I tried to go to bed at a decent hour, but HBO was showing Autism: The Musical. I stayed up and watched.

A:TM is a wonderful and powerful show that follows six kids and their parents in The Miracle Project, a charity started by one of the parents to give kids an opportunity to participate in music and drama. The children are of various ages and vary on the spectrum, though all interact enough to participate. Some are verbal; others require typing or pointing to communicate.

All is not hunky-dory, as the behaviors of the children are not glossed over and the relationships of the parents can be quite strained. I saw bits and pieces of our own relationship in two sets of parents; unfortunately one of those sets ended in divorce. Difficulties in mainstreaming the children are discussed, as one autism lawyer was charging $450 an hour for services. Even the production of the musical has difficulties, as the producer decides to change one child’s cello routine into a singing routine. That scenario actually ended quite well.

We don’t get HBO at the house, but it would be worth the $15 for one month just to see this show. There is a DVD available (site is down, possibly getting slashdotted). HBO is showing this moving about 15-16 more times; find a slot and settle in. You may even tear up. Check out the Miracle Project web site, because it has some good video on it too.