Autism was at one time considered a rare disorder. Today, autism is diagnosed in one in every 150 children in America. Tricia Regan’s documentary follows the lives of educator Elaine Hall and a group of autistic children for six months as they create, write, rehearse, and perform a live musical. Through their work, the audience comes to understand autism outside of its purely medical definition with the help of the parents, a wealth of home video, and ultimately the children themselves. Autism: The Musical is uplifting without being overly sentimental and equally informative without sinking to the level of conventional talking heads television. The film never makes it seem as if the kids will have an easy ride through life, but it also never paints their intensely individual circumstances as a hindrance to the personal potential of each.