Vanessa Burghardt is the breakout star of "Cha Cha Real Smooth," starring Dakota Johnson and Cooper Raiff, who also wrote and directed. Burghardt, an autistic actor, portrays Lola, the autistic ...

In 2020, Raiff broke through at SXSW with his Grand Jury Prize-winning debut Shithouse, another film in which he controlled all aspects of production. That film’s lead character (whom he also played) ...

Music has emerged as a powerful tool for supporting children with autism spectrum disorder, particularly in managing anxiety and enhancing focus. Research consistently shows that carefully selected ...

the most compelling evidence supporting the clinical benefits of music therapy lies in social-emotional responsiveness and communication, including reduced anxiety, improved speech output, receptive ...

This is certainly no ordinary concert. The nonprofit Music for Autism uses song and dance to give autistic children and their parents not just a place to feel welcome, but a place to feel free. "What ...

In Apple TV+’s “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” a daughter with autism is not what burdens a single mom’s life — she is what elevates it. I can relate. “How are these two things alike: a car and a train?” the ...

For “Cha Cha Real Smooth” casting director Angela Demo, it was out of the question to consider neurotypical actors for the part of Lola, who is on the autism spectrum. “It was never in my mind,” Demo ...

Music has long been described as a universal language one that reaches people even when words cannot. For autistic children, this idea is more than a metaphor. Modern neuroimaging tools such as ...

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Cha Cha Real Smooth is a selfish movie. Writer/producer/director/editor Cooper Raiff, who also stars in the film as protagonist Andrew, has a brief but noticeable ...