“Autism is awesomeism!” That’s what Wyatt and the kids in the Miracle Project want to show the world, with a little help from the very funny, yet sensitive, Jack Black.
“Sensitive. Am I too sensitive? They call me sensitive,” shouts Jack Black with his duet partner Wyatt Isaacs. “Is it something about me? Or the clothes that I wear? I hear noises. Things are too loud. Is it me? Are things too loud!?!”
Wyatt is a young teenager from LA who has autism, and he’s singing – with Jack Black by his side – what it feels like to have the condition. The song he wrote is called “Sensitive” and it’s his way of explaining how autism affects him. He sings, “It feels like a sensory overload sometimes. I feel like I want to say to the world, “Sensory violation!’ … I feel anger and stressed, and I would feel kind of sad sometimes because I didn’t have any friends.”
According to the CDC, about 1 in 110 children in the U.S. have some form of autism. Symptoms vary child to child, but many deal with delayed speech, repetitive behaviors, and sensory issues. The Miracle Project is an LA-based community program that brings autistic kids and teens together with music and the arts. They write, rehearse, and perform their own musicals, and even throw music festivals like this “Autism is Awesomism” festival which Jack Black was more than happy to get involved with.
“About a year and a half ago, someone approached me and said this kid Wyatt is singing an amazing song. He’s got autism, and he’s got this great song called Sensitive,” the actor explains on Everyday Health. “Stephen [Stills] said, ‘Do you want to jam on it with us?’ And I was like ‘yeah —’ why not?”
“Personally, arts education was a big factor for me growing up. It saved my life in many ways,” Black says. “And I think a lot of kids can really benefit from that outlet, for their creativity and their energy that might go into some negative places. When they can channel it into some art, it has a profound impact on kids — whether they’re spectrum or not.”
Watch Wyatt and Jack Black’s live performance from Everyday Health!
