Last fall, my friend Jennifer Dodson started a fantastic series for us about how acting and drama have positively influenced her son with Asperger’s Syndrome. This final entry is packed with great information about programs and even a book recommendation for utilizing drama and acting in the lives of children with autism. If you missed the first few posts in the series, I encourage you to read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 as well. My sincere thanks, again, to Jennifer for taking the time and effort to pen this encouraging and informative series for us! Enjoy, ~Leigh

Professional Acting with Asperger’s Syndrome: Part 4
By Jennifer Dodson

The journey for our son who is a professional actor with Asperger Syndrome has been very rewarding. We have watched our son's social skills blossom and his self-confidence soar. For our son, acting has opened up his world in ways we didn't know were possible.

Acting allows our ASD children to be put into different social situations in a controlled environment. It gives them scripted practice to work on reacting to other people. It is a great opportunity for them to practice eye contact, body language interpretation and tone of voice. For our children, having words and situations written out so they are able to read, predict and then act/practice how to communicate is very helpful.

In 2007 a Documentary called Autism The Musical came out on HBO. The film followed Elaine Hall, Founder of The Miracle Project and five autistic children along their journey as they wrote, performed and created a musical. The Miracle Project allowed these children to express themselves through dance, music and acting. You can see the amazing transformation these children go through and how much the experience added to their lives. Currently, there are three states with The Miracle Project; the original in Los Angeles, one in New York and a third in Dallas.

I had the pleasure of meeting with Lori Guthrie who founded The Miracle Project in DFW, also known as The Rainbow Project. Lori and her son traveled to LA a few years ago so he could participate in The Miracle Project. It was such an amazing experience for them that Lori was inspired to bring The Miracle Project program back to Texas. Lori says, “The Rainbow Project is about developing gifts and celebrating the differences in each child. We provide a transformative opportunity for children of all abilities and needs through our innovative program. It's not about being autistic, it's about sharing the talents that each child and adolescent has to offer the world in an accepting and positive environment." These programs are highly thought of and typically have wait-lists.

If you are part of an autism support group or know a group of children on the spectrum, you can practice social skills through drama within your own group. There is a great book by Lee R. Chasen called Social Skills, Emotional Growth and Drama Therapy: Inspiring Connection on the Autism Spectrum. The book walks your group through a program that, "presents an engaging and playful drama therapy program which encourages children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) to interact and connect with others, leading to the development of important social, emotional, and expressive language skills. The author presents a series of vignettes which demonstrate how drama therapy techniques may be used with children with ASD, and the impact they may have on their ability to interact and connect with others." I was part of a homeschooling group for Asperger's children that used this book to teach their children through acting.

Drama programs are offered in almost every community. Children's theater programs are great ways for an autistic child to participate in the arts. This is how my son started his adventure in acting. We found that everyone involved in the production felt like an extended family. They were very supportive and looked out for one another, especially my son as he learned the ropes of the theater.

If you child enjoy acting, another way for them to get involved is through student and independent films. Often, these are great opportunities to practice acting without the added pressure a professional film would require. Often, local colleges have film students that need to practice producing and creating short films. Contact the college's film department, or look online for short film casting call opportunities.

If your child is interested in acting professionally, you will need to find them a Talent Agent. A great way to start is to look up what reputable agencies are in your area is to check out which agencies are franchised with the Screen Actors Guild. You want to make sure that you find an agent that only makes money when your child makes money. They get a certain percentage only off of bookings. Any agency that asks for money up front, demand you take acting classes from them or head shots through the agency is a big red-flag. Be upfront with the agent of your child's diagnosis and abilities. They work as a partner with you and your child.

If you think your child would enjoy acting, but is not ready for an actual performance type program, look for social skills training programs that utilize drama. This has become a very effective and popular way to help an ASD child learn skills that can be transferred to their everyday life. Look for a program which video tapes performances. Watching a child on a playback allows for them to see first-hand how they respond to another, what type of eye contact they are making and why it is so important. They will be able to recognize how important body language is in communication. It allows open communication and discussion on what they are doing right in social situations and also where they have opportunities of improvement.

I recently spoke with Twila Barnett, who is an acting coach in Texas and also a mother to professional actors Bug Hall and Gemini Barnett. Twila has also worked closely with Joey Travolta and his program to teach Film Production to autistic and special needs children. This is another way for ASD children to experience drama on the other side of the camera. They learn from casting up to final production of films. Working on the production side of a film helps an ASD child learn respect for others from a different perspective. They can go from writing a script, to casting actors, to filming and putting together the final project. For more information on this program and to see if it will be in your area, visit: www.inclusionfilms.com.

Twila finds working with children on the spectrum to be extremely rewarding. Twila feels children with an ASD have "more potential than the average child to be exceptional actors because they do not hold back emotions and can really live in the moment." I absolutely believe this to be true. I have seen it with my own child. He is not afraid to "go for it". He does not feel intimidated when given a hard script that shows emotion. In fact, his acting ability really shines on tough emotionally charged scenes. His tendency to be overly expressive and completely committed to a character really becomes apparent. This is his niche and I hope many other children will also get as much enjoyment through acting as Major has.

Finally, try being a social detective with your child while watching TV shows or movies. Have them notice the character's facial features, body language, and ask if the character's are socially accepted social ques. It will help your child with character development in more ways than you can imagine.

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You can follow (and root for) Jennifer’s adorable, smart and spunky son, Major, as he pursues a career as a professional actor at: www.MajorDodson.com.

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Jennifer Dodson is a mom-manger extraordinaire who lives with her husband and two sons in Dallas, Texas. Jennifer spends her days managing her oldest son Major's budding acting career. Major loves to build with LEGOS, reads and plays video games when not working or auditioning for TV and film. Major is eight years old and happens to also have Asperger's Syndrome. Cooper is five years old and in preschool. Cooper loves to sing, dance and play the Wii. Jennifer is also the Vice President of her son's Elementary school PTO and works hard to advocate for his needs in the educational setting.