Dr. Spock

After the birth of our son, Mark, Gloria did not suddenly

become a cold, rejecting “refrigerator mother.” I thought

that there must be another cause for autism.

Dr. Bernard Rimland

In just the past few years the list of films and books by parents, especially by mothers, who took charge often in direct opposition to the advice of the “experts” in the medical and psychiatric professions, is a long and an impressive one. The advice quite often was simply “Put the child (usually a boy) away in an institution and forget him.” However, the mothers, and at times the fathers, ventured out into often unknown and dangerous territories to confront the status quo and to discover strategies and therapies to help their children to come back from the brink of isolation and the ravages of autism to be acknowledged as contributing and productive members of the human community.  They had found hope and promise where there had only been hopelessness and despair offered by the experts.

The initial beginning made by Dr. Bernard Rimland in 1964 with the publication of INFANTILE AUTISM to challenge the accepted psychological model of “refrigerator mothers” with a biomedical approach was slow to gain acceptance among the medical experts of the day.

See www.autism.com.

I am reminded of a quotation by Leo Tolstoy:

I know that most men (or women) including those at ease

with problems of the greatest complexity, can seldom accept

even the simplest and most obvious truth if it be such as would oblige them

to admit the falsity of conclusions which they have delighted in

explaining to colleagues, which they have proudly taught to others, and which

they have woven thread by thread into the fabric of their lives.

The equally ground-breaking work of Barry & Suzi Kaufman in 1976 with the publication of SON RISE focused on a behavorial approach.  “Experts had offered them little hope so they decided that they must act on their own-—alone.” (a personal note: in 1978, I was given a copy of SON RISE by our 14 year old daughter when we lived in the tiny fishing village of Bucks Harbor, Maine.  That was the first time I had ever heard the word “autism” and that book and concept helped to bring about a major shift in my life and career.) Learn more about SON RISE and the Option Method at www.autismtreatmentcenter.org.

Gradually the public’s attention and awareness of autism began to change. Rain Man in 1987 certainly shifted the cultural consciousness.  Then in 1991 Annabel Stehli published THE SOUND OF A MIRACLE: A CHILD’S TRIUMPH OVER AUTISM which “triggered a revolution in the field of developmental delay and learning disabilities,” said Paul Millard Hardy, M.D., Medical Board, Autism Society of America.

2000 saw the publication of Karyn Seroussi’s UNRAVELING THE MYSTERY OF AUTISM: A MOTHER’S STORY OF RESEARCH & RECOVERY.  It is the stiring story of the relentless search by a mother to discover and slay the dragon that had invaded her son, Miles.  The book is a fascinating read and is filled with many helpful resources.  See www.autismNDI.com .

From 2007 to 2009 the pace of publication of stories of recovery has exploded. A day hardly goes by without the announcement of another book telling another story.  (If I fail to mention one of your favorite books, please write to me and tell me about it.) At long last, people are speaking out, and the public is paying attention to stories of change. There is now a substantial hope for successful treatment modalities.  But the number of cases of autism continues to rise and the end of the increase in incidents seems nowhere in sight.

Kim Marie Lesso tells her story to help inform other parents in BACK IN MY ARMS: A MOTHER’S VICTORY OVER AUTISM.  Kim is the mother of two children on the autism spectrum.  Kaitlyn has been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome.  Tad has Regressive-Epileptic autism, one of the most serious types. Kim was told by the experts that her young son would never speak, would never go to school, and quite possibly would never even recognize her as a human being!  How wrong they were.  She proved them wrong on all counts.  Her book is filled with specific practical strategies and advice to empower parents to take charge and become the primary advocate and authority for their child.  See www.autismguru.com.

2008 saw a totally different kind of book from the previous account.  I WISH MY KIDS HAD CANCER: A FAMILY SURVIVING THE AUTISM EPIDEMIC by Michael Alan is written by a father of two young children with autism.  It is a poignant story of a family fighting for emotional and financial survival.  The toll of ineffective expert advice has been enormous and has driven the family to the very edge of survival.  The story was so compelling that it touched the heart and musical talent of renowned singer, song writer Sara Hickman, who has recently been named “Texas Musician of the year for 2010” by the Texas Legislature.

Sara wrote and recorded “State of Emergency,” and it can be downloaded at www.sarahickman.com or www.iwishmykidshadcancer.com.  Proceeds go to the Mattelia Foundation “Hope through Recovery,” a domestic non-profit organization dedicated to providing assistance and guidance directly to families affected by autism and autism spectrum disorders.

See www.mattelia.org.

Now hang on.  2009 has brought numerous excellent films and books to the public’s attention.  I will briefly mention only a few of these and follow up in future articles with a more detailed description of some of them.  I wanted to bring them to your attention here.

Four films stand out.  The first is a documentary that was actually premiered prior to 2009, but sets the stage for those that follow.  The next two films are fiction and the fourth, also a documentary, provides a bridge between films and books.

Beautiful Son by Don and Julianne King details the, at times, painful and desperate search to reach Beau, their young son who regressed into autism between the age of two and three.  This is a personal, up close, and extremely moving look at the manner in which every member of a family is impacted when autism enters.  See www.beautifulson.com.

The Black Balloon, produced in Australia, is based on the personal experiences of the screen writer, but unlike Beautiful Son, this film focuses on how the autism of an older brother impacts the life of his teenage brother whose family has just moved to a new town and school.  Each actor powerfully portrays his or her part to draw the viewer into the ever explosive drama of autism.  See www.theblackballoonmovie.com.

The next film to make its entrance into the public consciousness was Adam, which presents a young adult with Asperger’s who enters a whole new and strange world of relationships through his beautiful and talented young neighbor.  See www.foxsearchlight.com/adam.

The fourth film, Over the Hills and Far Away, is the story of a father’s quest to heal his son’s autism.  The film received rave reviews at the Sundance and SXSW (South by Southwest) Film Festivals.  It is the story of a family’s trip by horseback across Mongolia to visit five different shamans.  The idea for the trip presented itself when the family perceived the transforming effect of both contact with horses and shamans alike had on the behavior of their young son, Rowen, who has autism.  Interestingly enough, the Autism Society of America has fully supported the effort, I suspect, because the family chose to see autism as an adventure, a learning experience for the whole family, and not as a disaster or a burden.  My guess is that ASA is not suggesting that shamanism is to be a recommended therapy for autism, but rather that the attitude taken by the family to listen to and to learn from their child is an approach well worth considering.  Such an attitude is not unlike that of Barry & Suzi Kaufman in SON RISE.

Rupert Isaacson, Rowan’s father, has followed the release of the film with a blockbuster book, THE HORSE BOY.  See www.horseboymovie.com

Several other books have appeared and would warrant a closer, more careful look:

1)      THE FIRST YEAR: AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS by Nancy D. Wiseman gives a first hand look at how to approach a diagnosis of autism in a family.  So often a diagnosis seems to be understood by the experts and the parents alike as a lid (a way of putting the child into a category or a box—of putting the child away—case closed) rather than seeing the diagnosis as a ladder (a place to begin and an opportunity to move beyond).  Many specific, helpful strategies are included in this book.

2)  ANDREW’S STORY: ONE BOY’S JOURNEY BACK FROM AUTISM by Julie K.   Heinks is yet another compelling story by a mother who says, “As parents we were desperate to help him. Alternative care coupled with our gut instinct (Kim Marie Lesso would certainly affirm this element) finally gave us the first glimpse of hope.  Through hard work, proper diet, nutrition, and focused educational programs, Andrew came out of the world of autism in which he was trapped.  He is now an easygoing, happy, athletic teenager.  See www.publishamerica.com

3)      SACRED SPARK by Lisa K. Sykes relates the story of the ongoing recovery of her son, Wesley, from autism and of her strong advocacy to eliminate mercury in vaccines. See www.sacredsparkbook.com.

4)      Yet another mother, Ann Millan, tells the story of her adult daughter whose life began to change in significant ways at age 28 when they attended a DAN (Defeat Autism Now) conference in Orlando.  The personal and social results have been remarkable over the past 10 years as she has carefully followed the DAN protocol.  The story is clearly presented in AUTISM: BELIEVE IN THE FUTURE: HOW.

5)      Finally, yet another mother stands out, as Robyn O’Brien shares her journey in

THE UNHEALTHY TRUTH: HOW OUR FOOD IS MAKING US SICK AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT. She dares to take on powerful Big Agriculture, government agencies, and associations that should know better than to support the current state of food production and processing.  The Forword is wirtten by Kenneth A. Bock, M.D., and author of HEALING THE NEW CHILDHOOD EPIDEMICS: ATUSIM, ADHD, ASTHMA, AND ALLERGIES.  See www.rhinebeckhealth.com.

Dr. Bock points out that some 30 million children in the US—more than one third—are affected by one or more of these childhood epidemics.  Robyn, an honor college graduate and Fulbright Scholar, has given us a thoroughly researched and fully documented book that tells the truth of the food industry like it is.  And it is far from a pretty picture.  She is the mother of four small children, all of whom she discovered have food allergies, some serious.  The book is filled with useful, if at times startling, information, recipes, and other valuable resources to aid every family in its search for food that promotes true health.  THE UNHEALTHY TRUTH cuts across the entire landscape of health for our population, and it reads like a detective story as she follows one clue after another, some leading to dead ends and then some to surprising connections and conclusions. You will not be disappointed, and you will undoubtedly be far wiser for having accompanied her on her journey. Robyn is also the founder of AllergyKids.  See www.allergykids.com or www.robynobrien.com.

I conclude with two quotations well worth your consideration. They speak directly to the question, “Just Who Are the Experts?”

In the past 40 years the major advances in the treatment

of autism have not been made by men researchers

in white coats, but by mothers.

Dr. Bernard Rimland

The first man (or woman) to see an illusion by which men have flourished

for centuries surely stands in a lonely place.

In that moment of insight he and he alone sees the obvious

which to the uninitiated (the rest of the world) yet appears

as nonsense or worse as madness or heresy.

Gary Zukav  THE DANCING OF WU LI MASTERS

© Laurence A. Becker

Despite a few exceptions over the centuries, disability has found itself largely elided in the portrayal of the human condition. Works of literature (drama, poetry, and story) seem to have focused primarily on the intelligent, the crafty, the brave, or the beautiful. Civilizations have found inspiration by telling and hearing stories of the best and the brightest, of the hero. Certainly in the early days of the 20th Century this trend seemed to continue within the new and ever expanding film industry. However, in more recent years, a wider spectrum of the human condition has been portrayed and numbers of stunning examples have been produced.

While conventional thinking may only see light as white, through the use of a prism we have come to acknowledge that light is not simply white, but has a broad spectrum of colors and shades and frequencies. The portrayal of the diversity of the human community across the years and across many cultures has in recent years through film and related media enjoyed an everbroadening awareness of the existence as well as the unique gifts of persons with disabilities. By being enabled to see more, we ourselves have been able to be more.

Quite a number of films have even received the industry’s highest artistic awards, but many equally notable films have hovered beneath the radar screen of general public attention. I will seek in this essay to cast a light along the entire spectrum and invite readers to begin their own voyage of discovery. There they may well become overwhelmed by the intensity of the intelligence, the creativity, the sensitivity, and the depth of the human community in all its representations as portrayed by film.

Various film festivals have played an important role during the past thirty years in expanding the public’s awareness of persons with disabilities. In the 1970’s and 1980’s The International Rehabilitation Film Festival was held in New York City and joined other festivals throughout the country by offering “in an exhibition the best films and video tapes on disability.” Often the films starred people with disabilities and presented their stories from their points of view. Likewise, The National Council on Family Relations in Minneapolis showed films on topics of disability within the larger cultural dynamics of family and society. In the 1990’s companies like Fan Light Production in Boston distributed films such as the Academy Award winning documentary “Breathing Lessons: The Work & Life of Mark O’Brien, 1997.” MarkO’Brien (1949-1999) was a published poet, a journalist, and a contributor to National Public Radio. He was a strong advocate for independent living. He spent over forty years living most of his life in an iron lung as a result of childhood polio. He says in the film, “The truth is we’re just human.” In addition to the Academy Award, the film received awards at the Sundance Film Festival, the Golden Gate Awards, and the San Francisco International Film Festival. (Learn more about his remarkable life on his web page on the Internet.) In the 21st Century the Sprout Film Festival in New York City has taken the lead in presenting “films by, for, and about people with developmental disabilities.”

My own journey into film began in 1969 when I answered my senior English class at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, Texas, in a way that no one in that prestigious, college preparatory school had ever answered them before. My students had said, “Mr. Becker, we’ve studied poetry every year we’ve been here, can’t we do something else?” My surprising answer was, “Why not? What do you want to do?”

They were bewildered; they didn’t know that they wanted to do because no one had ever asked them. They only knew what they didn’t want to do. When they recovered from their initial astonishment, they decided to make a film. There was only one problem: none of them had ever made a film and neither had I. The learning curve of all of us was enormous, but it was tremendously exciting and rewarding to be on the forward edge of film study and filmmaking in schools in the early 1970’s. Some of the results were amazing: 1) a rather complex film titled “How to Try in School Without Really Succeeding” examined their education and brought about profound changes in the lives of some of the students; 2) I attended a total immersion course in film study at Fordham University that next summer. (It was the most intense learning experience of my life, and I produced a slide tape program, “Ripples of a Dialogue,” to embody the experience); 3) a full credit senior elective “Introduction to the Film” was offered the next year which I taught for six years; 4) each of six years these high school students planned and directed more than 350 students and adults from throughout the country each year (the final year saw 165 student produced films entered into the competition); 5) a number of students who took “Introduction to the Film” made film part of their careers; and 6) I was being prepared in my career toward directing and producing an international award-winning documentary in 1983. This was my own personal introduction to film.

My involvement with disability in film took a bit longer and did not begin until 1976. Our family had taken a one-year leave of absence from teaching English and film at St. Stephen’s, and we journeyed to the wilderness of Downeast Maine. During that year I drove over 2000 miles to San Antonio, Texas, to attend a three-day international film festival on psychiatry and culture directed by Dr. Harry A. Wilmer. Before that time I had openly stated, “I have no interest in working with the handicapped or the retarded. I want to work with the gifted. Not that someone shouldn’t work with them, it just wasn’t me.” That self-perception began to change when I saw a ten-minute film produced by the BBC about Richard Wawro, a “severely and profoundly mentally retarded young artist” from Edinburgh, Scotland. “He has an IQ of 30 and the mind of a six year old child,” said the expert, the Head of the Department of Psychiatry of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital n Scotland, as he introduced the film to the festival audience. He said that he had worked with Richard for seven years. Little did I know then that my introduction through this ten-minute film to the life and art of Richard Wawro would provide a course correction for my entire life that would bring about a totally new direction and focus. I could not in my wildest imagination have envisioned what lay ahead of me in my life journey these past thirty years.

After the film festival, the next step in my direction came as a result of a “chance” encounter and conversation in a parking lot late one evening with Jane Weil, the Director of a home based early intervention program for handicapped children. Thus, I became the film and video consultant for the Washington County Handicapped Children’s Program in Maine for the next two years. The pieces were beginning to produce a pattern in my life story.

The power of film to transform lives has been demonstrated over and over in my experience as I, like the Ancient Mariner in Samuel Taylor Cooleridge’s poem, began to tell countless stories and show numerous films of the gifted/handicapped to individuals and gatherings throughout the world.

Recently I organized a film course featuring a great many powerful films, art, music, poetry, and books to explore, with eyes wide open, the outer reaches of human possibility and the multiple environments that have nurtured the creative human spirit in some very unlikely people and places. The course is based upon the assumption that the mind and spirit are ultimately subject only to their own limitations, not those imposed by society or science. True stories of people from all circumstances of life provide us, who take the opportunity to see, a fitting embodiment of the quality and persistence of the essential spirit of humanity. This beginning point is perhaps most emphatically made in the TNT production of Door to Door, (2002), the story of Bill Porter, the most unlikely top, door-to-door salesman of Watkins Products. His character, his imagination, his indomitable spirit of patience and persistence are delivered consistently throughout his career despite almost overwhelming obstacles. Bill has cerebral palsy and has the use of only one hand.

Two unlikely “think links” occur to me as I consider Bill Porter’s characteristics of patience, persistence and imagination. First, in Darmok, an episode from Star Trek, The Next Generation, Captain Picard makes the observation about trying to communicate with an unknown civilization, “I believe that communication is possible with persistence and imagination.” Second, the story of Raun Kaufman shown in Son Rise also comes to mind. When Raun was just a very young child diagnosed as autistic, his parents were told by the doctors that he was hopelessly autistic and would never be able to communicate. We, not they, must be willing to learn their ways of communication; we must establish contact with them by being totally with them in their world. Raun Kaufman did not fulfill the doctors’ prediction but instead received his undergraduate degree in bio-medical ethics and lectures throughout the world on the Son Rise Method of treatment.

As means of experiencing the film course I had created, I decided to re-view each of the many films in the course. Part of my morning’s routine each day is to exercise on a mini-trampoline for 20-30 minutes. My decision to review each of these films during my morning workout has proved to have a significant impact on my life. The power of each film was magnified by the physical exercise. As my body was engaged and my blood flow increased, my mind was set free to see much more than I had seen in previous viewings of the films. Connections were made among many of the films and between the films and my own life. This approach to viewing the films resulted for me in a heightened and lasting experience. A word of caution is in order, however: viewing films such as Beyond Silence (1997) or Life is Beautiful (1998) (both of which have subtitles) may be a somewhat daunting, but none the less worthwhile, task while jogging on a mini-trampoline.

For me, one of the most powerful re-viewing experiences I had was with The Elephant Man, the 1980 film whose cast includes the star studded lineup of John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins, Anne Bancroft, and Sir John Gielgud. This film explores in depth the complicated relationship between a “grotesquely deformed Victorian sideshow freak,” John Merrick, The Elephant Man, and Dr. Frederick Treves, the respected medical lecturer and physician to the Queen’s court. Research into the film (also a successful Broadway play) led me to Thomas Gibbons’ “The Elephant Man” (also called “The Exhibition”) one-act play which reveals new dimensions of the relationship between these two apparently very different (yet strikingly similar) human beings. In this play Dr. Treves raises the provocative question for himself and all of us, “Have I merely exchanged places with the sideshow handler?” To what extent did the doctor’s efforts to introduce John Merrick into Victorian society simply mirror what had already been done to Merrick in the world of the sideshow? This short play version of the story holds up a mirror for Dr. Treves for him to see his own life and to reflect upon the nature and quality of his relationship with one he sought “to save.”

This article attempts to set a broad outline and give directions for individuals to search out the everexpanding areas of their own interest. The Internet has made it possible to locate an almost infinite number of resources and read multiple reviews of almost any film. Then, if you find yourself captivated by any of these extraordinary portrayals, it is quite possible for you to purchase the film for your own use and further enlightenment.

While many excellent stories never make it to the big screen or major film festivals and this do not receive prestigious awards and global recognition, television has accounted for a number of excellent films and videos (VHS and now DVD) being produced by and about persons with disabilities. Several network as well as cable productions have made significant additions to the film library. The CBS Movie of the Week, Journey of the Heart (1997) is the story of blind, autistic savant musician Tony DeBlois. The film stars Cybill Shepherd as Janice DeBlois, Tony’s mother. Despite having taken a number of liberties with this amazing story of Tony’s birth (at 1 lb and ¾ of an ounce) and life (he graduated magna cum laude from the Berklee School of Music in Boston in 1996), the film does probe the complexity of the issues facing a single mother in her determination to do what is best (regardless of the cost) for her blind, autistic, and extremely gifted and talented child. Other examples of made for TV films are: 1) First Do No Harm (1997) staring Meryl Streep as the mother of a child racked by seizures who through her persistent medical library searches discovers the ketogenic diet and insists that her child receives it; and 2) Miracle Run (2005) again featuring a single mother, this time with two recently diagnosed six year old autistic boys. This film successfully presents the highly complex personal, social, and educational situations faced by an increasing number of parents (often single mothers) today.

For me one of the most extraordinary films that was initially rejected as unsuitable by all three major networks but went on to receive the Academy Award for best long documentary in 1978 is Who Are the DeBolts? (And Why Do They Have 19 Children?) This film made its network debut when the actor Henry Winkler (aka “The Fonz”) put up his own money and staked his reputation to produce it on TV. The DeBolt family with its 19 very special children of “various ethnicities, handicaps, orphans or victims of war and catastrophe” shine to the delight of all in a portrait of what a human being can be and accomplish in an environment of love, support and high expectations of success.

The next year, 1979, Ira Wohl’s Best Boy burst onto the screen and captured our hearts and imaginations and received the Academy Award for best long documentary. This three years in the making, cinema verite depiction of his cousin, Philly, a 52 year old mentally retarded man, had a profound effect on viewers. Philly, who had lived his entire life with aging and extremely protective parents, is portrayed with a simple, direct style that enables the viewer to experience the long delayed growth of this sensitive, child-like adult. Some twenty years later Wohl revisits Philly, now living in California with his sister (both parents have long since died). Once again in Best Man (1996) Wohl enables the viewer to experience Philly’s naivete and joy as in his 70’s he completes, at long last, his bar mitzvah.

One of my favorite little books, THE ACORN PEOPLE by Ron Jones, 1976, was later filmed as a CBS special movie. Written from the true life experiences Ron had one summer at a camp for severely handicapped kids, this short seventy-five page book reveals the education and transformation of a novice summer camp counselor who was fully prepared to jump ship after only one night in the cabin and the liberation and healing of the five broken and passive children placed in his care one summer. (note: I am still waiting for a film to be made based on the Larry Niven short story, “The Handicapped” found in NEUTRON STAR, 1968. This story is a classic waiting to be found and filmed.) Ron Jones later (1998) produced B-Ball: The Team That Never Lost A Game, a Special Olympics basketball team, which opens for us a new way to play and a new definition of winning. Skillfully presented as a standup comedy routine with live shots of the action inserted in the monologue, the film cannot help but delight and enlighten the viewer.

Finally, two recent films must be added to this growing list. Autism Is A World (CNN, 2004) is written by a twenty-six year old woman who can only speak through her writing with one finger on a communication device. This short documentary (nominated for an Academy Award) portrays Sue Rubin, who until she was thirteen was believed by all to be severely mentally retarded. Now she is a junior history major at Whittier College. It is a quiet, yet powerful, view from inside the daily world of a young woman living within the autism spectrum.

The second film which was released in 2006 is titled Mozart and the Whale and is based on the true story of the life of Aspergers’ advocate Jerry Newport, a numbers savant, and his relationship with Mary Meinal, an artist and also a person living with Aspergers’. Like Rain Man, Mozart and the Whale deals with very sensitive issues of relationships between individuals and society. It, like Rain Man, has experienced significant difficulty in being brought to the big screen. An excellent description of the relationship between Jerry and Mary may be found in the Los Angeles Times, October 23, 1995, “Asperger: Love Story That Triumphs Against All Odds” by Kim Kowsky. An excellent review of Mozart and the Whale by Todd McCarthy may be found at www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=bio&peopleD=1010.

Join me next month for Part 2 of Gifts Along the Whole Spectrum: The Portrayal of Disability Through Film.

My son, Chris was never lacking, in fact he was never disabled. I was. I had to discover how to embrace his strength and skills. I began to celebrate his beauty and savor his triumphs. I became Chris and discovered varied ways to learn, to educate and to cope with the world.

I rejoice when one of our own is cured but just as ecstatic when a child on the spectrum spits out his first words or overcomes his social ineptness. Explore your children’s struggles, and praise their simple successes.

Last week I watched my boy take notes in class and download the information onto his computer. I have also endured horrific behavioral outbursts, suffered from depression and held onto my son as he writhed in deep intestinal pain. Our families are forced to journey down a road of terrifying unpredictability. We are also privy to fleeting glimpses of purity and moments of unconditional love. Autism: The Musical allows the audience to view our world and to celebrate our children.

I met Elaine Hall at a conference in Cleveland. I was immediately fascinated by her boundless energy and extraordinary resolve. She is the consummate advocate but still innocent enough to marvel at the growth of her students. Ms. Hall created the Miracle Project, a theater program for youngsters with developmental disabilities. It is a loving project, devoid of pretense. Autism: The Musical traces the lives of five children with Autism as they prepare and rehearse for a theatrical performance. It is directed by Trish Reagan who makes the individuals on the spectrum the primary subject, not the disorder. She concentrates on the children’s strengths and social evolution. Why not bring this attitude to your IEP? Why not bring it to your children’s lives?

You not only experience the struggles of the cast but the angst of their families as well. The audience becomes part of the Autism community. The intelligence of these children shines through and wins our hearts. Their struggle with social skills, sensory issues and fears allows us to share their humanity.

The film introduces us to five children on the spectrum, Wyatt who reflects on bullies, Adam, a brilliant cellist, Henry who perseverates on dinosaurs, Lexi, the incarnation of Joni Mitchell and Neal, Elaine’s son. The project reveals the many faces of Autism. Echolalia, savant like qualities, social difficulties and inappropriate behaviors are all portrayed. But this is not a cheap, theatrical production that exploits Autism. This video diary is about growth and the human spirit. It is about truth. When Neal pushes his friend to the ground for no apparent reason, I am reminded of my own son who will rejoice one moment and bite viciously the next. The film is raw and revealing.

I fall asleep briefly and open my eyes to Chris bouncing to the music of Match Box Twenty. He has typed their song title, “If You’re Gone” as a request on You Tube. He is singing along, lost in the rhythm. My boy propels himself high into the air and then settles into a little side step that my fiancée, Kate has taught him. Chris is smiling, arms outstretched, dancing to the music. It is a magical moment; Chris is just a teenager, rocking out. I am mesmerized.

I urge you to experience Autism: The Musical. But then again, you really don’t need to. Open your eyes. Share your children’s joy. The music is all around you.

If you like this article, you’ll love Bill’s audio seminar!

Click the play button below to hear a sample clip:

Total run time: 54:54

>>Download the Full Length MP3 Here

I was first introduced to the concept of the savant when I happened upon a magazine article titled “Inside the Mind of the Autistic Savant” by Dr. Bernard Rimland, (1979).  A short time later, in 1981, I was surprised by the story of Leslie Lemke on a segment of the popular television program, That’s Incredible.  Also in 1981, MAY’S BOY: An Incredible Story of Love by Shirlee Monty was first published.  Dr. Darold A. Treffert had discovered Leslie in Wisconsin and shared his story through television and later in his book, EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE: Understanding Savant Syndrome, first published in 1989 and later updated in 2006 (pp. 11-14).  However, some three years earlier in 1986 David Henry Feldman, Professor of Developmental Psychology at Tufts University had published NATURE’S GAMBIT: Child Prodigies and the Development of Human Potential.  In an insightful discussion of Leslie (see pp. 114-122) Dr. Feldman presents a compelling story of May’s, Leslie’s mother, devotion to do the very best for this severely handicapped child (he was blind and did not speak or walk) that had been entrusted to her care as a foster parent. Leslie, now in his fifties continues on a limited schedule to delight audiences with his concerts on the piano and his singing, often with improvisations of famous singers.

In  1991, THE SOUND OF A MIRACLE: A Child’s Triumph over Autism by Annabel Stehli told the story of her daughter, Georgiana, and auditory integration training.  This thoroughly researched treatment modality has provided significant treatment for countless children throughout the world. Annabel’s wish to educate and inspire parents to defy and move beyond the terminal diagnoses of the “experts” is carried on by The Georgiana Institute.

The Autism Research Institute has published “The Efficacy of Auditory Integration Training: Summaries and Critiques of 28 reports of research (Jan 1993-May 2001) which concludes that AIT does benefit various population groups, especially autism.  This approach is certainly worth a careful look. (see www.georgianainstitute.org)

Moving forward, in 1996, after the groundbreaking success in creating public awareness of autism and especially savants in 1987, RAIN MAN’s inspiration, Kim Peek is the subject of a book by his father.  In THE REAL RAIN MAN: A Father’s Inspiring Account Kim’s father Fran offers a detailed picture of Kim as only a father would know.  This initial glimpse into the mind of Kim Peek was significantly up dated in June 2002 in an excellent article in SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN (pp. 75-85) “Islands of Genius” by Darold A. Treffert and Gregory L. Wallace.  But another quantum in Kim’s story was reported in the June/July 2006 issue of SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND (pp. 50-55) by Darold A. Treffert and Daniel D. Christensen in “ Inside the Mind of a Savant.”  In this report, the authors examine Kim’s latest area of expertise (he already  has fifteen areas of encyclopedic expertise) –music!  His teacher April Greenan, a Mozart scholar, makes the following observations: Kim’s ability to recall every detail of a composition he has heard—in many cases only once and more than 40 years ago—is astonishing.  The connections he draws between and weaves through compositions, composers’ lives, historical events, movie soundtracks and thousands of facts stored in his database reveal enormous intellectual capacity. (page 55)

I, for one, am eagerly awaiting Kim’s next performance.

No mention of savant musical performance would be adequate, much less complete, without acknowledgment of the contribution of John Davis, Steinway artist.  With “John Davis Plays Blind Tom: The Eighth Wonder” (CD,1999) this contemporary artist has produced “the first commercial recording of the charming and historically-evocative piano music by the Georgia slave sensation, Blind Tom Bethune, one of the most famous, controversial, and highly paid pianists of the mid-to late-nineteenth century. “ (CD cover)  John Davis has now followed this magnificent re-creation in 2008, with “Marshfield Tornado:  John Davis plays Blind Boone.”  (CD) For a complete description of these CDs see www.johndavispianist.com.

In 2000 I directed An International Gathering of Savants at the University of Texas, and John Davis was joined in concert by Tony DeBlois, the latest, and certainly one of the greatest, autistic savant musicians in the world today.  What an amazing concert by these two stunning performers!  I had first been introduced to Tony by The Learning Channel presentation which wove together Tony’s story with that of Richard Wawro, subject of the international, award-winning documentary film WITH EYES WIDE OPEN. Richard is the autistic savant artist from Scotland whom I had worked with for over 20 years.  (Richard was also very knowledgeable in all types of music, pop to classical)  I learned that Tony plays over twenty musical instruments and has had numerous concerts throughout the world.  He has also received many prestigious prizes and honors for his performances. Since my first encounter with him, I have been blessed to be with him and on occasion to present with him.  Most recently I was with him in Chicago before Thanksgiving 2007 at the “Mental Health and the Brain” symposium presented by The Foundation for Human Potential and directed by Andrea Gellin Shindler.  The symposium brought together an amazing array of artists (visual, musical, dance) and scientists for two very full days of sharing. (see andreaFHP@comcast.net for future events)

At the Symposium I was able to obtain a copy of SOME KIND OF GENIUS: The Extraordinary Journey of Musical Savant Tony DeBlois by his mother Janice DeBlois and Antonia Felix (2005). The book traces Tony’s journey from birth at just over 1 lb of weight to his graduation in 1996 magna cum laude from the Berklee College of Music in Boston.  There is also a wonderful, brief account of the CBS Movie of the Week, JOURNEY OF THE HEART, staring Cybill Shepherd as Tony’s mother Janice.  More of Tony’s story may be found on Dr. Treffert’s web site at www.savantsyndrome.com and on his own web site www.tonydeblois.com.

Each of these marvelous musicians (with the possible exception of Blind Tom) was nurtured by an environment of love and trust and a strong belief in the possibility found beneath many layers and obstacles.  Perhaps author Ira Progoff in THE SYMBOLIC AND THE REAL expressed it best when he said,

But this is one of the things that love is called upon to do: to affirm and sustain the seed in a fellow human being even though no tangible evidence has been given of the nature and quality of the seed that is growing there.  Love is needed while the seed is still a potentiality. After it has come forth, the support of love is not nearly so necessary; praise and encouragement are sufficient then.

In this sense, the capacity to love depends upon the capacity to feel the reality of the future before it has tipped its hand, before the seed has disclosed itself, and while there is still no more specific basis for judgment than a feeling that links the depths of one person to the seed depths of another.  Love depends upon the capacity to reach beneath the surface of persons, to feel and touch the seed of life that is hidden there. And love becomes a power when it is capable of evoking that seed and drawing it forth from its hiding place. (pp. 165-166)

There is no doubt in my mind that Leslie Lemke, Georgiana Stehli, Kim Peek, Tony DeBlois, and Richard Wawro were each and every one able to flourish in just such a rich environment of love, praise, encouragement, and affirmation, and the results have certainly been spectacular.

When working with a young 4-year old boy with autism I noticed several things about his environment.  There were “things” everywhere including many toys with diverse sounds and colours.  The whole house had been modified to become his play and learning ground – from the kitchen to the living room to the bathroom to the basement.

Mom would move very quickly around the house, often darting in different rooms catching up on her daily work routine.  Mom spoke in a fast, high-pitched voice and every sentence she would say would go up at the end, sounding almost more like a question than a comment.  In addition to fast, she spoke loudly to her 4-year old in an attempt to get his attention as he moved from area to area in the home with little or no apparent acknowledgement of her. She made comments to me about how exhausted she was.

All persons including children with autism vibrate with and against their environment. When working with the 4-year old I asked mom if she would prepare the small room in her house for our session, removing all the toys and distractions. Each session would start with one large drum in the middle of the room being played with a consistent beat.  The child would soon move towards the drum and play intermittently.  As soon as he would strike the drum mom spoke encouraging him to continue, while clapping in an unrelated tempo to what was being created.  The child’s unsolicited playing would decrease.

It was important I discuss entrainment with mom.  Together we discussed different timbres (what sounds affect us in certain ways – using high questioning tones with our voice vs. low, solid tones) and tempo (what speed of voice and movements brings about feelings of relaxation? anxiety?). We then discussed the goals she had for her child that included increased communication and increased attention span. We discussed a program that we felt would accomplish these goals but required an opportunity for the “music (all sounds and silences) to speak” and that meant other distractions including speaking voices and supportive clapping could not be used. We also looked at using deeper and slower movements and tones throughout his day to day.

It only took a week of changes for mom to say – I am feeling much more relaxed at home and am listening to music that is soothing for my son and me.  I am also noticing that my son is seemingly more relaxed and focused.

In 1959 a doctor named Teirich undertook one of the earliest studies into the therapeutic effects of music and vibration. He built a couch which contained loud speakers and which transferred vibration from J.S. Bach’s D minor Toccata and Fugue straight to the solar plexus. He used his fellow doctors as a subject group. They variously reported immediate warmth in the solar plexus, a feeling of complete relaxation in the stomach and a very pleasant dream-like state. Alfred Tomatis, who has worked extensively with persons with autism, found that the types of music in the frequency range from 500 to 8000 Hz promoted the greatest amount of relaxation.

The effects of music have even been researched on plant growth. Dorothy Retallack played rock to one group of plants and soothing music to another. The group that heard rock turned out to be sickly and small whereas the other group grew large and healthy. What was more surprising is that the group of plants listening to the soothing music grew bending towards the music source.

I don’t think it is surprising to us that frequencies, tempo and timing can affect us.  We often dream of a trip to a warm climate where the tempo of the people move slower, where speech is laboured and our pulse relaxes as we sip our first margarita while lying near the slow and melodic lapping of the waves.

I encourage each of us as we set our New Year resolutions to include developing a music environment at home – one that resonates positively for you and those you care most about.

Readings of Interest:

The Short-term Effects of Music Therapy on Anxiety in Autistic Children

Erin Azbell, Teresa Laking

http://www.uwlax.edu/urc/JUR-online/PDF/2006/azbell.laking.pdf

In time with the music: The concept of entrainment  and  its significance for ethnomusicology

Martin Clayton, Rebecca Sager and Udo Will

http://ethnomusicology.osu.edu/EMW/Will/InTimeWithTheMusic.pdf

The work of  Dorothy Retallack

http://www.dovesong.com/positive_music/plant_experiments.asp

The books discussed in this article range in publication dates from 2003 to 2008.  The majority of books that have come onto the market and deal with the subject of autism seem to have been either personal (biographical or autobiographical) accounts or non-fiction works filled with statistics, graphs, surveys, and research.  However, I want to continue this series in 2009 by first looking at two works of highly insightful and entertaining fiction.

In 2003 a remarkable novel made its appearance.  The curious incident of the dog in the nighttime by Mark Haddon announced it unique approach with an unusual cover design:  no capital letters in the title and a cut out of an upside down black puddle dog.  The Boston Globe called it “Gloriously eccentric and wonderfully intelligent,” itself a brilliant evaluation of this first person narrative of Christopher John Francis Boone.  The acclaim for the book printed inside the cover and on the first few pages from a wide array of the literary (The New Yorker) and entertainment (Entertainment World) sources as well as the financial world (Financial Times, London and The Economist) all rave about the range of emotion and skillful crafting of this first novel. From all accounts it is proclaimed to be an instant classic and the title is even spoken in the same sentence with The Sound and the Fury, Catcher in the Rye, Huckleberry Finn, and Flowers for Algernon; all pretty high company for a first novel. I can offer little more than to say the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime is a fascinating glimpse into the inner workings of Christopher’s mind and curious behavior as he tries to navigate a very complex changing world that continues to challenge his brilliant, but eccentric mind.  And if you like complex mathematics, you are in for a bonus treat. Enough said; enter Christopher’s world at your own risk.

The following year, 2004, Al Capone Does My Shirts appeared.  This Newberry Honor Book, is also a first person narrative, but this time the reader enters the strange world of twelve year old Moose Flanagan, who in 1935 has just moved to the Rock (Alcatraz Island) with his family so that his sister, Natalie, can attend the near by Esther P. Marinoff School for special needs kids.  Natalie has autism.  Life on Alcatraz with such neighbors as Machine Gun Kelly and Al Capone can be difficult enough, but for Moose it’s almost an impossible assignment: to protect Natalie, live up to his parents’ expectations, and stay out of trouble.

Gennifer Choldenko has succeeded in telling an enjoyable tale through the eyes of an adolescent caught in the middle of a challenging and at times bizarre life situation.  Moose begins his journal account on Friday, January 4, 1935 by saying,

Today I moved to a twelve-acre rock covered with cement,

topped with bird turd and surrounded by water.  Alcatraz sits

smack in the middle of the bay, so close to the city of San

Francisco, I can hear them call the score on a baseball game

on Marina Green.  Okay, not that close. But still.

I’m not the only kid who lives here.  There’s my sister, Natalie,

except she doesn’t count.  And there are twenty-three other kids

who live on the island because their dads work as guards or cooks

or doctors or electricians for the prison like my dad does.  Plus there

are a ton of murderers, rapists, hit men, con men, stickup men,

embezzlers, connivers, burglars, kidnappers and maybe even an

innocent man or two, though I doubt it. (p.3)

While not nearly so complex or challenging as the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime, Al Capone Does My Shirts does certainly entertain and provide an introduction to the effects of a sibling with autism upon an entire family. It is an excellent introduction for a sibling to come to see some of the challenges and opportunities of having a brother or sister with autism.

As a bridge between these two excellent works of fiction and two equally engaging works of non-fiction, I would like to introduce you to a CD, “Living In the Spectrum: Volume 1 Autism & Asperger’s” produced by Lecia Macryn.  This CD released in 2004 includes researchers, other professionals, parents, and individuals living within the broad autism spectrum sharing their knowledge, insights, stories, talents, experience, and hopes for the future.  It is certainly a breath of fresh air because it adds a new dimension to the total picture where “doom and gloom” is often the first emotion parents feel when they receive the doctor’s words that their child has autism.  A highlight for me in the CD is the interview with a twelve-year-old boy with Asperger’s.  (see www.mindscapeproductions.com)

Kamran Nazeer, author of Send in the Idiots: Stories from the Other Side of Autism, was once himself, at age four, enrolled in a special school in New York City for children with autism.  Some twenty years later he decided that he wanted to contact some of his classmates to see what they had become: Were they still autistic? Did they have a job?  How had they accommodated to society?  The author encountered the problem that he had no idea how to contact any of the other students from the class.  When he happened to mention his idea to his parents, he discovered that the parents of the children had for the most part remained in contact over the years with each other to share stories and solutions with each other.  Thus began the effort to interview and write about the lives of some of these former classmates from so long ago.

The phrase, “Send in the idiots” which became the title for this extremely informative examination of the lives of four individuals with autism came for one of the children’s echolalic expressions.  When the teacher would real aloud from the newspaper, “Gridlock continues between the White House and the Congress,” Craig would shout out, “Send in the idiots!”  Many years later the author finds that Craig, still unable to make eye contact, but a very talented writer, is a major speech writer, “working mostly for the Democratic Party.”  He was deeply involved in writing for the 2004 Presidential campaign which as he came to understand it gave “primacy to affinity, not argument.” (p.127) The election was not lost on argument.  Craig found himself out of a job.

Each person interviewed, including the two teachers, is unique, and the author provides us with important insights from the inside out.  He arrives, in the epilogue, with the conclusion that “Our autism eased, in each case, because of other people, our parents, friends and our teachers, of course.” (p.229) “Idiots don’t need to be sent anywhere.  We’re in the right place.” (p. 230)

I close by mentioning another powerful book published in 2008, which offers a view from inside about the spiritual dimension of persons living within the spectrum of autism.  I was privileged to review The Soul of Autism by William Stillman, another author in this Autism at home Series.  I will leave it to Bill to discuss the importance of this book for everyone living on or beside the spectrum.  I will simply say that this sequel to Autism and the God Connection is a must read if society is to understand, appreciate, and come to value and to respect the enormous gifts that many individuals with autism bring to the table.

Next month I will look at a group of books and films that portray the talents of persons with autism who are in the field of music.  Stay tuned.

MUSIC WITHIN, released in 2007, captures the life and work of Richard Pimental.  This biographical narrative depicts the struggle of one man to change the thinking and action of a whole country with regard to disability.  After sustaining severe hearing loss and persistent ringing in his ears as a result of a war injury, Richard returns to a society whose rules and regulations provided little assistance and often major resistance to the needs of the disabled.  With the help and encouragement of other disabled veterans and a brilliant and witty new friend with CP, Richard sets about the task of convincing a nation to legally change its approach.  His efforts, not without great personal sacrifice, resulted in the passage of ADA Act (Americans With Disabilities Act) and changed forever a culture of neglect into a culture of opportunity.  While the film may have slipped beneath the radar screen in the nation’s theaters, it is a film that chronicles what one person with vision and persistence can accomplish in changing the face of a nation.

Also in 2007, a personal and powerful documentary made its presence known through the work of Don and Julianne King as BEAUTIFUL SON. Don, the primary cinematographer of underwater scenes of CAST AWAY staring Tom Hanks, and Julianne, his wife, have captured the doubts, the life changing reality, and the heart wrenching mystery of the arrival of autism in their family.  They document the sudden advent of autism in their family’s life when their third son, Beau, loses speech and visual focus between two and three years of age.  With disarming candor BEAUTIFUL SON lets the viewer move inside their family’s struggle to find answers and treatments for their beautiful son.  Their journey in search of answers takes them from their lovely home in Hawaii to John’s Hopkins Medical facility to California and the DAN Conferences of the Autism Research Institute.  Their relentless search via the Internet also has provided valuable information for other parents whose lives have been radically altered by the sudden appearance of autism.  Further information may be found at www.beautifulson.com.

An even newer documentary film, RECOVERED: Journeys Through the Autism Spectrum and Back (Center for Autism & Related Disorders, CARD, 2008) has appeared recently and adds further documented evidence of the possibility through early intervention of recovery.  The early parts of the film were shot in the 1990’s and trace the lives of four young (2 to 4 year old) children.  The film includes interviews with the parents at the beginning and some 10 years later as these remarkable young adults are currently successfully involved in high school and have plans for careers beyond college.  They demonstrate with convincing power the possibility of recovery.  I was privileged to attend a screening earlier this year and to talk with two of the young people whose stories are presented in the film.  The young man, a senior in high school, is also a talented musician and an eloquent speaker.  The young woman, also present at the screening, is also a senior in high school and is a typical student involved in many school and community activities.  See www.recoveredautism.com.

Lastly, a film that is in its final stage of completion adds an entirely new dimension to the portrayal of autism and a possible approach to treatment and healing.  I became acquainted with the cinematographer, Michel Scott through a mutual friend.  I became fascinated with the project and have closely followed the development of THE HORSEBOY MOVIE.  This approach brings together horses and shamans in a bold and imaginative strategy for healing.  Yes, I said “horses” (which have proved very successful across a wide range of disability) and “shamans” (as far as I know this is a first).  A family from central Texas “discovered” the therapeutic effect of a horse named Betsy on the language and behavior of a four-year-old boy with autism.  The father’s work for land rights for indigenous peoples (Africa and Australia) brought the boy in contact with shamans.  A similar result occurred as with Betsy.  The father questioned, “Where in the world do horses and shamans come together?”  The answer that came was, “Mongolia.” The result was a journey in the summer of 2007 across Mongolia on horseback to visit five shamanic villages.  Over 165 hours of footage are currently being edited.  A trailer may be viewed at www.horseboymovie.com.  This innovative effort gives further evidence of the diverse approaches available to bring healing and recovery for individuals and families whose lives have been so radically altered by the arrival of autism in their midst.

I conclude this essay with an outline of a film course that I have developed (all the films are available on DVD) to present the remarkable stories of individuals throughout the wide spectrum of humanity.  The films and resources that follow the list featuring people with autism are printed in bold type.

The course continues to grow almost daily as many more books and films are being produced almost daily to add to this rich treasure trove of stories of human achievement in the face of often incredible adversity.

“The filming of Rain Man and the movie’s subsequent success proved to be a turning point in Kim’s life. Before then, he had been reclusive, retreating to is room when company came. Afterward, the confidence he gained from his contacts with the filmmakers, together with the celebrity provided by the movie’s success inspired him and his father, Fran Peek, to share Kim’s talents with many audiences. (In fact, Kim’s father says that Dustin Hoffman took him aside and said, “Kim belongs to the world; you must share him with the world.”) They became enthusiastic emissaries for people with disabilities, and over the years they have shared their story with more than 2.6 million people.” (p113)

Rain Man was by no means the first or the only film to portray some area of disability so that the public at large could gain a greater understanding of the complexity and at times the rewards to both the individual and the society of raising the consciousness of the public to be aware of the ever increasing segments of the population that often lie outside the “normal flow” of the activities of a culture. More and more persons with disabilities have taken their rightful place as members of a society that has for years either pretended they didn’t exist or denied public access to the benefits of society.

1983 saw the premiere of With Eyes Wide Open: The Life and Art of Richard Wawro. This documentary about one of the world’s foremost autistic savant artists (featured in “Scientific American, June 2002) received three international film awards and four national awards and continues even after twenty years to be in demand throughout the United States and Europe (see www.savantsyndrome.com and www.wawro.net for more information about Richard Wawro and other savant artists.)

Then in 1984 a stunning Australia film titled A Test of Love based on the acclaimed best seller, ANNIE’s COMING OUT, presented the true life story of Annie McDonald. From age three, Annie had been confined to an institution for the severely retarded. Annie, like Christi Brown (My Left Foot) and Bill Porter (Door to Door), has cerebral palsy, but unlike Christi and Bill, Annie had no supportive family and had to win at eighteen years of age through the courts her right to life outside the hospital warehouse for the severely mentally retarded. The film features many performances by actual “real-life patients from Australian rehabilitation centers including an amazing nine-year old Tina Arhondis as Annie.” After her release, Annie went on to receive her college degree.

While legislation has certainly played an important role, media, especially film, has had the most significant impact on changing the hearts and minds and actions of many people in our society. Often the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has awarded its highest honors to films, actors, and directors whose stories have portrayed forms of disability.

In a penetrating and perceptive essay written several years ago for “Kaleidoscope Magazine, Diane Carson in “Hollywood’s ‘Handicap’” first calls Hollywood to task for its largely superficial and inadequate portrayal of disabilities. The essay does conclude, however, with a lengthy and affirmative evaluation of two foreign produced films: My Left Foot (1990), the story of Irish author and artist Christi Brown, and The Wedding Gift (1994). The author states that “with a clear-headed presentation of this remarkable man’s life, My Left Foot reminds us of the essential beauty of the human condition in all its manifestations and it does so form his point of view.” While certainly Hollywood may be found wanting by some in its production of quality films employing or depicting persons with disabilities, the Academy has not shied away from awarding many of its highest honors to just such films.

Two years before Rain Man (1988) and four years before My Left Foot, Marlee Matlin had received an Academy Award for her role as Sarah, a deaf-mute, in Children of a Lesser God (1986). Matlin, who is herself deaf, became the youngest actress to receive the Academy Award. Currently she has the leading role as a deaf photographer/explorer in the highly successful film What the Bleep Do We Know? And the sequel What the Bleep: Down the Rabbit Hole. Also some three years before My Left Foot, a very similar film, Gaby (1987) staring Liv Ullman and Academy Award winning support actress Norma Aleandro, made its debut. Gaby Brimmer, like Christi Brown, has severely limited movements with only her left foot, but because of her brilliant mind and supportive family and nurse, she became a college graduate and critically acclaimed author. Gaby is an equally sensitive portrayal of an extreme disability, but from a feminine point of view.

Then in 1998 appeared a film staring Elizabeth Shue, acclaimed actress and Academy Award nominee for her role in Leaving Las Vegas. Shue stars in Molly, the story of an autistic young woman. At first glance the film seems to be a cross between Charlie (based on short story “Flowers for Algernon”) and staring Academy Award winning Cliff Robertson and Rain Man. However, “Molly, the film, is a joyous celebration of the irrepressible human spirit,” wrote a reviewer. Molly, the character, has a younger brother whose comfortable, bachelor life-style is suddenly turned upside down when he is forced to take custody of his formerly institutionalized autistic sister. While the development of the relationship between these siblings is much more genuine and positive, all be it challenging, than that in Rain Man, Molly as a film never received the recognition or acclaim of the earlier film and disappeared very quickly from the big screen.

Several additional films dating back as early as 1962 that explore disability in one form or another certainly are worth noting and need to be explored in further detail in perhaps a different context. I mention them here because, taken as a whole, the total number of films produced over the past forty years is, to my mind, quite impressive. Each of the films deals with a slightly different form of disability:

The Miracle Worker (1962) blind/deaf

Charlie (1968) mental retardation

Dominick & Eugene (1988) mental retardation

Awakenings (1990) physical disability

Forrest Gump (1994) mental retardation

Nell (1994) language and social development

Shine (1996) mental illness

The Eighth Day (1997) Down’s syndrome

The Other Sister (1999) mental and social retardation

A Beautiful Mind (2002) mental illness

Radio (2004) mental retardation

Murderball (2005) physical disability

Rory O’Shea Was Here (2005) physical disability

While this article is by no means an exhaustive survey of the many fine films which have portrayed disability, it is intended to serve as a beginning point for further exploration and discovery in the quest for knowledge and understanding. In this article I hope to provide an ever broadening and deepening of our awareness of life along the spectrum of humanity. My intention is invite you to re-view some of these films discussed here so that you may be surprised and amazed by the wonderfully diverse people you will meet as you continue your journey into film.

I close this discussion of the portrayal of disability in film with an anonymous poem that was shared with me during the Hemisfilm International Film Festival in San Antonio many years ago. It continues to proved me with a compass for my life journey as I share the stories given to me through film.

PERSONS ARE GIFTS….WRAPPED!

Some are wrapped beautifully: they are very attractive when I first see them.

Some come in ordinary wrapping paper.

Others have been mishandled in the mail.

Once in a while there is a special delivery!

Some persons are gifts which are very loosely wrapped, not sealed.

Others are tightly wrapped, practically locked, enigmas really, almost forbidding.

But the wrapping is not the gift!

It is easy to make this mistake…

It’s very amusing when babies do it.

Sometimes the gift is very easy to open.

Sometimes I need others to help.

Is it because some are afraid?

Does it hurt to be known truly, honestly?

Maybe they have been opened before and thrown away, discarded?

Maybe such a gift isn’t for me, too good for me?

Maybe I’m not ready; I’m not open? I’m indifferent?

Maybe I don’t recognize the gift, that is is for me?

I am a person…

Therefore I am a gift, too.

A gift to myself first of all – God gave me to me!

Have I ever really looked inside the wrapping?

Perhaps I’ve never accepted the gift that I am?

Could it be that there is something else inside than what I think?

Could God’s gift be anything but good?

Maybe it needs polishing – to bring out its value, its natural lustre!

Maybe it’s unique – hasn’t found its essential worth?

And I am a gift to other persons!

Am I willing to be given to others? A man for others?

Do others have to be content with the wrappings?…

Never permitted to enjoy the true me?

Every meeting of persons is an exchange of gifts.

But a gift without a giver is not a gift…

It is a thing devoid of relationship to giver or receiver.

Friendship is a relationship between persons who see themselves as they truly are:

Both GIFTS OF GOD…

to each other…for others…truesiblings!

A friend is a gift, not just for me, but to others through me.

When I keep my friend – possess him – I destroy his “giftness.”

If I save his life for me, I lose it; if I lose it for others, I save it!

Persons are gifts,

Gifts received and gifts given – God’s BEST GIFTS on Earth!

Finally, if I have omitted any of your favorite films, I invite you, please, to write to me and share them with me. May the journey continue…

Prior to 1964, one of the prevailing and prominent medical understandings of the cause of autism had been articulated by Bruno Bettelheim. Autism was seen as having psychological rather than physiological origins.  Bettelheim laid the onus on “refrigerator mothers,” cold and intellectual mothers who had rejected their children.  His solution was psychotherapy for the mother and play therapy for the children so that they could rid themselves through aggression of the rejection by their mother.

This psychological understanding of autism was rejected by Bernard Rimland, Ph.D., a psychologist for the U.S. Navy, when he and his wife, Gloria, had Mark, their second child.  Their first child, Helen, was neuro-typical, but Mark was autistic.  Dr. Rimland reasoned that his wife had not suddenly changed and become “cold and intellectual, a refrigerator mother.”  There must be another cause.  Thus began his vast reading and research and practical observation which led him to write INFANTILE AUTISM, published in 1964, and he began his life long search for answers.  He was led to found and direct the Autism Research Institute (see www.autism.com/ari) and initiate the DAN (Defeat Autism Now) conferences which continue to bring together the best medical minds to share the latest biomedical research and the practical, experiential wisdom of parents.  His Autism Research Review International, a quarterly publication, reviews biomedical and educational research in the field of autism and related disorders.

In 2003 Dr. Rimland edited with Dr. Stephen Edelson (the new director of ARI) TREATING AUTISM: Parent Stories of Hope and Success, one of the most important, readable, and useful books I know about.  In addition to 30 chapters written by parents of autistic children, many of whom are medical doctors, telling of their success in treating their children, the book also contains a chart that shows the results of over 26,000 responses to a survey on the treatment effectiveness of Drugs, Supplements, Diets, & Misc. Therapies or Conditions.  What an incredible source of information for parents and doctors!  Write ARI to obtain a copy of the survey and the results or to order a copy of the book.  One example of the data is the survey: “Bar graphs depicting the rating of 49 drugs and 8 nutrients by thousands of parents of autistic children note that Ritalin, the most frequently used drug, helped only 29% of the children, while making 44% worse (based on 3082 parent surveys).  Compare that with the ratings of nutrient therapies.

In 1978, I was introduced to a small personal account of the mystery of autism (this was the first time I had ever heard or seen the word “autism.”) that described a unique approach to reaching a child with autism.  We were living at the time in the tiny fishing village of Bucks Harbor, Maine, and our eldest daughter brought home a copy of SON RISE by Barry Neil Kaufman (1976).  A classmate had given the book to Laura who simply said to me, “Daddy, I think you would like to read this book.”  Such a simple, synchronistic beginning to my thirty year journey into the fascinating world of autistic savant artists.  The Kaufmans’ contribution and approach was to seek to enter the world of the child with autism, to learn how and what his son, Raun, was trying to communicate, rather than demanding and forcing his son to come into the parents’ world.  In 1994 the publication of SON RISE, THE MIRACLE CONTINUES, chronicles the brilliant career of this “hopelessly autistic son.  Chapter 1, “Birth of a Miracle” (pages 3-26) is an excellent summary of the typical response of the “experts” of the time that autism “is a life long disability. No cure, No complete reversal.”  The common advice given the Kaufmans and countless other parents was to “put Raun away, forget him, and focus their attention on their two normal children.” (page 25),  The book documents the development of the Option Institute and the Son Rise approach to treatment. See www.son-rise.org  or email sonrise@option.org.  I WANT WANT MY LITTLE BOY BACK is a stunning VHS documentary produced by the BBC that also presents this method of treatment.

My own journey of understanding continued when a friend gave me a copy of Karyn Seroussi’s UNRAVELING THE MYSTERY OF AUTISM AND PERVASIVE DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER: A Mother’s Story of Research & Recovery. It is one of the most significant books to enter my life.  It reads like a detective story.  I was given a copy, and I read the entire book in two days.  It brought together some of the people and information that I had gained in two conferences in 1981 & 1982 on “Behavior  (Criminal and Violent) and Nutrition” and connected them with autism. The book is the story of a mother’s quest to discover and destroy the monster that had invaded her child’s body. Her son at an early age lost all speech and eye contact.  He was diagnosed as a clear case of autism.  She discovered that in her son’s case: 1) there had been an overuse of antibiotics for numerous ear infections, 2) he was allergic to both milk and wheat, and 3) he had an adverse reaction to numerous vaccinations all of which together led to the diagnosis of autism. Quick intervention in all three areas led to a re-diagnosis from autism to gifted and talented. It also reaffirmed Dr. Rimland’s statement that “In the past 40 years the most significant research in the field of autism has not been done by men in white lab coats, but by mothers!”  I cannot tell you how important this book is.  Each Appendix is filled with resources.  Page 262 has information about the Autism Network for Dietary Intervention.  Both Karyn Seroussi and Dr. Lisa Lewis (author of SPECIAL DIETS FOR SPECIAL KIDS) frequently speak at the DAN conferences and founded the Network for Dietary Intervention.  See www.autismNDI.com.

Lastly, in 2008, a small book of only 157 pages entered my life at just the right moment.  Again, a mother, not a researcher in a white lab coat, is the expert.  Told with the directness and self-confidence of an explorer of new and exciting territory, Kim Marie Lesso in BACK IN MY ARMS details her 13 year journey with her two children on the autism spectrum.  Kim was told early on that her son Tad would never speak, that he was un-teachable, and that he would never even recognize her a human being.  Her younger daughter, Kaitlyn, has been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome.  This small gem of a book is filled with practical, down to earth tips for bringing out the knowledge that her children with autism already possess.  Kim learned that Tad could read before he could speak.  Yes, at 16 ½ years old, he speaks and attends school and church and is somewhat of a gentle giant of a man/child.  Kim can be reached and her wonderful book can be ordered through her web site at www.autismguru.com.

It seems to me that new books and films appear almost daily.  I hope these resources will provide you with valuable new information for your own journey.  As you discover new and helpful resources, please share them with me.  My listing of resources is constantly being updated.  I look forward to adding your suggestions.  My life has been blessed by so many people, and the synchronicities are almost overwhelming at times.

“If we be TRUE
to
the integrity
of
the moment
who knows, what or where,
wonders, beasts, adventures
will sweep us UP
into their flood!

A Reflection on Synchronicity
Laurence A. Becker

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