Chris Packham Autism Documentary..

[Elderflower14]

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

I saw the 2nd episode last night. Shame there was only 2 episodes.

Was lovely that the black guy into music and the white guy into football got to show their friends and families how they were affected. The film showing how 'sensory overload' affects the black guy was very interesting. We have all heard of the words but it really brought home to me just how much it can be for some people.

I'm not a huge fan of Chris packham but when people go on about how people with a platform should use their celebrity to give other people a voice - this is a direct example of this. Celebs who make Red Nose Day/children in need videos etc (which is essentially all about their reaction to visting X place) should take note.

I thought it was really good and wish there were more episodes, I would have liked to see another autistic female and thought it was interesting as that both the men had had early diagnosis which is not the case for most women ime.

I thought Chris packham got the balance right of allowing Anton and Ethan the opportunity to tell their story and explaining issues such as sensory overload and lack of eye contact.

I wonder how Anton will cope if they have children, I can imagine that being very difficult as routines and being able to predict how long something will take become near on impossible with a baby.

I tried to watch Episode 2 but got sensory overload from the video and had to turn it off! I wish there had been a warning.

I couldn't believe no one mentioned noise cancelling ear plugs for Ethan? That would have helped him a lot surely?

I'd imagine he has possibly tried them. Like some other Autistic people, I cannot abide the feel of them inside my ears so I use headphones (also noise cancelling) like him. Earphones are a sensory nightmare for me and can actually feel painful.

Bought these for my son but he won't wear them 🤷🏼‍♀️

How do you know they haven't?

Not one of the autistic children I taught could tolerate ear plugs. Their sensory issues meant they simply couldn't cope with the feel of them in their ears.

On the other hand, headphones have a comforting feel, it seems. A bit like a weighted blanket for the ears.

I appreciate that for some kids they won't like the feel of ear plugs (my dd has significant sensory issues) but I think they could have mentioned it in the programme as a possibility that could help some people.

It felt like they were saying there's nothing to help with sensory overload other than avoidance which isn't always possible.

But it wasn't an advice programme. It was a programme about those particular two people's experience of life.

This thread is full of posts by people who seemed to want it to be an entirely different programme with an entirely different purpose. Autism is a massive subject and it's impossible to cover everything. In these two programmes we were simply asked to listen to what these four people wanted to say. It wasn't about us. That's the whole point.

Very true, this was not an informative programme about the ins and Outs of diagnosis. It was about the 4 individuals being given a chance to express themselves, in a way that was meaningful for them and for us to hear their stories.

I would have liked to have seen more autistic women featured, especially those who got a diagnosis late in life and have struggled with not fitting in, or even picking up the wrong diagnosis like personality disorder.

My daughter is very sensitive to sound and refuses to wear headphones or ear plugs, she hates anything near her ears, I have to be extra careful when washing her hair not to touch them. She has had sound therapy (when she was tiny) which did involve listening to sounds through head phones, it did help a little bit and we were told not to use ear defenders unless it was a last resort as it would make her ears even more sensitive and reverse the therapy she had. She holds her ears a lot but like a lot of autistic people she loves to make noise.

I have enjoyed watching Chris and feel he tried to cover as much as he could and show how diverse autism is. I can relate to many thing Chris says about himself especially the way nature and being outdoors helps him.

Did anyone see ‘the piano’ on 4 last night? If not it’s worth a watch 😉

For me I’m glad that there were more boys, as this is reflective of reality, most autistic people are male. I’d have like if there were more girls for those with more significant issues to be represented like in my DSs specialized school, where the majority of girls are not functional. I think that would increase our understanding and challenge the myth that autistic women are only those who are fully functional but mask.

Just wanted to say that as someone with pretty much no knowledge about autism, I found these programmes really interesting, enlightening and also very moving. It felt like a real privilege to be allowed a glimpse into the worlds of the four people featured (plus Chris Packham). I wish I could thank them all!

Most autistic people are male currently as women and girls are misdiagnosed or missed. Far far more women are getting a diagnosis now. Yes it might be that functional masking etc is the reason however multiple young women have their autism missed and are misdiagnosed with a personality disorder and are often sectioned in secure units stuck in a cycle of risk and self harm. Hardly functional. I think we need to have this conversation in mental health services, it's urgent actually, women are being abused by the system essentially as diagnosis is so skewed. In the first programme they spoke of autistic women' who mask being 8 times more likely to die from suicide. I think that deserves equal weight.

@Courgeon that is all out for debate, research and study at the moment, as the autism diagnosis itself is very stretched to be so broad that girls who would never have made the criteria even for the older Asperger’s diagnosis now would. I guess this is really quite a huge area to put in one post, but it’s not as simple as autism is misdiagnosed in girls and are just as likely to be as autistic as boys. That is still not the case. Even now there is agreement that autism is still more common in males, and ‘classic’ or significant autism is more common in males. The suicide statistic is also one that is being taken out of context, autistic people whether male or female have a much higher suicide risk. There are not enough studies that show that autistic females are more at risk than males.

For me I would have liked to seen at least one person with learning disabilities, as 1/3 of autistic people have LD. However it was still interesting and I’m pleasantly surprised that Murray and not speaking was shown, it’s very rare to see and yet not rare in autism. Quite poignant and moving to watch.

@Courgeon 'Even now there is agreement that autism is still more common in males, and ‘classic’ or significant autism is more common in males.'

Do you know how 'they' know if this is true or not? Females who have not been diagnosed (therefore missed) wouldn't be involved in any study, surely? I know it's not scientific date, but I know as many woman who, it's a high chance have missed being diagnosed, as I know adult men who are autistic.

Just curious...

sorry, I am tired, that should have been @CherriesSpring

For me I would have liked to seen at least one person with learning disabilities, as 1/3 of autistic people have LD. However it was still interesting and I’m pleasantly surprised that Murray and not speaking was shown, it’s very rare to see and yet not rare in autism. Quite poignant and moving to watch.

Had Murray not been able to face putting words onto a screen, he'd have been assumed to have a learning disability.

I can think of at least a couple of non verbal children that I taught, who I thought were intelligent, and not possessing the learning difficulties they were said to have. But their inability to express their feelings and thoughts in any way at all, meant that they were locked inside themselves.

As Chris Peckham said, it's extremely unusual for someone with Murray's level of disability to be prepared to express their words by alternative means.

It must be a living hell being locked inside like that. I was surprised a PP attributed his reading & writing to his parents, I would have assumed that education/healthcare would ensure non speaking people express themselves and are understood as best they can.

Second episode of this actually had me crying. I'm due to move house - much much wanted move but I know I'm going to struggle not having my belongings in the logical/chaotic order that they should be - so Chris at the start in his library started me off... Anton's time focus - I used to mentally freak so much walking to uni if I wasn't turning a particular corner at the time a church clock chimed 8am, and I spend all my work commutes mentally stressing and trying to reclaim any lost time on my sat nav - I can feel my stress rising if I get held up at level crossing gates so much (they're the big unpredictable factor on my journeys around the area). I'm also massively sound sensitive - always sat at the front at lectures - so again, the comment on that nailed it so spot on.

Last time I moved house my husband found me sobbing under the dining table at one point cos it all felt wrong - so button on up folks!