Vanessa Burghardt is the breakout star of "Cha Cha Real Smooth," starring Dakota Johnson and Cooper Raiff, who also wrote and directed. Burghardt, an autistic actor, portrays Lola, the autistic ...

In 2020, Raiff broke through at SXSW with his Grand Jury Prize-winning debut Shithouse, another film in which he controlled all aspects of production. That film’s lead character (whom he also played) ...

“I was born ready,” Zayne Harshaw said as he sat with his parents and began to share about his life. For Harshaw, it seemed he was ready even when others were not. Diagnosed with autism at age 4, he ...

Music has emerged as a powerful tool for supporting children with autism spectrum disorder, particularly in managing anxiety and enhancing focus. Research consistently shows that carefully selected ...

the most compelling evidence supporting the clinical benefits of music therapy lies in social-emotional responsiveness and communication, including reduced anxiety, improved speech output, receptive ...

The Ferdinand Effah Music Heritage Foundation (FEMHF) has called for urgent national attention to the growing needs of vulnerable autistic individuals and their families, warning that low awareness, ...

For “Cha Cha Real Smooth” casting director Angela Demo, it was out of the question to consider neurotypical actors for the part of Lola, who is on the autism spectrum. “It was never in my mind,” Demo ...

Music has long been described as a universal language one that reaches people even when words cannot. For autistic children, this idea is more than a metaphor. Modern neuroimaging tools such as ...

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