"make me normal" Ch 4 Thursday

[bunny2]

tv programme about teenagers living with ASD

Todays Indie gave it a good write-up.

One of the best documentaries i've seen on autism. I wasn't able to watch it last night as I went to an NAS branch social night, but my DH taped it for me. I watched it this morning and I wept . It was so sad and so close to home. My DS aged 12 is high functioning too and he exhibits similar behaviours, swears and hits his own forhead too! It is so hard for these kids going through the emotions of puberty - it's hard enough for NT kids!

I'm so glad that it showed the extreme behaviours, I only wish that all professionals who come into contact with autistic children could have seen it especially teachers. It has certainly raised awareness, we need more ducumentaries like this.

I watched this programme and IMO it ought to be compulsory viewing for teaching staff. I teach in a mainstream sec school, but we do have a few kids on the autistic spectrum (mainly aspergers) and we are given v little training in dealing with their needs. This prog was an education for me.
I also felt that every child we saw was utterly charming - far more so than the tedious, self-obsessed idiots on 2 progs on immediately afterwards - Big Brother and Celeb Shag Island.

here here sassy.
And thank god for teachers like that. I feel truly humbled by them.

Like others, I was enormously impressed by the teachers, learning support assistants, and especially the head, shown in this programme.

It made quite uncomfortable viewing, watching this with both my teenage sons, the younger of whom we have believed to have some traits of Aspergers. My son has a similar difficulty to the 12-year-old in showing his feelings, and just before the programme had given me the first hug in years for having done such a super job on making him a Jedi robe. I wondered how he felt watching this boy, given that the robe, light sabre etc were sitting neatly on the floor beside him. The "experts" have told us he doesn't have Aspergers.

I thought the staff and head were fantastic.
As i watched the programme I also related to the asphergers child. Although my ds has had a diagnosis, the child's school report was very similar to my ds and there was a similarity in their behaviour. My ds has ben diagnosed with O.D.D. , but I have read an article that younger children can be misdiagnosed with o.d.d and find out later they are on the autistic spectrum. This programme has open up new questions for me. larsxx

The one area that I felt the programme lacked was explaining why the children behaved as they did. If I'd watched it without any knowledge of autism (I wish) then I would have thought it was a behavioural disorder, which it isn't. No mention of sensory issues for example.

Also strange lack of visual prompts in the school. maybe they just didn't show them. I know the children were high functioning but still.

Oh dear Christie, ds1 sounds like your third student......

Talking of schools we've just had our (second) annual reveiw report. Last October we had a dreadful one from ds1's mainstream school. Just awful. All abotu the staff needing restraint training ad ds1 kicking and headbutting staff (first I'd heard of it). Well the one we've just received is just brilliant. Very amusing, very encouraging, very positive and you can tell they are fond of ds1 (whereas I don't think many people in his ms school liked him). Brilliant targets as well (the ms targets were wrong and I had to ask the SALT to tell them because obviously I couldn't). My favourite target is for him to get his 5m swimming badge by next Spring The staff at his school are wonderful.

Good point about the lack of sensory info. Ds1 has a cardboard box similar in size to the one that Moneer climbed into. He doesn't use it for hiding away from people or in the way Moneer did. He uses it because it's dark and quiet and it gives him a break from the sensory overloads that he gets elsewhere - and also to escape from ds2.

Your ds1's school sounds fantastic, Jimjams. It sounds as though they've done so much with ds1. I like the swimming badge idea too.

jimjams - lovely to hear about DS1s school; great news.
I didn't really take from it that it was a behavioural disorder (and I only know what I know about Austism through MN really) more that it was a confusing disorder with a myriad of different manifestations and that is different for almost every child. Not sure if that is right but that's what I took from teh programme.

Jimjams - the swimming badge is a lovely target! My ds's two main targets are to be able to enter the assembly/p.e hall without flipping as he is worried that the very high ceiling will collapse and kill all the children...a very real worry for him. He is doing really well and getting more used to it (after being told it was not 100 years old like the rest of the school) and if he gains 75% of his stars, will get an achievement award.

There will be no need for a statement now he has changed schools and is being treated in a kind, considerate manner instead of being shouted at all the time.

I did love the programme as ds is like the two boys but you're right Jimjams - no mention of sensory issues which ds has in abundance.

MFH - awwww at you getting a hug - well done you for making a wonderful Jedi robe.

I was thinking the same thing regarding sensory issues. As good as the programme was, it only seemed to deal with the challenging behaviour and not the cause!
I don't understand either what is achieved by excluding the 12 year old boy from school for a week. I think it must have been stressful enough for the family involved to be coping with a bereavement.
I know how hard it is having an autistic child out of school as my own DS was out for over a year and only started back 6 weeks ago. He had 2 unsuccessful attempts at mainstream schools but is now in an autistic unit and is coping well.

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rnb a friend has said the same thing about the forcing awareness issue.

well...ROY struck a cord with me too...want to meet him as i can identify so much with wht he does. I question EVERYTHING i do like him. I have EXACTLY the same problem with video tapes etc...i seek perfection and never get there.

Then what was really spooky for me was that this morning my new mental health worker came to see me and she asked if i'd watched it as SHE thought straight away of ME when she saw ROY!

So really believe that she at least is seeing me as ASD ... her sister is a ASD teacher.

Then roxanne struck a note too...reminds me of a programme i saw about a boy with tourettes...she was so painfully aware that she was hurting/abusing her friend- but the copulsion was too strong.
Me...i often hear in my head and feel like i want to behave in those ways (worse as a child)...but luckily for me it is just that now...just words/actions in my head. THough i am scared shitless that oneday i will shout out etc.

Roy concerned me as he had such a smiley happy face that i'm sure would give the 'wrong impression' when he's trying to be serious...people will get the totally wrong impression of what he is trying to express.

oops...meant to add it was the bit where roy was labeling his video tapes that remindede my care worker of me!!!!

Then just as she left ...my mum appeared..chatted for 2 mins with mer...then as i said by to my care worker...she whispered..she mused if my mum was AS too!!!!!

So you can see how relieved i am to have this carer who seems to see my life as i do!!!

(course...bet she won't commit it to writing!!!!!)

I wondered if you'd be watching it too, MrsF! Your care worker sounds as though she really knows her stuff. It's just a shame that you can't get it all in writing.

stalkey StalkeY!!!

Well you didn't think you could sneak back on here without being stalked did you, MrsF?

I found it really sad tbh.
It was also a real eye opener as I have always wodnered if dd has some kind of asd and after watching this and seeing the kids with hfa/as I can now understand why they don't think dd has.
I really couldn't see the autism in Roxanne though. That's must be so hard for her as it is so hard to tell.

I agree that it was a moving and enlightening doc. - Dh and I watched it in silence absolutely moved by it (normally chatter away all through any programme).
Poor Roy - it was heartbreaking watching him struggling with such complicated emotions and social situations such as teenage romance. It was like watching someone set out to walk a tight rope over the Pacific with a happy grin. It keeps playing on my mind - I wonder what life holds in store for him.

though about this again and the only 'negative' about the programme i can really find is that they concentrated so much on the 'violent' outbursts...and not alot on other features of autism.

best way i can explain this is when they showed roxanne and her friend sat down talking to the interviewer..... the 'friend' seemed a much more 'withdrawn type' of autism (hope i don't offend)...and clearly upset by roxanne's outburts towards him as 'her friend'...i would have loved to hear what he had to say.

I therefore am glad that i didn't ask family etc to watch it...as i have tried in the past when ASD is on TV.....as i feel that though it must be a true reflection on some experiences of ASD...it reminded me of those programmes in the past that promoted 'Hugging/restraining' etc...in that those programmes (inc Rainman) just fix a stereotypical image that those not living/working with it see as a true reflection..... whereas those of us who live and breath it...take out of these programmes the bits that 'fit our autistic puzzle'...and 'file' the rest...knowing that though they may not apply to us...they do to others.

The other 'painful' observation i have about roxanne is how her face had continuous changes of expression- it was like her thoughts/feelings were fluctuating by the second...and i felt so sorry that she would be forvever 'flipping the coin' just as others 'got used to her current mood' etc.

Most of my knowledge of autism comes from MN so I wanted to watch this programme. The staff were amazing but I agree the programme was only showing one aspect - I guess there must be as many different types of autism as there are children. I think my biggest shock was at the amount of awareness the children had of their condition. I suppose I'd imagined that they lived in their own little world and didn't realise they were so different to others. Heartbreaking. I somehow felt hope for Moneer - he seemed very bright and tbh, I have known children like him, slightly oddball, but they've managed to fit in to society eventually. I've forgotten - did he have Aspergers? How does this differ to autism itself?