There are a lot of Disney heroes who we (my family) thinks of as on the spectrum. For a while our household favorite, though, is Tacky the Penguin. "Tacky is an odd bird, but nice to have around." Check out Tacky on Amazon, he has a whole series.
Tinkerbell (of all people!) is the specturm fairy. Her "talent" in Tinkering, playing around with small parts and reconfiguring them mechanically. No matter what Tinkerbell tries to do she always ends up tinkering. Sometimes Tinkerbell has a meltdown (when people don't understand her need to tinker). Tinkerbell often feels misunderstood, that the other fairies all think they're better than her, because their "talents" are Nature Talents (NT). And, if you don't think Tinkerbell is on the specturm, check out her buddies Clank and Bauble! Clank and Bauble, however, feel very comfortable and happy in their place as Tinker fairies! Clank and Bauble have obvious issues regarding eating, if you want to spend waaAaay too much time on this connection.
When I first joined a mom posted that her child thought Mumble, from "Happyfeet" was on the spectrum. Mumble taps and flaps as stimmulating behaviors. He also is ostrascised because he can't communicate in typical penguin fashion.
Goldilocks, isn't Goldilocks on the spectrum? She doesn't know the social cues and just wanders into other people's houses. While there she has sensory issues about their foods.. too hot.. too cold, and they're furniture too hard...too soft. Then she just runs off into the woods and disapears without any sort of apology?
Our family also finds "Dinsaur Train" to be extremely specturm focussed.
My daughter is not obsessed with Star Wars, but now that I think about it, isn't Anakin Skywalker on the spectrum? He started off with a mechanical knack and a special interest in fast flying (car thingies). He discovered he had "special powers", more finely tuned senses! Even though his parents and friends really tried hard to connect him to the personal/emotional side he became "lost" in his obsessive interest! That whole black suit with the mask could be just a big sensory issue (no nasty cold wind on his skin).
Read stark.raving.mad.mommies blog entry on "Specks of Autism." As far as I am concerned she hit the nail on the head. There are little specks of autism in just about everything.
The book "All Cats Have Aspergers" is good at explaining the spectrum to kids.
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I am not an expert on anything. Any advice given is with the best of intentions; a small way for me to repay a community that helps me when I need it.
10 Jul 2010, 11:27 pm
