The Autistic Self Advocacy Network working with the Dan Marino Foundation and Kent Creative have developed the following excellent video outlining some of the myths and realities of life as an autistic person.
There is also a captioned version of the video.
Bev has made a couple of great autistic awareness videos too. These help to counteract the usual nonsense (horse manure) excreted during April for autism awareness month.
13 comments:
snap!
Wow that first clip just really resonated with me. Especially the little fella in it.
This is not any form of hindrance or lack of capacity, as some like to say. Its just a totally new way of seeing things, of doing things, of being.
Difference is never a lack of anything, its the addition of something else.
Thank you Sharon! I can't even begin to express how much those clips have given me a lift! I've been trying without success to explain to so-called well meaning professionals, that a diagnosis of ASD which may or may not apply to my son is not a life ending scenario for us! They are afraid to assess him but are very keen to label him. Why can't they just accept the gutsy, funny, loving little human being that he is? We remain outside the pale - everyone is at loss to explain. Meanwhile he just gets on with it and continually takes our breath away with his enjoyment of life. I wish some of the professionals had the same outlook - if they did services for our kids would be much improved.
"This is not any form of hindrance or lack of capacity, as some like to say. Its just a totally new way of seeing things, of doing things, of being."
Just tell that to my youngest son... if he could tell you.... he'd tell you, you're a liar. Since he didn't get to go to camp this weekend with his older bro who's NLD b/c he has SEVERE PDD. What would you tell him as he stood there and cried and said "R. Camp".... that his "DIFFERENCE" should be celebrated and it's his lot in life to deal with it...
It's not a difference, it's a DISABILITY when you aren't HIGH FUNCTIONING and nearly normal like my eldest and those others in that video.
I'm hoping in 2010 those aspies and my eldest are removed from the autism spectrum in the updated DSM V.. They have no idea what it's like to be on the SEVERE end of the spectrum.
It has nothing to do with "accepting" our children as is. It's just the way it is in our house... nobody blames anyone, everyone gets lots of attention. But to claim a child who will probably have to have support the rest of his life, who will probably have to live in a group home, that will probably never get married, have his own children, go to Univ, do anything without a shadow... should celebrate the fact that he'll be cut out of "life" due to the DISABILITY should be celebrated... No. That's CRUEL.
We'll keep pushing him along, keep teaching language, speech, and independent living skills... at 7 he's shocked us at his growth... maybe by 18..... maybe....
S.
@Lisa, they're good aren't they. I hope we can help get more people to see them.
@Elf, thanks for that. I'm glad you took the time to watch it.
I think autism is a way of seeing and doing things. My son has a way of being in the world that I've never seen with anyone else I've known. There are certainly disabling aspects to it, which vary from person to person. For him, he's less able to control his urges, he's very impulsive, and he has difficulties with speaking and understanding language and with some other types of social interaction. But his autism is fully part of him and the diversity of humans is to me, welcome and worth celebrating.
@AnnB, how wonderful! I'm so glad these films have been helpful to you. I wish the professionals you're talking about could get a chance to watch them too.
It would be better if they could just accept the differences and needs of autistic people. Like Bev points out, sometimes just a little bit of understanding helps a lot.
@Farmwifetwo, don't make out that my friend is a liar. Please be more civil if you want to comment on my blog. SHOUTING is not appreciated.
Don't preach to me about severe autism either and do not question other people's diagnoses here. Those in the videos didn't claim that autism is not a disability.
I will delete comments that link to hate sites.
Hey Sharon, there sure are a lot of angry little people out there.
I guess I could be christian about it and wish that these angry people could get the support they need to get over themselves.
where do they think their anger is going to take them?
xx
Foresam,
For your own sake, keep the moronic comments to your impotently angry corner of the web. Your probably don't want to attract the attention you're so desperately seeking.
Sharon,
Great videos, that neatly dismiss a lot of the all too prevalent garbage out there. Thank you!
Love the clips. It's so good to see the positive sides to autism, when we're bombarded with must-have "cures" , as if our kids need curing.
You've upset a few people!! It must be scary to be the object of such thoughless vitriol, but I sincerely hope that the positive responses outweigh the occassional rascist freaker-outer. They'd probably be too cowardly to say anything if they couldn't hide behind the annonmity of a blog. Cheers, and keep 'em coming
XXX
Anti-English rubbish is not tolerated here.
@Hammie, you know how it gets in autism discussions, ach well. Let them be cross if they want, but I'll not have discussions on my blog getting derailed.
@Biologista, there is just one person whose comments here I will delete on sight and with whom I will not converse.
Glad you like the videos.
@Jean, I'm neither surprised nor upset by one individual's vitriol. I prefer to ignore it.
The positive responses are however delightful!
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