[OT] The Healing Power Of Disney Movies.

http://ift.tt/1lYdrNB

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This is the talkback thread for NY Times Magazine on Autistic Child's Therapy Through Disney Movies I read this article in the weekend's edition of the NY Times (dead tree edition) and thought it was incredibly fascinating and interesting. In a sense, the Disney fairy tale movies serve the same function as fairy tales and myth have done throughout time, acting as metaphor for life's journeys in some ways, but reading about how they were used this way in a very real and literal sense for someone who suffered from a pretty severe autistic disorder makes for gripping and heartwarming reading. There's a bit at the end when Owen discusses The Hunchback of Notre Dame that's a little triumph in what otherwise seems like an incredibly trying and difficult ordeal. I'm curious about the book-sized version of the story. The book is apparently going to be published by a subsidiary of the Disney Book Group, but apparently they did not have anything to do with the book's contents other than allowing usage of the characters and artwork. The article also mentions Quest for Camelot, suggesting that Disney animated films weren't the only ones that influenced Owen. I also wonder if the inherent abstraction of animation is something that makes it more accessible. One common problem among autistic kids is an inability to "read" social signals (body language, tone of voice, etc), but maybe working through drawings or renderings makes that easier? And the fact that it's something that can be viewed repeatedly on modern home video could also be useful in working through some concepts that are easier to grasp. Anyway, it's a really terrific story I highly encourage everyone to read. It'll be hard to look at Disney movies, even the not-so-great ones, in quite the same way.

I hope they can continue healing the hearts of everyone.