'Songs of the Spectrum' Benefits Autism Groups

The medical community may define autism as a neurodevelopmental disorder, a spectrum of developmental disabilities that affect learning, communication and interactions with others.
But for John O'Neil, it meant watching his 2-year-old son, James (now 14), change from a cheerful toddler into a child who had trouble speaking and playing. It was, he said, as if James were "falling down the well."
O'Neil, an editor at The New York Times and father of three, put that phrase on paper five years ago. It is now part of the chorus of Diagnosis, one of 14 songs on a new benefit album, Songs of the Spectrum, out April 6 in tandem with Autism Awareness Month.
The album features O'Neil's lyrics set to music by family friends Deena Shoshkes and Jon Fried (husband-and-wife indie-pop duo The Cucumbers) and recorded by artists such as Jackson Browne, Teddy Geiger and Dar Williams, some of whom will perform at the release concert in New York on April 7.