You’ve Got to Hear This! What Lead Singer Rawan Tuffaha and Her ASD Bandmates Want You to Know During Autism Acceptance Month

Hop on Insta or TikTok and you’ll see videos of women and girls discussing their symptoms of autism. Clear-eyed and candid, many of these stories spotlight the frustration they felt when gender imbalances in autism diagnoses led to years of misdiagnoses and missed opportunities.

With so many sharing their experiences about autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and as April is Autism Acceptance Month, I am honored to share the riveting story of Rawan Tuffaha, the lead singer of a group of four musicians on the spectrum making up the band, ASD. Her voice is crystalline – a clarion call to listen and hear what these bandmates have to say. Trust me – click here and listen as you read.

Girls today are reportedly four times less likely to be diagnosed with autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Rawan Tuffaha was no different. Saying that her worst fear was “being seen as having something wrong [with her],” she often struggled with social interactions and went to WikiHow to look up how to make friends.

What helped her through these difficult times? Music.

Discovering she had nearly perfect pitch and a stunningly high octave range, Rawan met three other musicians on the spectrum and is now the lead singer of ASD Band. Appearing on The Kelly Clarkson Show last week and releasing their second album shortly (you can hear the first one here), the band is the subject of a documentary you can stream now that is already winning awards. Individually, every member of ASD is a rockstar. Together, they are truly extraordinary and Être had to know more.

Below is an edited version of my interview with Rawan and her bandmates: Ron (piano), Spenser (drums), Jackson (guitar), and Maury (musical director, bass, and the only member of the band not on the ASD spectrum).  As I write this, their gorgeous song Serenity is playing on repeat.

Ê: I’m so thrilled to speak with you, and I love your first album Fireflies so much! Tell me about the next album – what’s the theme?

Rawan: We recorded it because we wanted to develop new themes and songs: there’s a love song in the mix (that’s a first for me), a break-up song, abstract and strange ones…they all have something new to offer.

Ê: We can’t wait. And I saw the trailer for the documentary – how did this film come about?

Jackson: There’s a Canadian autism charity called Jake’s House which supports families living with autism, and they got the ball rolling by hiring a camera crew to do a short profile on us.

Spenser: Then they realized that this is a bigger story…and it became a movie.

Ê: How did that feel? Were you nervous?

Rawan: I was a little nervous, yeah. Especially because this was the first thing like this we had ever filmed. Nobody knew what to expect or where it was supposed to go. Originally, it was supposed to end with us playing a show with Imagine Dragons, but that ended up getting canceled.

Ê: Because of COVID…

Rawan: Right. So, then it evolved into something completely different – and we’re all very pleased with the way the final product turned out!

Ê: What’s one thing you want viewers to walk away from the film knowing?

Rawan: I want their takeaway to be that we’re different, but not less. And that if we can follow our dreams, they should too…we are living proof of that. We’ve worked really hard and we don’t go about things halfway. That’s the beauty of our band – we collaborate together doing what we love, and in the process, we’re touching people’s hearts and showing people how to overcome the stigma of autism.

“I want their takeaway to be that we’re different, but not less.”

Ê: You seem like such a tight-knit, collaborative group. Did you all have role models or mentors growing up who encouraged you?

Ron: Definitely, yes.

Rawan: I had a vocal coach. Actually, I still I have her and she has taught me vocal techniques since the eighth grade.

Ê: Do you feel that you’re a role model for younger people now, looking up to you because they want to do what you do?

Rawan: I do! And I’m hoping that they follow their hopes and dreams the way I did.

Ê: This question is from a girl who knew I’d be speaking to you, Rawan: When did you figure out that you had near perfect pitch?

Rawan: I think it came to me early…I was humming music like My Heart Will Go On before I could speak. But then I went to music therapy and started singing Disney songs. This was way before Frozen, and I found out about perfect pitch just by listening to the songs and singing them.

Ê: Amazing. Okay, last question – for all of you. What is one thing you think people get wrong about autism? If you could correct one thing in people’s minds, what would that be?

ASD, collectively and in rapid succession:

• Don’t underestimate people with autism. The operative word in autism spectrum is spectrum. A lot of people forget that.

• Yeah, there’s an archetype about what an autistic person is. And it’s usually a white, nerdy boy who’s really into STEM fields. But autistic people are individuals and individuals are different…just like neurotypical people. I think people might need a little reminder there.

• I don’t want people to just assume that what we do is wrong. People might look at us and because we do something differently, like have a meltdown, they might say it’s wrong. But I feel things more deeply than other people. It’s not wrong.

• Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Don’t let people tell you what you can or cannot do. Just go ahead and do it. Take chances.

And that’s exactly what this band is doing – taking chances and encouraging us all to do the same. Stepping onto a stage is scary. Grabbing the mic and raising your voice can be terrifying. Putting your deepest thoughts down on paper and then sharing them with stadiums full of screaming fans would paralyze most of us.

But if we listen to the music of ASD, watch their film, and let their lyrics settle in our souls, we will all be empowered – I promise you that.

Different isn’t less. It can be exponentially more.

Looking forward with new music playing,

Illana

ÊXTRAS: Three more links during Autism Acceptance Month you won’t want to miss: Learn more about Jake’s House here, watch the band cover Imagine Dragons’ Follow You here, and follow ASD on Instagram.