Little Breakthroughs
January 5, 2008 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
Tricia Regan, director of Autism: The Musical, is interviewed in the January 5th The Desert Sun. Her response to the question “what was your biggest fear going this” struck a familiar chord in me:
I always thought that if I followed anybody around for a day, I’d at least have a three-minute film about them. People are interesting! But with a feature-length, my fear was that things just wouldn’t happen.
In the third act, there was this huge fight between one of the moms and Elaine Hall [creator of The Miracle Project. They were screaming at each other, it was quite dramatic. But inside, I was doing high-fives…
It’s a difficult line you walk, when in real life, dramatic things happen that are troubling, but are bringing issues to the forefront that should be raised. But there are also relationships going on, and there were times I didn’t want to go on, there are times that are too uncomfortable.
Regan is referring to a moment of high tension in the film. I have to say, on many of the long days we’ve spent with Charlie, especially when he was younger, it seemed that “things just wouldn’t happen.” He would play with the same things in the same way and make the same circuits around the house. I would read him books and he would get up and run around and I would follow him and try to get him to sit and listen to a page; he was looking elsewhere. Charlie could only say some sounds in those days and only a few, sort of distinct words but now and then—-very infrequently—a completely clear word or even words could be heard, and hearing that perfectly said “Charlie!” or “grocery store” or “I want to eat rice.” Sometimes, what happened was (as Regan describes) something “dramatic” and “more troubling” would break into a day, and one wished for the usual monotony.
I don’t have any of these breakthrough moments on tape. But they are well remembered.
Wow. I’m presently living your past…
That was a really powerful part of the film, definitely a breakthrough, when Elaine Hall and that mother got into such an altercation. It was one of the things that made it so real, and it drove home for me once again how stressful life often is for parents, and the tensions that can exist between parents and therapists/specialists. “Autism: The Musical” was an amazing documentary.
I still have yet to see the film—-keep hearing more and more good things.
I’ve grown to appreciate some of the routine of life with Charlie. As of last week, he has been listening again to a very old CD (on his computer now) of Disney songs—the “break through” is he’ll spontaneously sing whole phrases of the song. Tonight it was “The Monkey’s Uncle.”
Funny that Jordan just posted here. I was thinking that actually, one of our biggest “breakthroughs” was the recognition of a professional (Jordan) that TH needed further professional evaluation. To that point, two pediatricians had told us he was “fine” in spite of our concerns. Breakthroughs after that were incremental more than big bangs, for the most part, although I know there were a few moments where Marshall and I looked at each other in pleased surprise.
Also, I’m so literal that I’ve been thinking up until a minute ago that someone had actually made a *musical* about autism, and I couldn’t figure out why they had a film of a parent-therapist altercation in it. I also couldn’t figure out how in the world anyone could make an autism musical.
Sounds very interesting. I will have to see this movie.
From their site:
“Both on and off stage, AUTISM: THE MUSICAL is a call-to-arms, bringing attention to a modern-day epidemic, all the while celebrating the way the human spirit can overcome any challenge.”
Stuff like that makes me doubt I want to see it.
Saw it here in Boston and loved it…
I do want to see the movie; the “modern-day epidemic” language caught my eye too—–pronouncements about there being an “epidemic” are to be weighed with care, at the very least.