Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Autism: The Musical

Watch it on HBO. It's amazing. It's honest. You'll fall in love with the kids and appreciate the depth of the time and effort parents put into helping their kids grow and develop. You will watch as people struggle with communication, social skills, and impulsivity. The film shows snippets of the joys and challenges, the positive communication and melt-downs -- both child and adult. It is a film about children with autism, but it is just as much about how neurotypical adults sometimes have similar behaviors and responses to the world -- just not as frequently.

Here is the schedule. The next showing is Wednesday at 6:15 East, 9:15 West. It is also On Demand, although it doesn't show up yet on my On Demand Schedule. There are also some cut scenes available On Demand, which you'll want to go to immediately after seeing the film.

Don't have HBO? Go visit a friend....

My only significant critique, (which would have completely changed the film), is that they only gave a tiny nod to the inadequate resources that are provided to help children fully develop their potential, or to the reality that public schools fail to meet the legal standards of education on a regular basis.