BBC4 tonight Monday 13th August. Documentary on Autism. Growing Children.

[LottieJenkins]

My mum is away but rang me to tell me it is on! Looks interesting!!!

Really admired the first Mum. I know a boy very similar to her son and he is 16 and still at home. I wonder how long his parents will be able to cope. It is such a hard decision to let them go.

Its hard though when they are so upset, you just want to comfort them. I know I am the same and afterwards I think 'I did too much talking'.

I think she might also have been worried about how she came across on camera, no one wants to seem unfeeling, even if it is in the childs best interests.

Leonie, that must have been interesting to be part of the babysibs study. Do they do any follow up?

Very interesting stuff. The eye tracker tech is amazing, wonder if that will eventually be part of the diagnosis process?

Just watched it on i-player. A very good and balanced programme in my opinion.

DS2 is like Tony. I speak to him in terms of sleeps and talk to him as "DS2 needs to do X now". He is 7 but has been static in his development for years. I've been offered respite time but I'm not ready to do that yet. I can't see him ever being independent.

DS1 is like Jake, but not diagnosed yet. I think he has Aspergers but they won't diagnose right now. I can see him being independent though.

Can't comment on the eye issues as my DSs are partially sighted and the eye tracker would not work for them.

One of them mentioned liking 'spinning'. Both DSs would not interact with me but would watch a plastic plate spin for hours, or car wheels.

zzzzz I think it was intending to show the different types of autism. I wouldn't say it was voyeuristic at all. Unlike the Louis Theroux one where he just asked a few questions.

The programme did go into developing the science behind diagnosing autism. I, for one, would like that science to be in place because I KNOW DS1 has Aspergers, but I'm being fobbed off.

I agree that the two brothers did seem to be high functioning but it is merely a snapshot of their lives.

I've not really done well in saying what I want to say. So I'll just post it and hope you don't take offence.

I also took it that they were showing what autism can look like in different people . . I just wished they'd had a girl on!

I found it really interesting and for once dh looked at the tv and said 'dd does that, dd is just like that' to lots of things.

For us it was a positive programme as its finally got dh's attention more than me saying "here, read this"

Lots of Tony's mannerisms and stims were like ds. Watching him on the computer with headphones on could have been my ds, the jumping and the flapping. I saw a lot of myself in his mum too, you could see she adored him but also had enough detachment to be able to handle him in a calm and reasoned manner that he needed.
I didn't really recognise much of mine in Jake and Zaine tbh but felt sorry for their mum because I think it showed that she hadn't really been taught any methods of handling them. I felt a bit frustrated watching her wanting to shout stop talking, hands off etc etc
Ds took part in eye tracking research we got the printouts (they were still scenes) I was fascinated to see how ds would pick out minute details in the peripheries but hardly registered the existence of the subject of the scene.

Insanity so very true wrt the adoration but detachment. This is something so many of us have to deal with.

It would have been better perhaps if the programme had explained whether Jake and Zane received any help from a TA or extra care whilst in mainstream school.

Obviously the mothers behaviours will have been different in front of the cameras so we don't know if she does shout "stop talking" or "hands off".

Well done for taking part in the eye tracking research btw. It's only because people get involved in this type of thing that we learn.

The too much talking thing is instinctive for many people, isn't it? School have had a real battle discouraging members of staff for trying to comfort DS1 when he's in the throes of a meltdown. Even though the people who do it just want to make things better and it might go against the grain for them not to do it, being talked to simply adds to the stress and overstimulation for him and prolongs and intensifies the meltdown.

YY ouryve. The more someone talks to DS2, the worse it gets. DS1, totally different.

I guess that why it is called a spectrum. 'One size' truly does not fit all where autism is concerned.

Ds doesn't like being spoken too much of the time, when he's stressed it soon tips him over the edge. With dd she can't process the language unless she can give it her full attention so talking to her whilst her attention is elsewhere is pointless.
Do those of you who need to restrict the amount and complexity of speech find that you forget yourself and do it with others too? HT's (mainstream) face was a picture when I looked at him said "listening, and proceeded to give him some information using only the keywords"

DH is pretty monosyllabic at times, anyhow!

Am currently holding in the urge to let out an angry tirade at DS1. He's in a nasty, nasty mood. The sort of nasty mood where DS2 shouldn't be allowed to exist and I should be killed and "no I am not being argumentative!!!!!" Being a bit older, he's trying to draw me into discussion, but I've told him I will not discuss anything until he can be civilised. His current utterances are a scathing critique of Something Special, complete with beeping out all the instances of the word "sign" and telling me "I am being civilised now." If I couldn't see the funny side, I'd probably be ready to explode with rage, myself, right now.

I've just watched it. Horrible sense of reality. DS1 (13) has AS and we are looking for a dx of Dyspraxia. Michael the 19yr old reminded me of DS1 as in outlook and behaviour. DS4 is deaf and has ASD. He is 5, doesn't speak and doesn't communicate. I can see him becoming more and more like Tony as he grows older. We started, like Zane, by moving from a small nursery to mainstream school. He loathed and hated it. He used to cry at the sight of his school jumper! We tried to defuse things for him by taking him into a side room before class started and then into the class. This worked, but it was becoming more obvious that he was spending more time in the sensory room as like Zane he couldn't cope with all of the people. He is now in Special School. A much happier child.

No females on the autism spectrum. Hmm. I know they only have an hour for the programme but I wish girls weren't the ones who are cut out of airtime. Also wish they had co-presented it with someone on the autism spectrum. A few of my colleagues would have been delighted to do so.

yup, once again our daughters were overlooked

i know this was a programme about the autistic brain, not about autism and all it's manifestations, but even so, would it have hurt to have a girl as a case study?

It never crossed my mind as it is my DSs, not my DD that have ASD, but I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to see daughters not featured at all. I have watched lots of programmes on ASD and yes, they always seem to focus on boys.

Agens: 'I loved the bit where Michael said the GSCE english paper said 'write about the humour in this passage' and as he didn't find it funny he wrote 'there isn't any'.'

Oh boy, I have to watch this programme! DS1 has just done GCSEs, and apparently had to answer 'How does this poem make you feel?' He says he put 'Irritated. Also a bit confused. Why don't poets just say what they mean?'
I so hope he's winding me up.