Aspie kids and therapeutic acting classes

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Just interested in seeing if anybody else has had experiences with their kids in acting classes.

We just started one last night in our local city. My son had a WONDERFUL time. It was really great to see him so energized and excited about something. The group was very nice, and although we had one kid who had to leave because the class wasn't what he expected, it was a very positive experience.

Have any of you parents sent your kids to a class like this?

Kris

I love theater and acting! One of the reasons I can communicate better with others compared to other Aspies (in my opinion) is because of my years in theater.

Kris,

I'll be interested to see what you think. I was in Drama classes all throughout high school and was in school plays all four years. I liked acting. I've seen several others on here say the same. I wonder if it appeals to our sense that we are often acting when we try to fit in? I do know this, learning to act for me helped me later on with interviews. I knew how to take on a role and how to act a certain way and follow a script. It really helped me to be presentable, confident, do and say the right things when that wasn't natural for me. I just learned the part! Afterward, my skills carried me.

One thing it didn't seem to do was make the connection between the characters I acted and how most people were. I'm not sure why? I guess maybe because you only have your character for that one situation? But, you might not see that development in your child so don't get upset it you don't.

I hope it goes well! I'm so glad he enjoyed it!

Zanne

My parents put me in acting classes for summer school the summers after 3rd and 4th grades because I was "shy" in class. It really helped me. I've loved acting ever since then (and most performing arts). When I got to college, I took an acting class and made sure I was in each year's one-act festival.

I'd probably have a much harder time in life if I had never taken those classes. The first class I was in I got the lead roll - Hansel in "Hansel & Gretel & Company". I memorized the entire play, and ended up having to whisper Gretel's lines to her - the real Gretel was sick so they had to use an understudy.

I remember thinking ,when I went in for my DX....I am probably not an Aspie....I won medals in Drama and "interpretive reading" and aspies are supposedly monotone.I was in school plays(I did dissociate during these experiencesand evidently used a slightly British accent,which I find amusing) but others thought I was doing well,evidently.This was the only thing in school I actually succeeded in(hated band,piano,dance) and it has really helped me in NT situations.I even developed a "punk-rock persona" to help me survive in the city...it was fun.(and useful)

I am glad your son enjoyed his experience.I think it can be very "freeing".

I love acting and role-playing activities! They really help me navigate the world around me. They also tend to make me feel much more confident. I think they are a fantastick idea for aspies. I have had nothing but positve experiences with this sort of stuff.

i dunno...i play the drums in a band, and being on stage to me is like being posessed....it's like between the moment i start to play, and the moment i stop, i'm in a different place. i never concentrate on it. i just go blank. can anyone explain that to me??

I dont think this is the exactly correct term...but ,this is what I refer to as "dissociation".It happens to me a lot in public but,more so when on stage.If someone quizzed me on what I did I would not be able to answer.Kind of an interesting feeling but also scary for me.

My husband was kicked out of one high school and after some dramatic personal change he went to another high school and studied English Lit and Drama. He won awards in both and even won a debate against a state-recognized debator. He eventually won scholarships from Drama. I think it's helped his speech and recognizing other people's traits.
I myself was in "children's theatre" in 8th grade and then in high school drama for one year. I liked it a lot. I would lose myself in the roles. However, I have poor line memory and poor voice projection. So, in the big productions, I'd get terrible roles. And I didn't like the teacher scolding me over my voice. I have a paralyzed vocal chord and have little control over my volume and tone.

wow...thanks...never really understood why. cheers

Get in touch with Actors for Autism. They're on the web. They run all kinds of programs. This is the big-time movie biz, folks. I only know one of their members (Joe, not John Travolta), but Joe has a special Ed credential in addition to being an actor himself.

Good Luck
btdt

I think acting is a great ability to teach autistics and AS people.

Hmmm ... I'll have to think about it for my 7 year old.

I starred in a high school musical when I was 13.

It was my 15 minutes of fame. I felt like a major celebrity when kids at school recognised me!