the cusp of adolescence, has a new interest in boys. Wyatt, precociously verbal and terrorized by bullies, has a passion for orchids. Adam taught himself to play blues harmonica before he was two, and has currently taken up the cello. In addition to their interests and activities, all of these kids also have some form of autism.Director Tricia's Regan's riveting documentary follows five different families, participating in The Miracle Project (a theatre program created specifically for children with special needs) as their kids write and perform their own musical production. The film is as much about the parents of autistic kids as it is about the kids themselves. How does one communicate with a child who won't speak? What do you do when your kid only sleeps two hours per night? How do you cope with a world that has little use or compassion for kids that are so different? These are only a few of the questions that the parents must deal with, questions illustrated by a series of almost painfully honest and blunt encounters. Perhaps the most surprising of the kids profiled is Neal, the son of Elaine Hall, who founded the Miracle Project. Profoundly autistic, he hardly speaks, and is prone to violent tantrums, but when he is finally fitted with a keyboard voicebox, a sweet, intelligent personality is revealed. A complete triumph!

Tags: violence, romantic, home movie

Review:
Film is an endearing, yet very real glimpse into the daily difficulties of having, and coping with autism.
Enjoyed watching the process of the children coming together to create something beyond themselves, and learning to relate to one another in the process.
Was refreshing to see them being challenged to do the very opposite of what they are naturally inclined to do and be as autistic children.
Surprisingly, watching the parents was the most difficult for me.
There are moments in the film when it seems the parents have swapped roles and have become more like children themselves.
Which gives you the uneasy feeling you get the day you realize your parents are human.
Overall film leaves you with a sense of hope.
Highly recommend to anyone with an interest in the human condition..
A venture into the world of autism through the hearts and minds of five children and their parents..
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.
Great documentary.
The movie really normalizes the experience of raising a child with special needs (and believe me, I know) and helps us to see the unique and wonderful qualities of each child, beyond the autism diagnosis.
With more children being diagnosed on the autism spectrum each year, this is an important and timely movie which will help those families impacted directly, as well as the broader society.
Like mental health issues in "Girl, Interrupted" this film shreds light on a subject area that needs more public awareness.
I recommend that families go together to see this documentary..
This was an excellent movie, an excellent documentary and one of the best I have seen in a long time.
The director did a great job really keying to the strong points of each subject(character) particularly Wyatt.
He is by far the most intriguing of all the subjects and the director's portrayal of him was absolutely perfect.
There are some incredibly strong and emotional moments in this movie that will have you on the brink of tears or crying.
The directors decision to just let Wyatt talk and be himself was absolutely the best directorial decision I have ever seen in any movie.
His conversation with his mother is absolutely mesmerizing, he is so smart, he is so far beyond his years.
It also really sets up the frustration that his parents have because he is smart enough to handle regular classes, yet he still doesn't fit.
The most powerful moment in this film is when Lexi is typing to her mother, and she asks her to explain what Autism is and she can't get out the right words so she just says I love you.
I almost cry just thinking about it, and as an actor I will always turn to that scene when I need to shell out emotions, Im surprised her mom didn't respond with more emotion but it is probably because Lexi does that quite often.
The frustration of not being able to communicate with your children has got to be the most difficult thing about Autism.I only have a few issues with the film but none to not recommend it.
One of my biggest issues is that all of the children in the program are rich from what I saw from the movie.
So I think the next group of kids for the miracle project should probably come from slightly different backgrounds.
I'm interested to see how people who don't have money deal, because to be frank there are probably tons of kids who have autism that aren't diagnosed as such.
They go to school everyday and struggle and struggle and they deal with teachers who don't care and who aren't sympathetic to their needs.
I mean seriously how easy would it be to take someone like Adam and label him as just a bad misbehaved kid.
It would be terribly easy, and that's what happens to a lot of children.
My other issue is that I would have liked to hear a little bit more about the exact diagnosis of the different children's autism, and what autism really is.
I do understand that autism is a widely misunderstood disease so maybe that's why.THIS MOVIE IS EXCELLENT, I watch it every time it comes on.
And to be honest it changed the way I viewed some things because I myself have had some problems communicating and it really showed me the frustration my family might have from me doing that..
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.
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.
Normal people constantly process incomplete information and just guess, or randomly make choices, drop in formation etc.
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.
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.
More importantly however, his perception of the world around him is probably very unreal.
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).
And he will be very lonely without communication and understanding.
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!
"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)..
I see myself in many of the parents in the movie.
I definitely see myself in many of the parents in this movie and understand their frustrations.
One quote from the movie that will haunt me (since I have thought the same) is the mother who said "I know this is terrible but I wish I will outlive my child.
What parent would ever dream such a thing".
I have thought in my deepest darkest thoughts is what will happen to my autistic son once my wife and I are gone (he is an only child).I hope this movie will help bring compassion for a disease with very little public understanding.
These children and parents are very fortunate to have the Miracle Project in their lives..
This film blends everything you ever could imagine about a documentary feature.
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.
Wonderful "Must-See" Documentary.
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!
Nothing to do with autism..
I really did try to finish this movie.
For much of the film all I saw were moments of the lives of some of the autistic kids.
While interesting maybe for a study, showing kids throwing things while in the nude didn't do anything for me.
In fact, it was one of the things that turned me off to it.I wish there was more on the musical.
I am somebody who likes to learn, but this was boring and uninteresting.
I don't recommend anybody going to see this unless they have autistic kids and have enough patience for much of the film to find its kernel of truth.
I was very frustrated with many of the adults in this movie.
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.
And how many scenes where adults were just sitting around tables staring at the autistic kid!
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.
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.
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.).
A very special film.
"Autism: the Musical" wasn't necessarily something groundbreakingly new, nor was it the most complete view of autism (which can be and usually is a great deal worse than what you see in the film), but it was a truly inspired and beautiful vision of hope and understanding.
The children in the film are wonderful and evoke real cinematic connection.
The adults cover the whole range of what people can be, from good to bad.
If this film doesn't deeply touch and affect you, then there is something quite wrong.
It's a valuable and important film for everyone to see and I applaud its production.
In the world of documentaries, this one is significant and deserves to be viewed..
Emotionally stirring and inspiring, Autism: The Musical sheds much-needed light on the nature of autism, afflicted children, and their families.
Her film-making style is candid and truthful, deftly detailing the lives of five autistic children and their families during the creation, rehearsal, and performance of an original musical.
The viewer witnesses the families' daily trials and tribulations: issues with the school system, marital problems, bullying, and fears about the future of adults with autism.
Through the children's theater program, the Miracle Project, the families experience a nexus of community, joy, acceptance, and love.
Kids and parents find a place to just "be"  to let go, love their children, and watch them shine as actors, singers, writers, and creators!
Autism: The Musical is a superlative film for parents and grandparents, teens and young adults.
It is a film that teaches -- without preaching  viewers to accept, cherish, and value children of all abilities..
This doc got me angry it was exploitive to autistic children.
I'm a parent of a child with autism.From what I saw in this politically correct film and yes I mean politically correct.
This film was completely exploitive of these children and their and sometimes abusive parents.
The filmmakers were trying to show how even autistic children can do what everyone else can do.
I suppose they were trying to make this like Special Olympics gone musical (If you get my point).
Instead these filmmakers just used these kids and let their sad and depressed parents be in their phony and ridiculous film.
This was a creepy doc and the bad part is that people completely don't understand autism and this film is making that lack of understanding worse.
I hated it for that reason and the true thing it's politically correct but completely wrong and in this correctness the filmmaker were more interested in themselves and not interested at all about the people they were filming.
It was just a cheap exploitive reality show that just fooled the unfortunate audience who looked at it and this audience (us) was thinking how sweet and real this was..
It was neither but a real lie like most reality shows are .
Which this is what it really was and as I said before the autistic children and their parents were being used.
Most of the kids looked so miserable and were forced to do things they could not do.
If you filmmakers and HBO do not know this you are just lying to yourselves and just get out of your artistic heads and really look at what you are doing and why, because you did not fool me.