SingSOS

RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS BY RAISING OUR VOICES.

Well, not exactly OUR voices. The voices are those of Jackson Browne, Marshall Crenshaw, Dar Williams, Teddy Geiger, Dan Bern and Jonatha Brooke, to name just a few.

But they are singing OUR words. These very talented folks have all kindly agreed to record a collection of songs we've written about autism and the spectrum of experiences that come with it – the special joys as well as the heartbreaks and frustrations.

Our lyrics were written by New York Times writer/editor John O'Neil, whose profile of his son with autism (the handsome young man in the photo above) capped the paper’s 2004 series. The music is by Jon Fried & Deena Shoshkes of the Cucumbers.

We hope to release the finished CD in 2009. So far, people who have heard our early tracks and fallen in love with the project include Dr. Ami Klin, head of autism research at Yale and Billy Man, chief creative officer at EMI, the record company.

They tell us the music is both inspirational and infectious. But it's also meant to be educational -- because the children and families hurt by this baffling disease can only be helped if society at large understands their needs and the life-altering power of early detection and intensive treatment.

The funds we raise will benefit leading autism awareness groups, including Autism Speaks and model service providers like the Alpine Learning Group, the Connecticut Center for Child Development, the McCarton School and the New York Center for Autism.

You can hear a few snippets of the work-in-progress by clicking on the mp3 links on this page.
And we'll add a couple more each week, so check back regularly.

If you want to help, it’s easy – just spread the word.


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RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS BY RAISING OUR VOICES.

Well, not exactly OUR voices. The voices are those of Jackson Browne, Marshall Crenshaw, Dar Williams, Teddy Geiger, Dan Bern and Jonatha Brooke, to name just a few.

But they are singing OUR words. These very talented folks have all kindly agreed to record a collection of songs we've written about autism and the spectrum of experiences that come with it – the special joys as well as the heartbreaks and... (read more)