magneficent 7

[3kids]

This programme is on tuesday night bbc2 at 9pm it's about a mother with 7 children four of whom are autistic.

Thanks 3kids, I'm looking forward to this.

Bumping this for others.

Saw this was on, looking forward to it.

Is this the thing with Helena Bonham Carter about the Jacksons? I saw something in the paper about it. She spent quite a lot of time with the family so it should be good.

I will watch it too but why did the programme makers decide to go into the realms of fiction by giving her a love interest?.

The Beeb are also repeating the original documentary on BBC4.

The more I hear and read about this programme the more angry and upset it makes me. People will watch it and think that living with autism isn't so bad after all, she's got 4 so what are the rest of us moaning about? I don't understand why she is doing this, it does nothing to help anyone else and just gives a completely false impression to the uninitiated. OK, its apparently HER reality, that is fine but a lot more should be said about how very different living with autism is for just about EVERYONE else who does, certainly I don't know anyone who thinks it is absolutely fine, and "different is cool". I'm pretty sure Luke Jackson had a rather dreadful time a year or so ago, we never hear about that or how she came to be a single mother of 7. I really don't think I will be able to watch it

I did think that Helena Bonham Carter was talking out of her behind though when she said this:-

"I've always been excited by the whole notion of difference. I'm attracted to people who are a bit different, whether they're eccentric or disabled, or what you think as disabled. Autism isn't necessarily a minus. It can be a gift".

A gift indeed!!!!!.

I would personally like her to meet SJ who is a single mum with two autistic children. Her dad is also on the spectrum. However, he was not diagnosed till he was in his 60s and this only happened because he attended one of his grandsons many appointments. The cons basically said to this man, "oh and you're going to need help as well because you're autistic".

There are a lot of middle aged people walking around out there whom are variously described as "eccentric"/"mad" when infact many are somewhere on the autistic spectrum and undiagnosed. Where is the help exactly for such people?. I don't see it; autistic provision for adults in this country is at best scant.

My ds is having a really awful time at school because he's 'different', that's certainly nothing to celebrate.

It's not her reality either though Davros. Jackie's life is far from cool. Maybe its the problem once the media get involved. They can't grasp it.

There was a ridiculous article in the Sunday Times a few weeks ago saying that autism was basically great, and I asked jackie whether she'd known it was going to be in. She siad that they had loads wrong as usual. She often knows nothing about the so called interviews published abvout her, and has never met the interviewer, some library picture has been used and the first she knows is when someone says "oh saw you in.........".

Luke had a pretty awful time at school as well macwoozy. I think he talks a little about it in his books (which can therefore be handy for kids the same age). I think he can help someone to develop a "it's not me that's got the problem, it's the rest of them" attitude.

Jacqui even- I'm brain dead this morning.

Whenever some writer gets hold of an 'autism' story they seem to want to romanticize it. There was an episode of casualty a few weeks ago where there was a boy with very obvious laid-on-with-a-trowel symptoms of aspergers. Of course everyone thought he was weird and difficult (even the psych nurse strangely)until the receptionist noticed that he had counted all the tiles in the room instantly. Cue questioning that revealed him to be a mathematical genius. It ended with smiles all round as the doctor explained to his mother that aspergers is a gift and he would end up as an artist or musician or similar.

If magnificent 7 shows signs of going the same way I shall watch David Tennant instead

Well dont worry, if my family appears in the documentary about life with Autistic children i will INSIST it be written into my contract
that ALL behaviour be shown re my sons AS/ASD.

Didn't fancy the HBC programme but seem to remember a programme following a real family as directed by the son with AS? Does this ring a bell, memory is not fab but tend to watch most programmes on children/adults with issues or difficulties.

Yeh Mat, that's the same family, the Jacksons.

Thanks BC, will defo not watch as feel you only get the facts correctly from those in the 'life' not those veiwing it from afar.

Felt for the Jacksons, we long term fostered [till our mum died] 2 girls with DS from 8m & 2w to 23y & 30y respectively and the older one has OCD and ASD tendencies. They are settled in new care situations, very happily in the younger ones case tho not so smoothly in the oldest's case, she thrived in the structure and rules we had at home and has too much autonomy now and her behaviour and happiness are fragile at times.

The documentary on the Jacksons is also being shown tonight on BBC4 I think. I don't believe that Jacqui Jackson doesn't know these recent interviews and articles are being printed or that she has no idea of the content, esp when there's photos of her and HBC together.... I still don't understand why she is doing this. She obviously has input into this program. Hmmm, I see International Bowls on one of the sports channels.

I really liked the documentary but I'm not sure if I'll be watching this programme. I usually avoid anything with HBC in it and also have a horrible feeling that this will be one of those "Isn't life with autism great?" kind of dramas. I don't know tbh.

Do you think that she might thrive on all the interest and publicity surrounding her with the family. She's been involved with books, Trisha programme, a couple of documentaries, wasn't there a follow up a documentary a while back, and now this drama. Don't get me wrong through, I admire her that she manages 4 boys on the autistic spectrum as a simgle parent, but I just wonder if she's kind of got carried away with all this media attention. I'm still going to watch it though, I have the video all set up.

HBC lives near us, I know the exact place. DS bumped into her once in the street a couple of years ago. Think I'll take him round there tomorrow and leave him with her

no she's not like that at all macwoozy (I know her). The media comes looking for her. She doesn't get paid for any appearances, films etc. It began when Luke wrote his book and the rest has snowballed from people seeking her out. She turns down a lot. And a lot of magazine "interviews" are nothing of the sort- they're so called jounalist shoving something together from previous articles without even telling her. I think she's a bit of an idealist and wants to let the outside worls know that autism exists, but somehow in the process (I guess because she's not airing the dirty laundry in public) it gets santized and suddenly everyone who knows someone a bit geeky thinks they know all about autism.

Oh davros you should- as she finds it so cool

I shouldn't be so hasty to judge especially when I don't know her personally. I agree that many people are quick to point out a geeky person and identifying this as autism.

Well..........

Kids acting are never going to convey autism very well are they?

If you're not watching do. It's good.

So far nappies on big kids, scribbles on the walls (identical to mine on the walls surrounding the TV), fort knox front doors, hating xmas, poo smearing, exhaustion, isolation, difficulties going anywhere. It's not too sanitized, it does give a glimpse of the sorts of problems (hasn;t conveyed the supervision side, otherwise pretty good.)

Got all the ideas right but acting can never really convey the reality,the 'professionals'seemed realistic!