in “Below the Belt” Allison Moorer describes the role music plays in the son of her autisitc son John Henry.
What he once couldn’t process at all now gets him through rough spots. If he becomes frustrated or upset, I turn to music to soothe him. These days, it’s one of the only things that can make him stop crying. If I want him to pay attention to me, I sing to him. We play records in the house and practice silly dances. What I know now that I didn’t know on that August 2011 afternoon is that because his antenna is set so high, he can feel music deeply. It moves him. And it does connect him to the world outside of his mind, though I don’t understand exactly how yet. I often find myself wondering what it is that he hears as he turns his head toward a tree when the wind rustles its leaves, or when he notices a formation of birds flying overhead, and he smiles. I suspect he hears music all around him because he stops what he’s doing and he listens. My son has taught me countless lessons, but the biggest one may be that there is music in everything.
Thoughts?