Jump to content
JeanneA

Programme on BBC 4

Recommended Posts

For your interest there is a programme coming up on the t.v. regarding autism:-

 

Growing Children: Autism on BBC 4, 9pm on 13 August 2012

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi yes I read the write up also, sounds like it could be well worth watching.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

BBC 4, one of those channels you have on your box that you dont ever think about. i dont think ive ever watched BBC 4 for more than a split second while channel surfing.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Apparently it's part of a series exploring how child development is affected by three major developmental disorders, beginning with autism. Child psychologist Laverne Antrobus meets a severely autistic teenager who requires full-time care from his family and a 19-year-old with high-functioning autism who is studying physics at the University of Surrey.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I've just watched it, and it was very interesting, I could really relate to the parents going through the process of getting a diagnosis for their son

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I thought the lack of the fathers views was interesting. The focus seemed to be on the mothers.

Edited by Tes

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

did not like the programme, at first there talking about communication difficulties/sensory issues, etc but then they say being autistic is a bad excuse for having bad behaviour. dont they realise that the child maybe trying to communicate but unable to, do they know that it could be anything sensory from bright lights- to clothing to loud noises, etc.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I thought the lack of the fathers views was interesting. The focus seemed to be on the mothers.

 

My thoughts exactly. Think I saw one quick clip of (possibly) a father who had no input whatsoever.

 

I didn't see the programme through to the end.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It was ok, not as good as I thought it would be however. I to noticed the lack of input from 'fathers' but that doesn't surprise me. I could really relate to the Mum with the 15 yr old son who had to have him placed in a care home in the end something i sadly had to do also. I think she was fantastic in how she managed her son on her own by the looks of it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I actually thought it was an alright programme and quite positive overall. I think there was an awful lot of information to condense into one hour's viewing time but for any lay person watching it may have given them a little bit more of an understanding of what autism is and especially the 'spectrum' element of it. I thought the two brothers had great potential and were clearly in essence happy little boys who need their anxiety issues addressed in a timely way to help them to grow up to be happy young men. Tony's mum was an inspirational lady, very practical and understanding and someone who has clearly worked with rather than against her son's autism. Tony's behaviour seemed much more 'self regulatory' than 'upset' and they communicated very well with each other. The lad at University too, I felt showed autism in a positive light. He was beaming most of the time he was on screen and rightly proud of his achievements.

 

The information about research was done sensitively and was very interesting. No talk of 'cure' and a lot of talk about 'different' ways of processing information and understanding social interaction.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I watched it too. Nothing groundbreaking really. I really felt for the younger children who both kept saying they did not want to go into school. That was how my son began getting more and more anxious.

I too also noticed the lack of Dads. But that has been my experience also, in that I have always done all the leg work and my husband tries to keep up to date with what is happening.

The only thing I thought was useful was how they showed that different children could have the same difficulties, and to a clinically significant degree, and yet be at different functioning levels.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

i catched up with this programme on v+ i thought really interesting points /facts made and now hope of early diagnosis is coming closer by minute leave you with more hope especially for people like me who had wait literally years to find out work out 'missing mystery' to the puzzle (late diagnosis) as work out in our favour positive way forward for the future i also knew right away when saw other brother to one already officially diagnosed with autism that he also had an ASD of some kind with spinning around non stop etc all added up in my eyes! :) worked it out before even assessment/diagnosis was made! wasn't a shock to system for me! but knew mum's dilemma of that every child isn't the same is individual and so way each child that is affected by an ASD id such wide gap divide difference between eachother! he was showing so many 'classic ASD signs' pointed so clear!

 

i found research good idea/step i liked the way two ends of spectrum shown high functioning autism andd severe kanners autism so it's fair so society just just see one side or other which normally is the case i really enjoyed viewing /watching i heard about baby research in newspaper too where i first heard about it .... more research into early signs as baby can't be bad thing only good can come out of this slowly moving forward and impacting lives at earlier stage of diagnosis meaning support /invention can be put in place more rapidly quickly ( hopefully)

 

the mum lady with 2 boys with ASD said something which i did as a baby scream for hours wouldn't settle for nothing no matter what? this sounds common factor when 'we' are babies? is part of our aloofness due to autism and sleep issues even at baby stage beginning? or early warning signs even when have HFA?

 

XKLX

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes, there were a number of things I noticed that other mums said; getting extremely upset for no apparent reason; huge variations in emotions from severe depression to manic and happy; getting overloaded and using movements and noise to drown out sensory overload; poor development of language and taking language literally; head banging; not coping in school; repetitive movements [spinning and walking around in circles]; repeating TV dialogue; not being curious or playing with toys as we would; being with children but talking to himself and trying to get them to do what he wanted.

 

My son is similar to the young child that got the diagnosis - however at that age his speech was not so good. Now he is 11 he is much more verbal, to the extent that his vocab can be advanced in some areas - yet missing in others.

 

They didn't really talk about co-morbid diagnosis.

 

I agreed with the psychologist who said that many parents notice the sensory behaviours of their children rather than 'autistic' behaviours. Which was definately the case for me.

 

I don't feel he ever really regressed. I had concerns at 8 months old [first time in hospital for getting distraught and banging his head!]. But was always re-assured by professionals - until school had concerns in reception year, 4 months after starting.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Just seen on Freeview TV Guide it is on TV tonight again!

 

So glad because watching hour-long programmes online is a real no-no for me - buffering fails every 2 minutes if it is allowed (some website already have it that everyone is on super-super-fast broadband and see no reason to permit buffering!).

Edited by Mike_GX101

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Left a relative of mine watching the program and she still wouldnt accept what i was saying even though i have

been saying it a number of times to her over the past 3 months. ie the explode in 1 situation fine in another.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

i liked the program because it showed 3 different examples of how autism affects people and how much we are learning about it and how much more we still need to learn.The importance now of early detection in toddlers and looking into the siblings and how they are developing.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Left a relative of mine watching the program and she still wouldnt accept what i was saying even though i have

been saying it a number of times to her over the past 3 months. ie the explode in 1 situation fine in another.

This is a difficulty we have with a number of people who know us. I sometimes think there isn't anything we could show some people to make them understand. Sorry, that sounds really negative, doesn't it? :unsure: Edited by Mannify

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Us Dads are often written off, but mostly, dads prefer not to communicate very well regarding 'feelings' and 'coping'. It may just mean women prefer to talk more :)

 

I "want" to talk to my daughter about her feelings etc but she is not forthcoming - even to her mother.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I sometimes think there isn't anything we could show some people to make them understand.

 

Sad, but true. My mother-in-law constantly brushes our worries off with glib statements about how my lad might "suddenly get himself a girlfriend and start jetting off all over the world"!! What?! He's 18, has never even had a friend before, not one, how does she think he's suddenly going to GET himself a girlfriend. He is practically mute when it comes to being with other young people. It's ridiculous and so flippant it makes me want to stream!! Does she actually think that helps or would it be more helpful if she just listened for once.

 

(Rant complete).

 

~ Mel ~

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes, Mel, and then there's 'Why don't you just...?', :wallbash: . Yeah? You wanna try it? :lol: . But I also get fed up of the assumption that we must be devastated. We're just us, ok? Accept us or shut up :lol:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This is a difficulty we have with a number of people who know us. I sometimes think there isn't anything we could show some people to make them understand. Sorry, that sounds really negative, doesn't it? :unsure:

 

Realistic and shows empathy which autistics arent meant to have or recognise. Happens to be the relative who fought long and hard for a diagnosis and who wrote a book on Aspergers with me as the guinea pig.

 

i think i might print out 'dont mourn for us' and hand to sceptical relatives especially those that claim they accept my autism in 1 breath, then accuse me of splitting hairs when im being precise and literal in another. i hate people who fake autistic behaviour.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I "want" to talk to my daughter about her feelings etc but she is not forthcoming - even to her mother.

 

Does she communicate them non verbally? eg with dolls or art? (sorry dont know her age, even then i

tend to have my playmobils hitting each other when im really upset. Then ironically i tell them off when

they hit each other "behave you two!" i tell them sternly).

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Interesting article, Trekster. It's funny, that whole grief thing because I don't relate to it at all. I'm not saying it's not valid, and I don't wish to demean parents who have felt that grief to one extent or another. I just don't relate to it, that's all. As parents, my husband and I have always just been delighted with the children we have. There have been some tough times, but most of the time we're just burstingly proud of our kids. We wouldn't alter a thing. But there's no moral high-ground here, and some parents have a much harder time than us, which would make it harder to be positive.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks Mannify and well done for seeing your kids as exactly that 'kids' warts and all. i really admire parents who accept their kids diagnosis something i hope to get for my birthday this year to be accepted.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I had to tape this and watched it last night. As so often happens I felt the programme makers tried to cram too much into the time available. Also, I felt they spent a disproportionally long time on Tony, whose condition is familiar to many people, and not nearly long enough on Michael. It would have been interesting to know when he was diagnosed, and to have had some input from his parents.

 

The part I found most informative was being able to see Zaine being assessed. I wonder whether the BBC paid for this because I think we were told that it was a private diagnosis (I'll need to go back and check that). Here again, though, I would have like some indication of how Zaine would be treated after it was established that he has both AS and is highly intelligent. Will he stay in that mainstream school (and if he does what kind of support will be available) or will he be found a place in a special school?

 

If the programme makers had broadened it to two hours over two weeks I think it could have explained so much more about autism than it actually did.

 

 

 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

trekster do u think your family are in denial because you have it, or do you think they are just being too ignorant?

 

They believe all the negative stereotypes of autism and that they maliciously apply to me. So being literal is splitting hairs and none of my autistic behaviour is tolerated or any of my other disablities.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Disablist is how i would describe them, most of them that is a few of them are much better than others.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...

×
×
  • Create New...