Community Corner

Rock the Autism Kicks Off New Year of Musical Outreach

The Boys & Girls Club hosts the charity that introduces kids with developmental disabilities to music.

The San Clemente Boys & Girls Club Tuesday was bumping with the sounds of drum and bass, but there wasn't a rock concert going on.

Rock the Autism was kicking off its 2013 program to further its mission: introducing music and instruments to kids with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities.

Founder Rock Neidhardt said many kids with such disabilities display a particular aptitude for music. And the kids' parents say the lessons do their children a world of good.

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"You can see the love and light in their faces," said Tammy Leonard, who both participates and volunteers with Rock the Autism.

Leonard's son Porter Shanas, 10, has a neurological problem that, in part, causes him to be hypersensitive to sensory stimuli. For instance, he typically wears earplugs in case a train passes. But since he started a year ago with Rock the Autism, Porter has improved greatly, Leonard said.

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"Music is such a crucial outlet for him," said Leonard. "When he started getting into music, he started taking out his earplugs."


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