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Chris Packham Autism Documentary..

146 replies

Elderflower14 · 14/02/2023 21:19

Anyone else watching...? I'm very moved watching Ken Bruce's son... Ds2 is autistic and profoundly deaf..

OP posts:
lollipoprainbow · 14/02/2023 21:22

Yes watching with interest as my dd10 is autistic. Had no idea Ken Bruce had an autistic son.

RainbowZebraWarrior · 14/02/2023 21:29

I'm watching and recording. I was late diagnosed with Autism as a 51 year old woman. After decades of masking I can identify with how difficult it is to unmask. I also suffer from shutdowns. In fact it was these shutdowns that made me seek assessment as it was beginning to become totally unmanageable.

I actually feel quite sad for the people who think they know me. Because they don't.

DD is currently going through assessment at the moment. She's 11 and hopefully will get a lot more support than I ever did.

Whataretheodds · 14/02/2023 21:38

It's fascinating

Courgeon · 14/02/2023 21:41

Yes all watching and finding it fascinating. I wasn't aware about Ken Bruce and Murray either. Having previously worked in a professional role within mental health services I find is heartbreaking for all those girls and young women who've been misdiagnosed and likely ended up in restrictive environments and on huge doses of antipsychotics. 😔

itsnevertolate · 14/02/2023 21:51

What channel is this on?

the80sweregreat · 14/02/2023 21:53

It's ok Bbc two

JenniferAllisonPhillipaSue · 14/02/2023 21:54

Elderflower14 · 14/02/2023 21:19

Anyone else watching...? I'm very moved watching Ken Bruce's son... Ds2 is autistic and profoundly deaf..

Interesting as I'm not sure there are many around - our son is autistic, deaf (auditory neuropathy) and has severe learning disabilities 😁

Have recorded the programme to watch another time.

veneeroftheyear · 14/02/2023 22:02

Murray's video was beautiful and very moving. I didn't see episode one but will try and watch on catch up. I have a child with autism. Flo's experience makes me question how much I know him.

Triflenot · 14/02/2023 22:04

I found it very moving.

Youraccountisnolongervalid · 14/02/2023 22:05

I will watch it on the Iplayer I’ve mentioned it to my Autistic son that we can watch it and talk about if there’s anything that resonates with him.

Penelope1703 · 14/02/2023 22:08

It was very delicately done. Thoughtful. I have a verbal autistic son with no learning disability but I definitely have some thinking to do about how I communicate with him and he with me sometimes. I'm not surprised Flo was so exhausted and burnt out having to pretend to be someone she's not almost 24/7. As she said, 'I'm a great mimic'.

dimples76 · 14/02/2023 22:25

I found it thought provoking and very moving. Definitely made me think about my relationship with my son who is autistic (well still waiting diagnosis). I really felt for the stand ups Mum too when her daughter said that as a child she thought she would only be liked/loved if she pretended to be normal.

saraclara · 14/02/2023 22:27

A stunning and emotional programme. I taught severely autistic children for decades, and I found this incredibly moving. I thought of some of those non-verbal children who I knew hd SO much going on inside, and wished they'd been able to use a keyboard like Murray did.

We put everything we could in place to try to enable them to communicate, but often with very limited success.

gogohmm · 14/02/2023 22:28

Dd has just texted me angry saying yet again they are perceiving autistic people to be similar. She says its nothing like how she is.

ThePoshUns · 14/02/2023 22:28

I didn't think Murray was deaf? He chose the actors voice to play him.
It was a fantastic documentary and very moving.

VenusStarr · 14/02/2023 22:29

I have just finished the episode with Flo and Murray. I found it extremely moving and emotional. My niece has autistic traits (educational psychology have assessed her but no official diagnosis and getting very little support).

gogohmm · 14/02/2023 22:30

Being female, very high iq etc makes a difference but they tend not to depict people like her

Fuctifin0 · 14/02/2023 22:30

Very interesting.
I was hoping to get an insight on how my dd may have felt growing up. She is 16 now, diagnosed at 13.

SleekMamma · 14/02/2023 22:32

Really interesting program. Love Chris packham he's a great presenter.

saraclara · 14/02/2023 22:37

gogohmm · 14/02/2023 22:28

Dd has just texted me angry saying yet again they are perceiving autistic people to be similar. She says its nothing like how she is.

Given that Packham is autistic, and that all the autistic people on the programme were very different from each other (and him) I'm interested in why she felt that way

Nowdontmakeamess · 14/02/2023 22:42

It was so well done, made me feel very emotional.

Chris Packham is brilliant, so much respect for him and the work he does.

Youraccountisnolongervalid · 14/02/2023 22:43

gogohmm · 14/02/2023 22:30

Being female, very high iq etc makes a difference but they tend not to depict people like her

I think height IQ is a very common stereotype of autism, it’s true that if you meet one Autistic person you’ve met one Autistic person but hopefully she can discuss how she’s different in order for others to get a better understanding of her, I think the more ‘mainstream’ information out there the better (if it’s done well).

saraclara · 14/02/2023 22:54

gogohmm · 14/02/2023 22:30

Being female, very high iq etc makes a difference but they tend not to depict people like her

What about the young woman who did stand up? She might well not be like your daughter, but she was female and intelligent.

No one programme can cover the whole range of people with autism. If anything the media tends to focus on high achieving autistic people, and it's the parents of the kind of children that I taught, who feel they arent represented. So I was really pleased to see some young non-verbal adults in the media. I cant think that I've seen that on TV before.

Girliefriendlikespuppies · 14/02/2023 22:58

gogohmm · 14/02/2023 22:28

Dd has just texted me angry saying yet again they are perceiving autistic people to be similar. She says its nothing like how she is.

I don't think so Chris Packam actually said 'if you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism'

I thought the show acknowledged the fact that no two people with autism will present the same.

I watched with my dd who I believe is autistic, I thought it was well done and very insightful.

Dinoboymama · 14/02/2023 22:59

We have 3 autistic people in my house.

None of us have high IQs I don't think. More average.
My son has a learning disablility and will need lifetime support he does have a photographic memory which is amazing to me I can barely remember the last title of a book I read.
My daughter is a bit like me but probably more as a mother daughter thing than us being autistic.
I was 30 when we realised I was autistic. It was actually seeing it through my daughter even though her older brother was diagnosed that made it click for me. And made my childhood make so much more sense when I look back.

We all have different likes, wants and needs and I don't think any program would ever please everybody.