Documentaries on autism / ND for DD10

[FusionChefGeoff]

DD asked me last night what autism is and I did a terribly confusing job of outlining what I know! I wanted to give her an idea of the range of severity / impact it can have on people and also to avoid any stereotypes but that got me in a middle without many concrete answers!

Without knowing private medical details, it wouldn’t surprise me if one of her lovely friends has a diagnosis before too long which may be where the question came from - or maybe not!

Anyway, can anyone recommend a documentary or similar that we could watch that explores current understanding of the condition etc that a 10 year old
could follow?

I can of course Google but I’d like to work on personal recommendations to avoid anything that may rely heavily on stereotypes or outdated terms / viewpoints.

Thank you.

What a brilliant question, I would be interested in this too.

Not a documentary but the drama ‘It’s a kind of spark’ on iplayer.

I'm not sure about what she can watch, but I would stay away from the Louis Theroux documentary on autism.

Used to love Louis Theroux, but I think the autism documentary focuses entirely on an external perspective, how family and caregivers find managing difficult and profound cases, rather than explaining what autism is and how it affects people across a whole range.

Ideally you'd be looking for something that explains it is a neurodevelopmental disorder, that explains the triad of impairments in an age appropriate way, the 8 senses, and how we autistic folk can feel things much more intensely, so sensory seek or sensory avoid, as well as how it can affect our language, not just spoken but how we understand and interpret the world around us.

I'll do some digging and see what I can find.

I'm not a fan of Chris Packham particularly, but found his autism programmes quite interesting

Chris Packham inside our autistic minds! It was a wonderful program which highlights all different types of autism. Would be perfect for your daughters age group too

Also not a documentary, but the K drama the extraordinary attorney Woo Young Woo touched me deeply as I think it explains a lot of struggles both from the autistic person's perspective, from others perspectives, and shows that we still deserve to be loved and our needs met in our own way, whilst also showing the struggles we have with identifying and meeting the needs of others which is why the communication is so important. It's great writing from the production team. Excellent acting.

It does have light romance, I think 2 kisses across the series, and indicates others are in romantic relationships but it isn't explicit, so I would watch an episode first if I were you and see if it's something you'd feel comfortable letting her watch.

The Chris Packam programme was great and as PP A Kind of Spark was lovely - and she can read the equally age appropriate book by Elle McNicoll

Also I am Rosie (or something similar) on you tube/ iplayer? It’s a girl with autism explaining what it’s like for her and it may be quite informative if your DD has a friend who is possibly ND.

Another vote for the Chris Packham one. He also did episodes on ADHD and dyslexia.

CBBC’s Operation Ouch has a couple of segments on autism which would be a good starting point. They handle things very sensitively and also from the point of view of children.

Another vote for the Chris Peckham one.

As an adult I found the Chris Packham documentary really good but I’m not sure I would show it to a 10 year old. I would watch it first and then decide if it’s suitable for your daughter.

Thank you!!!!! Will start with Chris as he got so many votes - and also as she herself is going through dyslexia screening when she goes back to school.

Will also look up the drama / iplayer recommendations and the book

I've actually just watched the first episode of the Chris Packham inside our autistic minds thanks to the PPs who have recommended it.

I follow Flo on social media and she has been a huge part of my self acceptance as an autistic adult, I had no idea she was in this series, and I think it was a wonderful episode.

I think your daughter will love it, but she might need a blanket and some cuddles after watching it.