art and music
Sweet Sibling Short
Published July 30, 2009 @ 04:00PM PT
The Aspergers Association of New England (AANE) has a documentary short posted on their site called My Brother Tom. The film was made by Kaz Gamble about, well, his brother Tom (strange, I know). The film is also about acceptance, understanding, the importance of diagnosis, and insight both into a healthy sibling point of view and into issues specific to that generation of individuals who were not diagnosed until well into adulthood. Most importantly though, it's a sweet, fun film to watch.
Here's the trailer from YouTube.
You can view the full film on AANE's site.
Speaking Musically
Published July 22, 2009 @ 12:38AM PT
(I got the idea for this post before reading this one from yesterday by Dora, for reals. Hope it is complementary.)
I've thought a lot about music in seeking to understand my son's communication, both verbal and non-verbal. Charlie has been attentive to music from when he was an infant and Jim whistled "We love you Charlie" (based on this song) and "Charlie boy" (based on this song) and I played the piano with a far smaller boy on my lap. He could sing complete phrases of songs when he was 4 or so (it's very rare that Charlie produces a phrase of more than three words on his own). He can read music on the piano and cello at a fairly basic level, but that's reading that has come more readily to Charlie than reading words. He seems to listen for pitch and tone and tune in what people say, as much as to individual words. Sometimes it's the tune Charlie sings that tells us how he is feeling.
So this music education program makes a lot of sense: It's "designed to help children with ASD better understand emotions and learn to recognize emotions in others" as noted in yesterday's Science Daily. Istvan Molnar-Szakacs, a researcher at the UCLA Tennenbaum Center for the Biology of Creativity and member of the of the Help Group–UCLA Autism Research Alliance, is developing what is to be a 12-week program:
Specifically, the children are using a method of music education known as the Orff-Schulwerk approach. Developed by 20th-century German composer Carl Orff ("schulwerk" is German for schooling), it is a unique approach to music learning that is supported by movement and based on things that kids intuitively like to do, such as sing, chant rhymes, clap, dance and keep a beat or play a rhythm on anything near at hand. Orff called this music and movement activity "elemental" — basic, unsophisticated and concerned with the fundamental building blocks of music.
The 12-week program uses elements from the Orff method — including games, instruments and teamwork — and combines them with musical games. The idea is to pair emotional musical excerpts with matching displays of social emotion (happy with happy, sad with sad, etc.) in a social, interactive setting.
"Music is a birthright of all children. To be able to listen and appreciate, sing or participate in music-making are as essential to development as mathematical or linguistic learning," Molnar-Szakacs said. "The purpose of this work is to provide a means for awakening the potential in every child for being 'musical' — that is, to be able to understand and use music and movement as forms of expression and, through that, to develop a recognition and understanding of emotions."
In some ways, Charlie, through no specific teaching on Jim's or my or anyone's part (save for his former, much-missed piano teacher) indeed is "able to understand and use music and movement as forms of expression." I'd even say that he has developed "recognition and understanding of emotions" though since Charlie's verbal language is limited, I can't be sure of that. Nonetheless, it's precisely because his language is limited that Charlie seems to rely on music both to express something emotional and to pick up on the emotions of others. And certainly combining music with movement (moving a finger to push down a piano key or pluck a string) has something, perhaps, to do with why Charlie has been able to read musical notes after relatively little instruction, whereas reading words has seemed an activity very challenging for him to grasp.
Lately, due to his sound sensitivity, we've had to take a hiatus from the music instrument playing. For most of his life, Charlie has enjoyed listening to CDs in the car and long ago appropriated the CD case to play the DJ (unfortunately resulting in many CDs being smeared and smudged beyond playabiity). For the past several months, he has been saying no to the music and car rides have been quiet but he recently has been interested again. His latest favorite is a "Soulsville USA" CD and, I kid you not, the biggest smile appears when the song "Starting All Over Again" comes on----almost too appropriate.
And just another way that music often does the talking.
Music Interests (and Questions) Coast to Coast
Published July 21, 2009 @ 04:00PM PT
On the extreme east coast of the U.S. in Massachusetts, a young autistic girl finds joy in the classical violin. On the extreme west coast of the U.S. in Oregon, a young autistic boy finds joy in indie pop. But the two stories about autistic kids with musical loves otherwise possess a nearly interchangeable story.
On one hand these stories are about kids being kids, having interests, gaining self-esteem and self-expression, falling into love with creativity. Stuff that one hopes is part of the life of kids, any kids. And yes, the activities these kids are doing would make decent local news stories if the kids weren't autistic too.
But on the other hand, these stories do fall into the boring autism news stories 101 story of AMAZING ACCOMPLISHMENTS!!!! (as well as contain some fairly barf-worthy stigmatizing language).
And, beneath both those surfaces, why should it come as a surprise that autistic kids, like any other kids, benefit hugely from doing stuff they like and are good at? This isn't a kid question (ya'll know I typically make it policy not to blog about children, and this post is not about children but about some more universal ideas), because the same question can be asked why should it come as a surprise that autistic adults, like any adults, benefit hugely from doing stuff they like and are good at, and participating on their own preferred terms in the community?
No matter what the age, diagnosis, lack of diagnosis, or what all else, we are people, and (surprisingly? er...) we tend to benefit hugely from being treated as such.
Monday Autism News Potpourri
Published July 20, 2009 @ 09:50AM PT
Big News -- Last week the senate passed the Matthew Shepard act anti-hate crimes legislation. Many thanks to all of you who contacted your congress critters about that! The bill still has a way to go however, as the article notes. It's not a done deal, as, among other things, it is being amended to a defense bill that may not pass (U.S. policy making--not always making much semantic sense).
Little Followup -- There's a New York Magazine interview with Hugh Dancy who plays Adam in the film Adam. To the reporter, yes, it is crass to insinuate that someone is less lovable if they are less physically attractive since it doesn't "make up for" being autistic. Otherwise, this is just a little followup blurb.
Little News -- The new Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy Kathleen Martinez has been confirmed. She comes from a strong disability background, including being disabled herself. Nothing about us without us.
Big Followup -- I did a main post on Specialisterne earlier this year. Specialisterne ("the specialists") is a Danish company that believes in the value of autistic interest and skills in the workplace, and promotes strengths-based, supported employment. One of the (many) cool things about Specialisterne is that it doesn't automatically assume that a person on the spectrum is only suited for cleaning toilets or other sterotyped menial labor. Instead the company finds skilled technical work for people with a love for detail, and yes, specialization.
Felt that bore some repeating because it's a thriving, successful business model that is now expanding into other countries. According to the BBC, Specialisterne is setting up a new branch in Scotland. Most excellent. Here is some video coverage as well. Perhaps someday there will be a branch in my own town? Perhaps they'd enjoy employing me? Heh.
Brüno, Bruno
Published July 16, 2009 @ 12:37AM PT
To say that Jim and I "rarely" go out to the movies is a bit of an understatement. The last film we saw at the cinema was Mystic River; before that, it was When We Were Kings (the latter I particularly recommend, and I am no fan of boxing). Thanks to DVDs, Netflix, and YouTube, we manage to get some movie-watching in though, to be sure, there is nothing like seeing a film in an actual theater with the smell of the popcorn.
With all apologies to Sacha Baron Cohen, Brüno---the mock documentary about a gay Austrian fashion journalist seeking fame and notoriety in the US---is not the movie that we would be seeing if we were to see one. Nonetheless, I have been reading some reviews which (call me squeamish) have further given me reason to feel this film would not be my choice for a movie date with Jim, although Jim and I did get into a conversation about Brüno.
And also about Bruno.
That Bruno. You know who I mean, all you autism folk out there.
Yes, Bruno Bettelheim, the "self-styled expert on child development" who stated that autism is caused by "bad," emotionally "frigid" parents who wish that their child did not exist.
Besides sharing a moniker, there's some other coincidinks between Brüno and Bruno.
Two Austrians. (And here are two more: Hans Asperger and Leo Kanner.)
Was gibt mit dieser? Ich weiss nicht, aber........ dunno, but....
"The basic premise of the movie," according to the Times Online's Blockbuster Buzz blog, is this: "Naive overseas visitor exposes the not-so-secret craziness of assorted American stereotypes with a cavalcade of crude, daft and from some perspectives offensive gags."
AS Emerging Film Maker
Published July 03, 2009 @ 04:00PM PT
Little Theatre's Emerging Filmmakers program in Rochester (NY) is featuring a film called Aging Trees of Knowledge: Part Five: My Legacy (Gittel Jaskulski). Here is local news of it. The film maker is Adrian Esposito.
The New York Office of MR & DD has a profile of Esposito, who found his expression through the medium of film. Esposito has been actively engaged in film making since the age of 12, and he currently has his own film company Espocinema. An interest he is hoping to turn into a career.
Here's the trailer for an AS-related film he made at 16. (not captioned, sorry)
Esposito's focus seems to be on history and human rights issues. A new film is planned "We Can Shine - From Institutions to Independence, will focus on the positive changes that have occurred in the treatment of people with disabilities and on self determination in their lives." The documentary is intended to focus on Willowbrook. Sounds like a project that is needed. Much looking forward to Esposito's work in the future!
Monday Autism News Potpourri (on Wednesday)
Published July 01, 2009 @ 11:00AM PT
Clearing out a some news stuff I didn't get a chance to transmute into posts while I was offline, plus some shameless self-promotion.
1. A new Medicare rehospitalization rate report states some alarming statistics (e.g., "almost one of every five [Medicare recipients] was rehospitalized within 30 days following discharge for an illness, or surgery"). This is why it's so very, very important to include long term supports and services in any health care reform that seeks to reduce emergency care and rehospitalization rates.
2. Sweet article in the New York Times They Taught Him to Fish, Then Let Go profiles a high school graduate and all the possibilities that are truly open for any one of us.
3. A slightly different sort of graduate profile, this one from college. I didn't like this article as much--it's a bit overboard with the "overcoming" type language. However, it does clearly illustrate the importance of self-awareness and self-advocacy in getting the kind of life you want.
4. Special interests, art, and employment = spray painty goodness for AS teen. Includes impressive photo!
5. A 5 Common Myths About Autism post for anyone who enjoys collecting those.
6. Shameless Self-Promotion: My research group the Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education AASPIRE has started a new online research project. This project is open to people with and without disabilities, and to people on and off the autistic spectrum--in other words everyone! For more information about participating, please see aaspire.org/gateway.
