BBC1 ::::::::::::::::The A WORD:::::::::::::::::::::::

[RTKangaMummy]

I think this is going to be good

www.radiotimes.com/episode/d2ycmd/the-a-word--series-1-episode-1

Five-year-old Joe is a smart, musical kid. He spends his time with headphones on listening to alt-rock classics and knowing every line of the lyrics. He can be a bit quiet and uncooperative but nothing that overly troubles his parents – or at least, nothing they’ll admit to…

As we meet Joe and his clan in Peter Bowker’s well-worked drama (adapted from an Israeli series) it is the day of Joe’s birthday. Around him a wider family battle simmers nicely as Joe’s interfering grandfather (Christopher Eccleston) and humiliated uncle strike sparks off each other.

That domestic cut-and-thrust might be enough in itself, but we know the real driver of the story will be Joe’s condition. It’s only the slightest of spoilers to reveal that, as the title hints heavily, Joe has autism. His grandfather’s attitude is old school: “If there’s a problem with my grandson, we need to get it fixed.” It won’t be that simple.

ABOUT THIS PROGRAMME
1/6. New series. The various generations of the Hughes family, who all love, work and fight like any other clan, find they must learn to communicate all over again when the youngest member is diagnosed with autism. The opening episode of the drama sees the extended family reunite in the Lake District for Joe's fifth birthday party, but tensions soon rise among Alison, Paul and patriarch Maurice. Starring Morven Christie, Lee Ingleby and Christopher Eccleston.

CAST AND CREW

CAST
Alison Hughes Morven Christie
Paul Hughes Lee Ingleby
Eddie Scott Greg McHugh
Nicola Daniels Vinette Robinson
Joe Hughes Max Vento
Rebecca Hughes Molly Wright
Maurice Scott Christopher Eccleston
David Nowak Adam Wittek
Pavel Kaminski Tommie Grabiec
Linda Michelle Tate
Jane Joanna Bond
Sea Lily Verity Henry
Ralph Wilson Leon Harrop
Louise Wilson Pooky Quesnel
Martha Catherine Kinsella
Terry George Bukhari
Dr Eshell Siri Ellis
Dr Waite Mina Anwar
Receptionist Denice Hope
Dr Graves Daniel CerqueiraCREW
Director Peter Cattaneo
Executive Producer Patrick Spence
Producer Marcus Wilson
Writer Peter Bowker

[TooAswellAlso]

LizKeen, ours was fairly easy tbh. We were so so lucky. With diagnosis and with subsequent DLA claims etc.

[TooAswellAlso]

Wrath, the clinic report with the centiles was from the first paed appt sorry. I have that, the salt report, school report, and the final Ados diagnosis letter. Very few appointments tbh. One October 2011 with the paed, one July 2012 for salt for DS and a follow up for just me in July 2012 with salt. And then I think it was November 2012 we had the Ados assessment and then the diagnosis appointment. And we were done.

[TheWrathofNaan]

My older child had a paed appointment and then an multi clinician ADOS.

My younger child I am having more trouble getting help.

Thankyou TOO for digging the information out for me.

[TheWrathofNaan]

The Louis Theroux programme is really interesting.

[KimmySchmidtsSmile]

Thanks wrath
Watching Louis Theroux now.
I think Chris Ecclestone will be high functioning undiagnosed aspie, yes, but whether it is written remotely well is a different matter.
Any of you read or would recommend The out of sync child?
In short, my five year old has been referred from kindergarten to some outside observer/agency for:
Lack of concentration/impatience/unusually loud voice/immaturity/not great balance and she used to speak a lot in a baby voice. This referral was made last year, she was observed, nothing came of it but a return observation is taking place this month. I don't know anymore, for me she is "just DD", you know?

[PandasRock]

It was clunky, and I found it uncomfortable, but then a lot resonated.

I didn't want to watch it (I don't need to watch a sanitised version of my life; I have 3 dc with ASD)but dh did, so I thought I'd give it a go.

It was all too quick, I've, but I liked that some of the more awkward situations weren't glossed over. Like being the only child not joining in at a party. Or being the parent feeling that everyone else is watching you when you are trying to get your child out of an impossible situation and retain some semblance of dignity (like when Joe was on the fallen tree).

My diagnostic pathway with dd1 was far from what was shown, and she is my most severe (and therefore most obvious) - it took nearly 2 years to get a dx, but then she was very young (under 3 when got dx). Ds's pathway was most similar, in that it was most painless and straightforward. But it still took 18 months and several appointments (3 with paed, 2 audiology, and ADOS with 2 docs; also had 2 SALT Appts, but they came after dx due to waiting lists)

I have some reports with centimes given, some with raw scores (so have to work out centimes) and some with just descriptions rather than any indication of whereabouts the child may be in relation to anything.

[PandasRock]

The out of sync child is an excellent book. It was a really good source way back when dd1 was little.

[PandasRock]

Grr, typo in my first post - centiles

[Stellar67]

Diagnosis was the only thing I didn't gel with.
Grandad obviously on spectrum for me.

[mayflyaway]

I haven't watched the programme but ds' diagnosis was straight forward.

Our GP (& HV) referred him to the community paeds at 2.5 years (also to audiology to rule out hearing issues). It took about 3 months for the appointment to come through & we were sent a detailed development & communication questionnaire to fill it. His appointment lasted 2 hours & was with the consultant paed & an ASD specialist SALT - they didn't do ADOS but did a CARS-2. He was diagnosed with ASD (HFA) at the end of the appointment two months before his third birthday (this was in 2009).

Afterwards he had follow ups with the hospital paeds (to rule out more complex medical issues including epilepsy), SALT (he has huge communication difficulties), OT (diagnosed with dyspraxia) and the child psych (food phobias primarily). That all took a year or so but the actual diagnosis was very quick.

[KimmySchmidtsSmile]

Thanks panda, will download the sample now. I am in Germany. Little is diagnosed early here and there is zero mainstream provision in state primary but they do not start primary til 6 so mine will not start til she is 6 3/4 as December born (she could start as a "Kannkind" at 5 3/4 but given the above, was advised leaving it until she was a "Musskind").

[waitingforgodot]

I really enjoyed it. Tricky to get all aspects of the autistic spectrum in 6 episodes so obviously some people will moan. I thought the grandad is definitely undiagnosed. We received diagnosis in one short meeting but he had been assessed by a paediatrician and a SALT beforehand

[TheWrathofNaan]

May - what is a CARS-2?

[TheSecondOfHerName]

I don't think Maurice looks old enough to be Alison's dad.

And I keep thinking how much Howard from Fresh Meat has changed.

DS2's diagnostic assessment only took half a day, but we had waited months for that appointment, and by that point we knew that ASD was a possibility.

[RTKangaMummy]

I think the boy playing Joe was an excellent actor :)

I think the programme worked on the level of showing a very small insight into the autism spectrum and so viewers might then google for more info etc

[Gwenhwyfar]

What amazing views! Is it the Pennines? Peak District?
And the guy from Fresh Meat acting someone 20 years older, but still believable.

[outputgap]

We are waiting for an assessment, so I was really keen to watch it.

But I found the characters very hard to care about, apart from Joe. If it wasn't for our interest in the issue of autism, I wouldn't watch it again. I'd switch over for One Born! I just don't really care what happens to them. Will the doctor get WiFi? Nae bothered. Will the brewery be run into the ground? Nae bothered. Will the dad buy any music post 2010? Again, not bothered.

[ObiWanCannoli]

Yes felt clunky for me too, it didn't resonate our journey to my boys diagnostic. I have 2 boys with asd. Aspergers and hfa plus speech delay.

Clinician, family, parents, school, Joe it all felt too stereotypical.

Hoping it will get better.

[Catzpyjamas]

Gwenhwyfar, it's the Lake District, one of my favourite places in the world. Apparently it was filmed in Keswick and Coniston.

[GandolfBold]

It was very similar to our experience of diagnosis, DS was given a DX on his second birthday, but I know that we are in the minority.

However I think that the programme is based on the parents struggle to admit that something isn't right, and it wouldn't work then if they were battling to get a diagnosis for Joe.

[Gwenhwyfar]

Thanks Catz. No lakes in sight though. I thought it was North Wales from the opening scene.

[Stuffofawesome]

Kimmy the out of sync child has fun is also good. It's full of games. I find the sensory planet FB group interesting too.