F16C: Light It Up for World Autism Awareness Day
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Funky16Corners Presents: Light It Up for World Autism Awareness Day
Kool and the Gang – Who’s Gonna Take the Weight (Deelight)
Sir Joe Quaterman and Free Soul – I Got So Much Trouble In My Mind (GSF)
Aretha Franklin – Save Me (Atlantic)
Marvelettes – I’ll Keep Holding On (Tamla)
Ikettes – Don’t Feel Sorry For Me (Modern)
Donald Height- Life Is Free (You Can Be What You Wanna Be) (Hurdy Gurdy)
Lyn Collins – Things Got To Get Better (Get Together) (People)
Lee Dorsey – Who’s Gonna Help Brother Get Further (Polydor)
Johnny Otis Show – Keep the Faith Pt1 (Eldo)
James Brown – Get Up Get Into It Get Involved (King)
Isley Brothers – Fight the Power (T-Neck)
Billy Butler – Right Track (Okeh)
Etta James – I’m So Glad (Chess)
Gladys Knight and the Pips – Thank You (Fallettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) (Motown)
Greetings all.
The mix you see before you – though it contains music that should be familiar to readers of Funky16Corners – is a departure of sorts.
I’ve been writing the Funky16Corners blog for almost a decade. Over the years, in addition to the music and the history behind it, I’ve written (to varying degrees) about the events of my life.
Though I haven’t gone into great detail on the subject, I have made references in the past to that fact that autism has made an impact on our family (in case you were wondering about that link in the sidebar…).
Both of our sons – now 6 and 9 – have a diagnosis on the autism spectrum, and as a result, I have – for the last four years – been a stay-at-home-dad.
Even though being a single-income household comes with its own challenges, having a full-time parent at home to coordinate multiple therapies, meetings and the various and sundry unplanned/unexpected challenges that come with having children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) made a tremendous amount of sense.
Back in 2008, when our sons were initially diagnosed, we had already spent a considerable amount of time dealing with issues that we did not understand.
When we finally managed to weather the batteries of tests, doctor visits and paperwork, and identified the issues at hand, we found ourselves at the end of one journey and the beginning of much longer one.
A diagnosis of autism is a singularly difficult thing for any parent to deal with.
I recall at the time feeling a mixture of relief, in that we finally had a framework to deal with the problems our sons had been having, but also trepidation about finding ways to deal with them going forward.
What kinds of therapies would the boys need, and how would we arrange for them?
How would we work with the professionals in our local schools to make sure that they got the proper education?
As daunting as these questions might seem, they were just the beginning.
The next few years were like navigating an especially challenging maze, in which every turn could reveal either a new way forward – with opportunities to educate ourselves about how to do the best for our children – or another dead end where we would have to push aside our disappointment, regroup and reset the course.
The biggest challenge that every parent of an ASD child has to meet, is when you realize that there are no easy answers. This is the point when it becomes apparent that most progress will be incremental at best, and that you’re dealing with the “long game”.
It has always seemed appropriate to me that one of the public symbols of autism has been the puzzle piece.
Not only does it represent the unique nature of every child, but also that once a parent – or any family member – has begun to deal with the emotional and practical ramifications of an autism diagnosis (and there are many), they have to begin to assemble what amounts to a huge puzzle, laid out before them.
Aside from the obvious things like therapy and school, there are all of the underlying issues that have to be dealt with, such as insurance, work (and time away from it), socialization, and behavioral training inside and outside the home.
In many of these things our family has been extraordinarily lucky.
We were able to get both of our sons diagnosed fairly early – which in the case of our youngest, who was experiencing developmental delays, was incredibly important – and we were fortunate enough to have health insurance.
Though some families can take this kind of foundation for granted, many cannot.
Parents often struggle to find treatment for their children. If and when they do, they are often met with a new set of hurdles, whether complications with insurance, uncooperative/poorly prepared school districts, and/or friends and family that do not fully grasp the nature of the problem.
I mention all of this because April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day.
This is a day first set aside by the United Nations in 1989 to spread the word about Autism spectrum disorders, the children and families that deal with them every day, and the organizations that study them and work toward a cure.
The mix above is in my own small way an attempt to convey an impression of the struggles, joys and rewards of raising children with autism.
While there aren’t – as far as I know – any soul or funk songs that deal directly with issues of autism, there are certainly a wide variety of tunes that deal with the palette of emotions that children with ASD and their families encounter every single day.
One need only look to the titles of the songs in the playlist above to get a feeling for what kinds of things we go through in our lives.
Parents need to deal with assessment (Who’s Gonna Take the Weight), emotional turmoil (I Got So Much Trouble In My Mind), self pity (Save Me), perseverance (I’ll Keep On Holding On), strength (Don’t Feel Sorry For Me), possibility (Life Is Free You Can Be What You Want To Be), optimism (Things Got To Get Better), reaching out for help (Who’s Gonna Help Brother Get Further), steadfastness (Keep The Faith), doing what you can to spread the word (Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved), taking on the system when necessary (Fight the Power), assuring yourself that you’re doing the right things (Right Track), taking the time to cherish your kids in their uniqueness (I’m So Glad) and in the end, being thankful for what you’ve got (Thank You Fallettinme Be Mice Elf Agin).
I became a fan of soul music so many years ago, and eventually started writing about it because I find it to be uniquely powerful and transcendent. Though it’s true about any good music, soul music has touched me, and many of the people that read Funky16Corners deeply.
My feelings about great records, and spinning them, are that the best of them carry in their grooves a sort of magic.
Whether it’s that a song effects the listener specifically, i.e. connects them to a memory, or in a general sense where their emotions are stirred and they feel compelled to get up and dance, when I dip into my record box and pull out a particularly powerful 45 (or post one here at the blog, or on the radio show) I get to facilitate that process.
Having children is one of the most amazing, challenging, sometimes frustrating, but always rewarding experiences I can imagine.
Raising children with ASD is all of that amplified significantly.
And, oddly enough, this experience has given me (and continues to give me) a deeper appreciation for the power of music, in how it affects me, and my children as well.
I hope you take the time to follow the link to Autism Speaks, and if this is all unfamiliar to you, maybe take a little time to read up on your read ups.
If you know someone with ASD in their family, see what you can do to help.
Until we meet again
Keep the faith
Larry
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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived!
The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock.
They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US).
Click here to go to the ordering page.
Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).
Themocracy