Autism The Musical-Review

by Kimberly Jensen

Until we start valuing people with autism, nothing will change. There will be no funding, no cure and no services. That was the resounding theme of the new documentary "Autism The Musical" now being shown in selected movie theatres across the country. The HBO documentary is a call to arms of a modern day epidemic.

The show opened with Neal, a young boy adopted from the Ukraine and his single mom Elaine, a professional acting coach, who wanted to share her joy of theatre with her son and others who experience life with Autism.

She recruited doubtful parents and their children to the auditions. The skepticism in the room could have been cut with a knife as this mother and a few volunteers explained how they were going to transform these children into stars on stage.

The documentary follows five children from Los Angeles, diagnosed with Autism. They audition, learn how to act, memorize lines, sing and play instruments, follow directions and perform. Elaine and her volunteer staff were mesmerizing as they worked with these kids and taught them how to interact with each other, follow prompts and perform.

The children brought with them hidden talents, that when directed and encouraged to "celebrate themselves," they shone like the lights on a Broadway stage. There won't be Tony awards handed out for their performances, but the smiles on their faces and these children's great sense of accomplishment permeated every sense of their being. They broke barriers and did something nobody expected them to do.

I was honored to sit in the audience and nod my head in agreement with the mothers in this documentary who have tirelessly fought for their child's rights while the world around them literally fell apart. These mothers stood up for their children through adoption, single mothering, divorce, affairs and financial barriers.

And what about the fathers of these special children? These men wore their own battle scars as they courageously protected and cared for their sons and daughters with a gentleness all their own. A gentleness only a man can give.

When the movie ended and I looked around, there wasn't a dry eye in the theatre. The movie provided the music and the direction, we just have to learn how to play the notes and play them loudly and with meaning. Together, we can achieve an agreeable sound, the sound of value in each and every individual that step's onto life's stage.

To Learn more and see listings go to www.autismthemusical.com

Kimberly Jensen was born and raised in Sandy, Utah and graduated from the University of Utah in 1991 with a B.S. in Communication. She worked as a radio news anchor for KBOI/KQFC and as a public relations specialist for the Idaho Transportation Department in Boise, Idaho. Kimberly and her family moved to Battle Ground, Washington in 2001 where she became a full time mom and writer. Her first children's book, Always the Elf by Cedar Fort Publishing came out in Fall 2007. Two of her stories have been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Children With Special Needs. She is an avid cyclist and loves spending time with her family and taking them on outdoor adventures. She now lives in Utah with her husband Mark, her three children; Tasia, Clayton and Bennett and her two dogs Simba and Ruby.