Mysterious Creatures

[TheNeil]

Well I sat down and watched this tonight and I am so off the scale that I've just spent 20 minutes writing a very nasty complaint to ITV. I can now see why I was getting some really funny looks at work today (even funnier than normal...and that's saying something) - with all of the hard work I've put in over the past couple of months at work, this really has got me fuming

 

'Lisa' was never formally diagnosed with AS (unless I blinked at some inopportune moment and missed it) but ITV were happy to let the magic word 'Asperger' get thrown about like it was going out of fashion. It also made a massive implication (IMHO) that AS is a mental health condition - it might not have actually said it but Mr and Mrs Man-In-The-Street will just connect AS with 'mental health'. She was also portrayed as being some kind of monster while her parents (especially her mother) was practically Munchausen-by-proxy - I know it can happen but we're not all shoe obsessed, uncontrollable control freaks. Utter, utter, utter, utter, utter, utter rubbish

 

And if anyone is interested in my vented spleen, this is what I actually sent to ITV:

 

I would just like to thank ITV for the docu-drama Mysterious Creatures. Specifically I'd like to thank you for undoing years of work regarding the perception of Asperger Syndrome and for making my already difficult life even more difficult. I'm an adult Aspergic (32) in full time employment and have only recently managed to shatter/dispel many of the misconceptions, myths and untruths regarding Asperger Syndrome, how it affects people, how it affects daily life and how, despite films such as Rain Man, not everyone with an ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) sits in the corner rocking back and forth reciting train timetables.

 

I found your ITV1 drama Mysterious Creatures to be devicive, undermining and very, very damaging. I understand that the focus of the programme may have been to highlight the lack of support for people in this situation but never was an actual AS diagnosis stated (although the use of the word 'Asperger' was bandied about left, right and centre) and the use of mental health made a very obvious statement to those outside of the Autistic world that AS (and ASDs in general) is strongly linked to the mental health problems. AS and ASDs are NOT a mental health problem but a development/neurological condition. Maybe you're fully aware of this already but the portrayal of Lisa and the implications made onscreen very firmly linked the two and this has done more damage than you can possibly imagine to people such as myself, who, despite being AS have to function in a society that has barely heard of the condition, never mind has sufficient knowledge and understanding to see beyond the sensationalistic rubbish that was shown onscreen.

 

I realise that this programme was based on fact and I know only too well that AS, like many conditions, can manifest itself in many different ways and at many different 'intensities'. What you did was use a couple of buzzwords to attract people's attention and then fail to fully explain the ramifications or give a complete and fully formed picture of the AS/ASD 'world'. The result is yet another skewed view of AS/ASDs and further vilification to those who would have anyone who falls within the Autistic spectrum commited and shut away from the rest of society.

 

Are all Aspergics control freaks? Do all Aspergics constantly demand attention and companionship? Are all Aspergics obsessive to the point of destruction? No, they're not - we're just people who see the world differently. As I said earlier, I'm Aspergic. I live on my own. I have a mortgage. I have an ex-wife, and I have a full-time job (I'm a senior analyst programmer [slight exageration] - hardly the job of a 'moron'). I don't dribble, I don't have meltdown situations every 10 minutes and I don't scream and shout at everyone who comes within 10 feet of me. Then again, this doesn't fit in well with creating the 'monster' figure that you so desperately needed...but why let little things like facts and 'truth' get in the way of an audience ratings winning drama ehh?

 

I don't normally watch ITV1 and it was only the chance sighting of the magic phrase 'Asperger syndrome' in the Radio Times that led me to watch this programme. As you can probably gather I was not impressed and it certainly served to re-inforce my opinion that ITV provides dumbed-down, sensationalistic rubbish. Perhaps in the new year you might like to consider yet another public vote based piece of corporate advertising possibly involving 'lunatics' and 'retards' whereby each week the public votes for their favourite 'spaz' - the ultimate winner being rewarded with their very own mono-gramed straightjacket and a years' supply of baby food. Get Simon Cowell and Sharon Osbourne to pass judgement on why 'Crazy Jim' just doesn't have what it takes to be Loon-Idol.

 

Not sure if I'll get a reply or not but I'm pretty sure it won't do any good

 

<Breathe Neil, breathe...and calm>

Edited October 30, 2006 by TheNeil

[opheila]

The only good thing about this documentry was the fact it highlighted how little or no help the parents got

um does this ring any bells even in todays society.

I thought it was so sad that the parents only way out was to kill themselves.

It does make you wonder if this story isnt true then why would they have tried to kill themselves just to get some help for their daughter

I missed the last ten minutes of it due to L meltdown with fireworks

what happened

I also think the doctors didnt help by their attituded and change in diagnoises

not sure if i liked the documentry

but i thought timothy spall and brenda blytham were good as the parents

[Brook]

The Neil,

 

that letter is fantastic

 

not only do I hope they read it but also take notice of it, we can dream I suppose.

 

Brook

[lynyona]

The Neil

 

I do hope you get a reply to your letter as it said it all. A good piece of writing..Do let us know if you recieve a reply i for one will be interested in what they have to say.After the programme i went and found the original articles that appeared in the papers just to look at the facts in print as it was written.

 

 

 

lynn

[curra]

While parents of young children may not know about the exact details of post-16 life for their children and the appalling lack of provision, I think those of us who had a dx at a relatively young age for their child were all too aware of what could happen in adult life.

 

It is that worry and fear about what will happen to your child once they are adult that drives parents to fight for their child's needs, from potty-training to food problems to behavioural difficulties to education...you know you are fighting for your child's future

 

Bid

 

You're right to say this, Bid. All parents will fight for their child's needs but those whose children receive a diagnosis and support at an early age will be able to do more and do better for them.

 

Going back to the drama discussed in this thread, this is why I think that Lisa's parents cannot be blamed for her problems and accused of disastrous parenting, MSBP etc as it has been done in some media, same as Lisa cannot be blamed for her uncontrolled behaviour and her parents' tragedy, because their problems could have been helped if this family had received opportune support, that is, when Lisa was a child. The tragedy is that the father is dead, the mother can't cope anymore, she and Lisa are homeless , penniless and still receiving no counselling .What the dramatization shows is not a portrayal of Asperger's syndrome (and I apologise again for disagreeing, or we can agree to disagree based on our different experiences which make us interpret a dramatisation differently, although everyone's life on this forum has been touched by AS) - it shows the appalling effects that lack of support can have on a vulnerable family. I have a son with a dx of AS who has at times very difficult and aggressive behaviour, but I do not find that his behaviour is in any way similar to what was portrayed in Lisa's character. I don't think that he will be more bullied or discriminated than what he already is by ignorant people who call him a freak etc., ( I admit that I might be wrong...). Those ignorant people will not change their attitude even if they were shown a programme on ASD based on scientific facts Lisa, on the screen, shows all the signs of other psychological, personality or whatever you want to call it, problems that were not recognised, diagnosed or treated by the health services, and that is the terrible truth that the drama is showing. The people who should have helped her because they KNEW how to, didn't help and left all the responsibility on the parents' shoulders. Why was it wrong for the parents to seek different opinions from different experts if they saw that their daughter needed help and she wasn't getting it? When you see your child growing up and nobody is helping, are parents supposed to sit back and relax because the "experts" say that there's nothing wrong?? ? It sounds very familiar to me. I have been called a bad , inconsistent, exaggerated parent etc. and I would be in an awful, desperate situation now that my son is a teenager if I had let them convince me that the problem was entirely due to my bad parenting and that my son is OK because he is intelligent and can communicate. That is not enough to guarantee him a satisfactory life in afulthood as it is I think, for many young people on the spectrum or with other disabilities.

Apologies again if my opinions offend anyone, they are not intended to, they are just opinions.

Curra

[bid]

Well, you haven't offended me, Curra!

 

You've just put across your views in a reasonable way <'>

 

Bid

[badonkadonk]

Hey everyone,

 

I don't understand some of the comments coming from posters on this thread about offending people/disagreeing with people. As far as I was aware there are no rules here that says everyone has to agree?!? I certainly don't mind if people disagree with what I say!! I don't know where it's coming from and I'm worried people will stop posting what they think. I know it doesn't apply to most people but I'm going to say a big CHILL OUT! to everyone and lets just all agree to disagree I don't like to think that people are feeling left out or like they have to apologise everytime they give an opinion, it certainly doesn't make for fun reading either if every post is closed out with "sorry if I offended anyone". As long as it's not a personal or unreasonable attack on another poster or subject, don't worry about it!! (And when I say unreasonable attack on a subject I don't mean disagreeing with the majority, I mean saying things like AS means you are mentally unstable, something that is indefensable.....you know, illogical stuff). We're all different, surely the fact that we are on an AS and ASD Forum means that we all believe this!

 

I know it's probably not my place to say all that, I'm not a mod or anything, I haven't even been around here that long and even though this is kind of in reply to Curra's post I'm not intentionally singleing people out or having a go at the people who apologise, I'm just expressing my frustration that you feel you have to apologise in the first place because you don't! This place, imo, is somewhere for people to come and chat/moan/ask for help/give advice and generally reach out to other people who have some involvement or interest in ASDs, lets remember this and not get bogged down with overly-PC behaviour. Big hugs to everyone just to reiterate my point, and I don't even like giving hugs so think yourselves lucky <'>

 

TheNeil you manage to perfectly say what I try to say lol. Given a few more years I hope I could also attempt to fire off a letter of complaint without resorting to "you all smell, so there"

 

Anyway at the end of the day, excuse the phrase, it's a tv programme so the actions of the mother/daughter/care team and the way in which they are represented might not, and is probably not, a truly accurate portrayal of the situation especially as it seems the situation is still unclear to all involved. Also the care that Lisa was given was investigated in real life and it was found to have been appropriate. I don't think you can go around thinking everyone is a big bad wolf and that there was a cover-up because I think, given the attention this case has received and the fact that they have made Lisa's medical records/treatment records publicly available, they wouldn't have been so stupid as to make such an attempt. Lisa isn't homeless, I don't know about the mother. Lisa says herself that she is living in a flat somewhere in Liverpool and has support and has no debts.

 

My problem with the programme was never with the portrayal of Lisa, her parents or the care she or her parents received. My problem was that AS wasn't addressed in a balanced and fair way and that the programme was promoted as an insight into the parents of a woman with AS, when it isn't even official that Lisa has AS. It says this in the programme even. Also attempts could have been made, by the programme makers, to address the negative rap that Autism and AS gets from the "realistic" dramatisation of what the characters have to say about Autism and AS. Lisa refers to Autism as "those who are stupid and can't speak and look like this *puts tongue down the front of her mouth*". People on the spectrum are also refered to as retards and it is suggested that Autism/AS is a mental health issue when it isn't.

 

Also in the depiction of Lisa, when she is alone in her bedroom, they suggest that she is looking at her shoes and laughing/acting in a "mad" way. How do they know this happened? How does the mother know this happened if this happened while Lisa was on her own behind closed doors? They don't, this is my point, this is their interpretation of a women with supposed AS. She would sit on her bed with her dollies and grin inanely and laugh and generally act insane. It's nonsense. At the very least they should have had a disclaimer at the end explaining the true nature of Autism/AS and how the behaviour and situation Lisa is in is not consistent of those with ASDs. But then that would have ruined their programme wouldn't it.

 

I don't know who said it but it's right that a documentary or something similar needs to be made in order to further educate the general public as to what AS is actually like. If I didn't weigh 150 stone right now I would be banging down the doors of Channel 4 saying film me, film me. Maybe if I can get the right treatment for whatever is causing my other health issues and if I can lose a bit of weight then it's something I could consider. Especially as, as soon as my other health issues are sorted I will probably start wading back into trying to find work so it would be interesting how the difficulties I face come across because I've never sucessfully held down a job for more than 6 months yet, and that's only part-time work. But I guess no one would be interested in the long run because I don't sit in the corner all day rocking back and forth and my parents aren't running around deciding which bridge to jump off next.

 

Emily

xxx

[curra]

Hey everyone,

 

I don't understand some of the comments coming from posters on this thread about offending people/disagreeing with people. As far as I was aware there are no rules here that says everyone has to agree?!? I certainly don't mind if people disagree with what I say!! I don't know where it's coming from and I'm worried people will stop posting what they think. I know it doesn't apply to most people but I'm going to say a big CHILL OUT! to everyone and lets just all agree to disagree I don't like to think that people are feeling left out or like they have to apologise everytime they give an opinion, it certainly doesn't make for fun reading either if every post is closed out with "sorry if I offended anyone". As long as it's not a personal or unreasonable attack on another poster or subject, don't worry about it!! (And when I say unreasonable attack on a subject I don't mean disagreeing with the majority, I mean saying things like AS means you are mentally unstable, something that is indefensable.....you know, illogical stuff). We're all different, surely the fact that we are on an AS and ASD Forum means that we all believe this!

 

I know it's probably not my place to say all that, I'm not a mod or anything, I haven't even been around here that long and even though this is kind of in reply to Curra's post I'm not intentionally singleing people out or having a go at the people who apologise, I'm just expressing my frustration that you feel you have to apologise in the first place because you don't! This place, imo, is somewhere for people to come and chat/moan/ask for help/give advice and generally reach out to other people who have some involvement or interest in ASDs, lets remember this and not get bogged down with overly-PC behaviour. Big hugs to everyone just to reiterate my point, and I don't even like giving hugs so think yourselves lucky <'>

 

Hi Emily,

 

I don't feel that I have to apologise every time I express an opinion !! :lol:

I don't think I could survive that way as a lone parent.!! The reason why I apologised in case I offended someone is because this is a touchy topic and since English is not my first language, I may unintentionally say something that can be misinterpreted. And from your reply I see that unfortunately that's exactly what happened. You can call me too polite if you wish, I'd accept that. I also think like you that this forum is a place where we can express our concerns, ideas, talk about our and our children's situations, ask for help, give advice, get information etc. .. and these possibilities of giving and recieving support/ information would be limited if there was not such freedom and tolerance among the members. As to posting offensive or unreasonable things, it's a good thing that the forum has guidelines and mods. I think that we all get along quite well on this forum and I hope it stays that way <'>

BTW I am one of the least PC persons you can imagine, I am too free and independent minded for PC stuff.

 

Take care

 

Curra

[TheNeil]

TheNeil you manage to perfectly say what I try to say lol. Given a few more years I hope I could also attempt to fire off a letter of complaint without resorting to "you all smell, so there"

All I ever say is "You all smell, so there"...only I wrap it up in some big words and three pages of waffle

 

And you're spot on about the 'interpretation'. How could 'mummy' know that Lisa was grinning/laughing manically (for example)? 'Mummy' is, IMHO, 'doubtful' to say the least when it comes to being a reliable/impartial source of info and if you add in the need to create a ratings-winning drama then all manner of artistic license is going to get applied

 

And would it have hurt to put a contact for AS/ASDs at the end? I know that The Samaritans were popped up onscreen but a link to the NAS web site wouldn't have been asking the impossible would it. In my mind it simply re-inforced the view that the 'AS' (term used reservedly) was nothing more than a vehicle to push the parents to their ultimate situation and that the programme makers didn't give a <insert rude word here> about the 'austistic' side of things or the damage that it might cause

 

Oh God, I'm going off on one again...breathe, breathe, breathe...

 

And BTW Curra, I'm certainly not offended. You keep having your opinions...allows Aspies like me to see things from a different perspective (and, believe me, it's very, very useful that you do it as I certainly can't) <'>

[badonkadonk]

A link to the NAS website would have been a start for sure. I'm meeting a mum of a boy my mum teaches soon to talk about her son's asd (some of you might remember a previous post of mine asking about when you tell your children about their asd). We're doing it outside of school in a neutral place and it turns out my mom knows the boy's mum anyway as his auntie is one of my mum's old friends. You still following? Anyway she is, at the moment, kinda refusing to accept that he is autistic and I'm hoping, along with praying I learn some 'tact' before then, that I can kinda make a little difference and give her a push towards acceptance because he definately is autistic. It's very much not being done through school but rather as a friend because god knows the last thing the world needs is a story about schools forcing autism on parents!!! Anyway I think this is part of the reason why I am having such a strong reaction to the programme. What if she watched it?! Yeah it's going to make it so much easier now to convince her to accept the fact that her son is autistic, most likely AS.

 

I know what you mean about gearing up for another rant though. I stop thinking about it and I'm ok again but as soon as I start talking/thinking about it again I can feel the frustration building up inside. I'm gonna have to make this my last post on this thread or else tomorrow morning I might find myself outside of the ITV studios waving my banner and honking my horn. So if you turn on the news tomorrow night and it starts with a VT of a woman sat in a deckchair with a blanket wrapped round her, lunchbox and flask at her feet, waving a banner which says "I'm Aspergic and not mad...honestly!" who starts screaming "stranger danger" when security come to cart her off the premises......give us a wave

 

Hey Curra, no worries I honestly wasn't singleing you out I just had to acknowledge your post because I knew that as I was posting virtually straight after yours, and since you had apologised in case you caused offence, you might think I was just on about you and I wasn't lol. So we kinda misinterpreted each other, which is alright, I'm an Aspie remember! Misinterpret is my middle name

 

I just like everyone to be happy, I'm a big "wet blanket" in that respect, but (and I do this alot it's not just you) when I try to promote positivity and put people at ease and try to say don't worry! I'm not mad/offended it always comes out a little wonky or not quite the way it should sound lol! I'd make a ###### counsellor

 

Emily

xxx

[butterfingersbimbo]

i didnt watch it as it would have either really upset me or really made me mad.....am glad i didnt bother!

[TheNeil]

Misinterpret is my middle name

That must be fun on application forms

[bid]

Any response to your letter yet, TN??

 

Bid

[TheNeil]

Any response to your letter yet, TN??

 

Bid

 

I'm sure that ITV have been looking into this, grilling people and preparing a detailed, frank and grovelling reply...problem is, they haven't managed to find time to write back to me (or even acknowledge receipt). So that'll be a 'no' then

[Jill]

"I'm Aspergic and not mad..."

 

Emily, your posts are making me laugh! You ought to suggest the above to t-shirt makers as a good slogan

 

I'll give you a wave & a supportive horn honk if I see you outside ITV

[badonkadonk]

Hey Jill,

 

T-shirts sound like a good idea, I've got a couple of slogans so far.....

 

Aspies do it better (A rip off of those famous t-shirts)

 

Small talk is for Suckers

 

You Neurotypicals are ALL the same!

 

Don't touch me

 

Aspergic to Neurotypicals

 

Hello

The weather is awful

How are you doing?

I'm fine thankyou

Mmmm...Mmmmm...Nooooo, they never!

See you soon, take care

Byeeee

(and on the back you could have....how's my small talk? Ring 0800 555 555 to complain....just like lorry drivers lol)

 

Obsessively avoiding eye contact

 

And of course.....Aspergic, not mad

 

Ok, my head hurts now lol....that's not a slogan btw! You never know, this could be my new career! No? Meh, I'd probably get arrested for discrimination anyway!!!

 

Emily

xxx

 

If anyone else has slogans they'd like to contribute go right ahead! I rather enjoyed making mine up

[TheNeil]

Although it's not AS related I always liked: Yes I do have Tourette's...now <insert rude word here> off!

[butterfingersbimbo]

emily and NT you do make me laugh