Autistic puppeteer brings his gift to the classroom

Posted By Steve Smedley at Pantagraph

DOWNS — Ben Harney paces back and forth in an empty classroom at Tri-Valley Elementary School as his parents put together a stage for the 21-year-old autistic puppeteer.

A morning fog is burning off, and sunlight begins to stream into the room. Ben is not nervous, although he never stops moving, pacing back and forth. In a few minutes, third-graders will stream into the room, but now Ben stands with his father, Rick, looking through a translucent backdrop as he helps hang the stage.

With the students seated, his mother, Betsy Drillon, makes a short introduction as Ben slips the puppets onto his large hands and gives his dad a nod. A loud click comes from the tape player, and “Hakuna Matata” from “The Lion King” fills the air.

So begins the “Ben and His Broadway Buddies” puppet show.

Tough childhood

Ben was diagnosed with autism at age 3½, during early childhood development classes at Colene Hoose Elementary School in Normal.

Raising an autistic child was not easy. Ben didn’t sleep at night for seven years.

“Ben had trouble communicating. He’d respond well when I’d use my voice and do Sesame Street characters,” said Rick. “We were devastated. There were a lot of dark days, but we began to notice Ben using his hands more and more.

“Ben might not have been able to communicate verbally, but puppetry has brought down invisible walls,” Rick said.

Ben’s show was born at a Unit 5 Autism Summer Camp in 2006, which featured a puppet talent show. “He loved it,” said Harney.

Notes Betsy: “Ben loves music; he would come to life with music. Every song, Ben has a brilliant capacity to memorize. Hearing it the first time, it would be in his brain.”

He graduated from Normal Community West High School in 2008 and played in the school’s band.

Ben now has two part-time jobs, relying on public transportation to reach the Meier store and the La Gondola Spaghetti House on Vernon Avenue in Bloomington.

The show goes on

At the Tri-Valley show, Ben sets a bird puppet, Blackie the Crow, dancing to the music above the backdrop.

The children begin to laugh and mimic the puppet’s movements, and a wide grin comes across Ben’s face, already building up a sweat in the warm classroom. He moves the puppets in perfect unison with the music. Unseen behind the curtain, his face mimics the facial expressions the puppets perform as the children erupt with laughter.

Ben uses various songs depending on his audience; he uses six to eight puppets, and each show features three to four songs. He owns more than 20 puppets, all purchased from Puppets by Post in London.

In between skits, Ben wipes his brow on his dark T-shirt and grabs another puppet.

“Chip is my favorite. He’s got a good sense of humor; who couldn’t like him?” Ben says as he prepares the puppets for a song from “West Side Story.” The show lasts 25 minutes, with four songs from “Beauty and the Beast,” “West Side Story” and other songs Ben and his parents pick while practicing. At the close of a show, Ben comes out from behind the stage and shows the students how the puppets work and answers questions.

The shows, presented about every couple of months at local schools, are something Ben and his parents have been doing to give back to the educational community they believe helped Ben overcome whatever darkness the autistic child, now a young adult, might have felt.

“For so many years, Ben was on the receiving end of help, and seeing him returning to schools and giving that joy to others… it’s a thrill to see your child’s enjoyment,” said Betsy.

“It’s wonderful watching Ben. I just love it. When I retire we will go out and do music therapy together anywhere there is a need,” she said.

“For the community of families who are dealing with this (autism), Ben is a beacon of hope,” said Rick.

Tags: Autism, awareness, Education, sen, special needs