EDMONTON- A local high school student who has autism and is non-verbal, isn’t letting that hold him back from participating in his school musical.
Seventeen-year-old Jaden Lake, who functions at the level of a three or four year old, can’t sing, but he can dance. Jaden- son of MLA Mike Lake- has shown an interest in music since he was a young child. So when his music teacher suggested he take part in Millwoods Christian School’s performance of ‘Bye Bye Birdie,’ Jaden’s parents thought it would be a great opportunity for him to become more involved with the other students.
“I was just so happy they were willing to try it. Because this is a very professionally done play for these high school students and for them to be willing to take him on … I just think it’s great,” said Jaden’s mother Debi Lake.
“That’s one of the great things about the school, is they’ve always kind of looked at Jaden and tried to identify what his interests were, what his skills are and include him,” Mike added.
“Let’s face it, including a kid with autism in a musical theatre performance is a risk for them. I mean, everybody wants that performance to be perfect, right? And when you include Jaden in there you run the risk that he’s going to squeal at an inopportune time because he’s so excited to be there, or that he’s going to start wander off the edge of the stage somewhere because he sees something that’s interesting.”
But, the entire cast has come together to make sure that doesn’t happen. If Jaden starts to get distracted, there’s always a person designated to take his hand to keep him in place, all the while making it seem like part of the choreography.
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“We just hold his hand to guide him which place to go and if he’s going off somewhere we watch over him,” said Grade 10 student Nicole Mendiola, who does one musical number with Jaden. “I just show him where to move and what dance to take next and he follows me and I just encourage him to dance with us.”
In fact, the dance sections are where Jaden excels. Because his visual memory is so strong and because he loves order and consistency, Jaden is very good at remembering choreography.
“Because he loves routine, you’ve memorized a pattern for how they take him on stage, how they take him off stage, that makes him thrive,” explained Jaden’s mother Debi Lake. “I think the fact that it’s the same, and you practice it over and over, that’s very satisfying for him.”
“Whatever you teach Jaden, you’re not going to be able to go back and say, ‘hey, by the way, can you now do this’ because that first thing that we teach him is the thing that sticks in his mind,” added his music teacher SerenaRae Stein.
Jaden’s parents are extremely proud of what he’s accomplished and say they can see how happy he is when he’s on stage with his peers.
“Everybody loves to be part of a group even if they can’t verbalize it, right?” said Debi, “Just because I know his personality I can just tell he’s so content and so happy.”
“Just to see him as happy as he is,” said Mike, “It’s amazing to experience.”
And what started out as a way to get Jaden more involved, has turned out to be a great learning experience for all of the other students as well.
“We tend to think about the fact that inclusion is about Jaden and really, the inclusion I’d say, that the kids at the school get as much out of Jaden being in their class as he gets out of being there; and the kids really embrace having him a part of their musical theatre program,” Mike explained.
“He’s a fun person to be with, he also encourages the other cast (members), just high-fiving everyone,” said Nicole. “Having him there, it brings your spirits up to do better.”
SerenaRae hopes that mentality will stick with these students far after they leave high school.
“They can just stop and go, ‘you know what, there is value to absolutely every person out there and we just need to find what it is and how best to embrace that individual.'”
Millwoods Christian School’s performance of Bye Bye Birdie plays at the Paramount Theatre Thursday and Friday night at 7:00.
With files from Laurel Clark.
Follow @CaleyRamsay
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