The Kingdom of Should – Children on the Spectrum are Heroes Too!

The Kingdom of Should is an entertaining and engaging movie-length (over 2 hours) story, filled with songs and music that every child can enjoy. Our main hope however, is that The Kingdom of Should will be captivating and inspirational to children on the autism spectrum and their families. It has already been so for all those who have experienced it. We very much wanted to honor children who are the least likely of heroes. Little material for children with special needs to relate to exists and from what we have seen, there is nothing quite like The Kingdom of Should. We wanted to impart the message that one’s so-called limitations are often gifts in disguise. We also felt it important to draw attention to the issue of bullying, another underlying theme in our story. And we feel that you can never call out bullying for what it is too often. All these concepts are at the heart of The Kingdom of Should. These are the primary issues that drove us to create this project. The Kingdom of Should‘s dialogue is interwoven with music designed to positively affect attention and behavior. It is also our hope that parents will listen with their children, as it is not only a beautifully crafted tale but also contains some very useful information for parents. The story is intended to be informative for parents new to the world of Autism Spectrum Disorders as well as many with more experience. Those just beginning to look for interventions for their children will find several important issues addressed. Many otherwise experienced parents will likely be learning about two therapeutic approaches – Behavioral Optometry and Developmental Music Therapy – for the first time. The story’s young heroes are children on the autism spectrum: Frankie displays significant autistic behaviors, Lester struggles with Asperger syndrome and a crossed eye and Didi has Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. The adult heroes are based on providers of two therapies – Behavioral Optometry and Developmental Music Therapy – that are not well known to many in the autism spectrum community. The musical score was created based on the clinical experience of Joe Romano, who works with children on the spectrum as a developmental music therapist. Joe Romano’s Developmental music therapy is unique due to its integration of movement and the visual process anchored in the universal language of music. Through his work as a developmental music therapist, Joe Romano realized that before he could start many of his sessions, he had to help children and/or adults slow down their heart rate and brain activity so they could focus and concentrate in order to learn and develop. This idea grew into much more. Joe began to use certain notes and rhythms not only to prepare people for therapy, but as an integral part of the therapy itself. The notes, sounds and rhythms that comprise The Kingdom of Should soundtrack were derived directly from Joe’s work with children on the autism spectrum. Many products on the market claim to be based on research, which is all well and good, but the music Joe has created is based on his actual work with real people. He has observed the way various children responded to the music he created for them. Joe continues to fine tune the music he creates as he uses it with more and more children on the autism spectrum. Joe Romano is the only person we know who is currently practicing developmental music therapy as we have described it here, which greatly differs from standard music therapy. As is the case for most children on the autism spectrum in the real world, all three of the main children characters have visual and developmental issues. The Kingdom of Should provides information for parents about the field of Behavioral Optometry, which has a long history of success in improving the lives of children facing autism spectrum and other developmental challenges, yet remains unknown to the majority of parents seeking help with their children on the spectrum. Behavioral optometrists use vision therapy and therapeutic lenses, all of which appear in the story. Running Time (2 CDs): 2 hours, 14 minutes