Yesterday, I took The Boy and one of his buddies to see the latest Disney movie, “Frozen.”  (***SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t seen it yet, this post does contain spoilers, so come back and read after you’ve seen it***)  While I watched, and endured the entire row of middle school girls who decided to sit behind us (*gag*), I realized Elsa was going through very similar experiences to many kids on the spectrum.

• She wanted to be around people, and to be close to her sister, but knew they wouldn’t understand, and didn’t want to hurt anyone.
• When she finally allowed her emotion to show, there were some people who actually were hurt (more than once), because she couldn’t control it.
• When she was able to get away from the castle (and other people), she was able to see how beautifully her powers could transform her surroundings.
• Through her sister’s love, she was able to realize how to use her powers for good.

And I thought what a great message this movie had, and how powerful for our kids on the spectrum to see it, and possibly identify with the “bad girl” who wasn’t really bad, just misunderstood.  Evolved fairy tales are my favorite.  Girls who save boys, people who solve problems using minds not weapons, and the replacement of an “evil ice queen” with a young misunderstood girl with special powers both dangerous and beautiful.  Yep, this is the kind of fairy tale I want The Boy to experience.