This Mom’s Innovative Program Helps Kids with Disabilities Thrive Through Music, Dance and Theater

Elaine Hall sat in her Los Angeles home office, trying to work, but the banging coming from the kitchen kept getting louder. Going to investigate, she found her 3-year-old son, Neal, slamming the cabinet doors, over and over again. Rather than shush him, Elaine ducked behind one of the doors and popped out. “Peekaboo!” she exclaimed. Neal laughed.

Elaine was a successful TV and film acting coach, but the role she longed to have was one of mama. When she wasn’t able to give birth biologically, she adopted Neal from an orphanage in Russia. Soon after, he was diagnosed with non-speaking autism.

Elaine vowed to do everything she could to help her son live a good, independent life. When traditional therapies didn’t work, she decided to tap into her creative talents and instead of trying to make him fit into her world, she joined him in his.

If Neal was spinning in circles, Elaine would reach out for his hands and play Ring Around the Rosie. If he flapped his arms, she would flap with him, and they would pretend to be birds. By engaging with Neal in whatever he was doing, Elaine discovered she was able to forge a connection with him.

Creative therapy

Believing she was on to something, Elaine began reaching out to experts to learn all she could about autism, sharing her experiences with Neal. They encouraged her to continue using play to connect with her son.

Using her acting coach skills, Elaine would practice high-anxiety situations with Neal, like going to the doctor, before they ever did it in the real world. She called it “rehearsing for life,” and it made a tremendous difference in his behavior. Inspired, Elaine started training other creatives: actors, dancers, musicians and special educators to use art forms to help others in the autistic community reach their full potential.

It was so successful, in 2004, armed with a grant from the Jewish Community Foundation, Elaine created The Miracle Project, a fully inclusive program that helps children and young adults with disabilities build communication and social skills, community and greater self-esteem through music, acting, dance and storytelling.

Volunteers—referred to as co-actors—participate alongside those with autism and other disabilities. Many are siblings and other relatives of participants. Together, the group performs original musicals, films and plays. Many of the actors have gone on to be cast in films
and television shows.

In 2006, Bunim/Murray Productions profiled The Miracle Project in Autism: The Musical, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2007. It aired on HBO in 2008 and won two Emmy Awards. In 2009, the documentary was screened at the United Nations.

But it’s the individual success stories that fill Elaine with her greatest pride.

Expanding limits

Elaine recalls one young girl who, when she first came to the program, used to scream with anxiety. But in time, she developed a sense of safety and calm, and one day, instead of cries, opera came out of her mouth. “She has a magnificent, wonderful voice. It was amazing,” Elaine marvels.

Many participants had never had a friend, and now have a vibrant social life. Others have spoken their first words.

The program also offers a class for those who, like Neal, don’t speak, but may type to communicate or use assistive technology. They create music videos, write lyrics and stories and do choreography.

Neal is perhaps one of The Miracle Project’s biggest success stories. Now 30, Neal is still nonverbal, but he is an actor and a semi-professional model, and has presented with Elaine at the United Nations, using an iPad to communicate. He’s on the board of the Autism Society of Los Angeles and has received awards from other autism organizations. He calls himself an emissary for autism. “We show what people can do, rather than limiting them by what they can’t do,” says Elaine, who has shared her methodology in a book, The Seven Keys to Unlock Autism. “We’re creating an atmosphere of love and support, so that everyone can be the best that they can be.”

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