Some Kind of Magic | Autism and the Disney Parks

Granted, my passion for Disney began long before I had a child with autism, but the stories of the magical connections between autistic individuals and all things Disney have turned that passion into a downright love affair. While I witnessed my own son’s transformation at the Disney Parks, I was unprepared for the volume of oh so familiar stories from the larger autistic community. I hear them from the families I work with at a local school for autistic preschoolers. I constantly read them on-line. Who hasn’t read Ron Suskind’s touching account in “Reaching My Autistic Son Through Disney?” This undercurrent of Disney devotion seems to have grown into an outright groundswell. On this final day of Autism Awareness Month, I pondered long and hard; what brought my baby from this-

to this-

to this?

What is the magic spell that is cast over the acreage of Kissimmee and Anaheim and Marne-la-Vallée and the like?? I think I have an answer. I reveal it in “Autism and the Disney Factor.” You can read it HERE on Special Mouse Podcast Blog.