To wish that, just for once, there would be a programme made about low functioning autistic people?

[SharkiraSharkira]

I admit this is a sensitive subject for me as I have a 'low functioning' autistic child but....

I think it's great that ASD is becoming more well known and more understood, so to speak. People know more about it, are willing to talk about it. They are happier to portray it in TV and movies. This is all good as it gives the condition more exposure.

However. It always seems to be the same kind of autism portrayed. The high functioning ones. The ones who are savants or gifted at something. The ones who can have relationships, jobs, and live independently. This was all triggered by an advert for a new drama I saw who's main character is a brilliant doctor/surgeon who happens to be autistic.

But I can't recall ever seeing a programme or film (admittedly I haven't seen them all) that shows the other side of autism. The ones who headbang or are incontinent. The ones who cannot live independently or have a job, ever.

I'm not saying that programmes about higher functioning ASD are bad, just that it would be nice to see on screen a situation/person that relates to ASD that is vaguely familiar. So many of them, as a parent of someone who is severely affected, just don't resemble my experience at all. They may as well be different conditions entirely.

Aibu to wish that for once producers/filmmakers etc would show the other side of autism?

[whosahappyharry]

I feel like the children in the middle are so often forgotten too, the children that not even professionals understand so they're labelled as "complex". My teenage brother has an IQ of 106 but his processing and emotional understanding is down in the 40s. The ones with co-morbid crippling mental health conditions. The ones who are school refusers, will probably never hold down a job or live independently but aren't "disabled enough" for respite or supported living or accessing charitable services.

[toffee1000]

That makes sense Sharkira.

I can see why they've now called it Autism Spectrum Disorder, as "spectrum" obv implies a whole range of symptoms/degrees of being affected. As a society we like to pigeon-hole things which is an impossible task with ASD. Then again, "ASD" doesn't give any real idea of how your child will be affected long-term, so in that sense it's not helpful.

[StatisticallyChallenged]

It feels a bit like we need some new/different language around autistic conditions to make it easier to define and explain the needs that people have; the one big box label doesn't seem to be working particularly well for any particular subset at the moment and it means that targeted support services are very hard to find too.

[SharkiraSharkira]

Exactly Statistically.

[KickAssAngel]

and needs can change across time as well. DD is HF, but has had crippling anxiety which totally exacerbated all her symptoms. It's been impossible to work out what was ADHD/ASD/Anxiety. She barely slept, had a very limited diet and at one point was refusing to speak to teachers at school and was growling/barking at them instead.

We've put every kind of support in place that we can to help her, and she's moved to high school (which a year ago we were all dreading hugely). Over the last 6 months she's transformed. She still very definitely has strong ASD tendencies, and the ADHD lack of ability to sit still can be quite annoying (understatement) but she's learning to be sociable and is coping at school with the organization to a level that nobody ever predicted for her. I'm fully enjoying this new development, but aware that it could all go tits up at any moment if the anxiety kicks back in again.

Mine & DH's family are all convinced that somehow she's 'cured'. They always thought that me being stricter would fix her. They're expecting to be able to hug her at Christmas, which won't happen, and smugly tell me that I should have just been firmer all along!

[JoanBartlett]

Good points on the thread above.
I did watch the Chris Packham programme tonight and found it interesting www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b09b1zbb/chris-packham-aspergers-and-me.