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Original poster

........itv1 this morning living with autism.........

100 replies

jenk1 · 19/09/2005 10:21

just to remind you that this morning which starts in a few mins are showing a documentary on how a faimly copes with living with autism

OP posts:
Ulysees · 19/09/2005 12:00

ok macwoozy

RTKangaMummy · 19/09/2005 12:01

...................................

Ulysees · 19/09/2005 12:03

/

RTKangaMummy · 19/09/2005 12:05

.............................

Ulysees · 19/09/2005 12:08

I didn't realise about the sleep thing? What a lovely family

RTKangaMummy · 19/09/2005 12:08

Did you watch it?

RTKangaMummy · 19/09/2005 12:09

sorry didn't mean you

Jimjams · 19/09/2005 12:09

Oh nicky is streets and streets ahead of ds1 I wish they would show the severe end of the spectrum more. These autism features always end up depressing me! Glad they showed a tantrum (and the response), but think it gave a false view of how much help (all that SALT!) and respite most families get.

RTKangaMummy · 19/09/2005 12:10

yes a lovely family

Do those with ASD ds or dd think it was a fair represntation?

Jimjams · 19/09/2005 12:11

depends on where they are on the spectrum. Nothing like ds1- there's no way we could let go of him when out and about (she wasn't holding onto him at the ticket office).

Ulysees · 19/09/2005 12:12

jimjams, must say I agree. My nephew is severly autistic, can't speak, violent etc...he's 29 now. BIL is alone now as my sis died so he has it all to do. The units nephew goes too are closing, one is going to be a centre for addicts

RTKangaMummy · 19/09/2005 12:12

jimjams

perhaps you should send them an email

Would you be able to make a film about your life

then they could show that as the other side of the coin iyswim

dinosaur · 19/09/2005 12:13

DH was going to watch a bit of it - I'll ask him what he thought and post tomorrow.

macwoozy · 19/09/2005 12:13

My ds isn't as severe as the lad on This Morning, but there is no way I would not hold his hand at the ticket booth, he would just run off and I dread to think what could happen.

Jimjams · 19/09/2005 12:17

Ulyses I think there is a tendency on TV to show autism as another side of normal almost.

There was an excellent programme about a year ago- where a family with 2 autistic children and an NT moved to Sctoland. I thought that was a very good representation of our life. All the doors had locks on them, the bathrooms and bedrooms were kept locked during the day, they couldn;t buy a house because the gate (massive garden) was next to a quiet, but main road. The journey up to Scotland was a nightmare. There was no educaitonal provision for one of their sons where they lived which was why they had to move in the first place. That's my reality of autism, although I know its not others.

I tend to think anyone watching This Morning trying to understand our family would wonder what all the fuss was about. DS1 is just so far from being able to do anything that little boy was doing. (I susepct the SALT he saw was private and I think that should have been pointed out- it's a disgrace that autistic children have such little acces to NHS therapy).

lynny70 · 19/09/2005 12:32

Message deleted

Jimjams · 19/09/2005 12:34

agree completely lynny.

Original poster
jenk1 · 19/09/2005 12:34

also, that family obviousley have money, they have their own live-in au pair and can obviousley get more help than ordinary families on benefits or one low income get, they looked like they were paying privately for extra help as well.

I was disappointed cos its not a real reflection on life that many of us have to contend with, for me jaqui jacksons documentary was more real-life like but thats only my opinion

OP posts:
Ulysees · 19/09/2005 12:36

Maybe we could try to get that programme repeated Jimjams? What channel was it on?

lynny70 · 19/09/2005 12:40

Message deleted

macwoozy · 19/09/2005 12:41

Yes I agree, a 10 minute segement about autism can hardly show the extreme problems encountered by families of children with autism, like you say Lynny, they should have showed the reactions of the other shoppers, which is one of the reasons why I try and avoid supermarkets with my ds.

Original poster
jenk1 · 19/09/2005 12:44

i know i never take my ds into a supermarket, last time i did he sat under a display and cried and kept punching his head.

I hate the looks that people give you and the tut tuts of older people especially-what that child needs is a good smack etc.

i never know what to say to people as we are quite new to this i usually just say "he,s autistic" but not everyone knows about autism so it goes over their heads

OP posts:
Jimjams · 19/09/2005 12:46

The problem with any feature on autism is that it covers such a wide spectrum. I can't remember which channel the other documentary was on. So most features are not representitive of other people's lives.

I was at ds1's school the other day and a mum was saying she can't let her 7 year old out to play because the older boys see him and come and throw bricks at him. She gets no help from SS and couldn't afford to buy in help. He's non-verbal, not toilet trained yet etc etc.

Au pairs, private speech therapy, big safe gardens - a world away.

RTKangaMummy · 19/09/2005 12:46

Please don't be offended by my ignorance

Is it that the boy in the film would be the majority of ASD children?

With lots on either side iyswim

I do think though that they should have pointed out the SALT was private

Jimjams · 19/09/2005 12:48

I don't know that there is a majority. He was able to stand in a public place without having someone holding onto him- I don't know how normal that is. No-one I know can do that, but then I suppose most of the children I know are at the severe end. I thought he seemed very high functioning.