It was a couple of months ago that my son Charlie started—for the first time in his life—to show sensitivity to sound by putting both hands over his ears. We’ve known autistic children and adults who’ve found the sound of merry-go-round music, clapping, sirens, and much more unbearable, but never (we thought) Charlie. And then the ear-covering thing started and it’s as if a whole new world of sounds and frequencies and pitches has become evident to us.
I took Charlie to hear a production of Cabaret at the college where I teach; Charlie lasted for almost the entire first act, …read more