Autistic as Monster Advert

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NocturnalQuilter
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24 Jan 2009, 5:23 pm

millie wrote:

send in the idiots......

In the words of the sublime Sondheim: Don't bother, they're already here.

HarryWilliams
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24 Jan 2009, 5:54 pm

I quite content to be a useful, if somewhat punchy, idiot...

Nothing about us, without us

HarryWilliams
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24 Jan 2009, 6:05 pm

Mike Stanton a special needs teacher and National Autistic Society counsellor wrote on his blog at www.actionforautism.co.uk

But with autistic children they seem to think that it is the autism that is solely responsible for the child’s behaviour and ignore the injustice and abuse that compound the natural difficulties that an autistic child might face even in the best of worlds. All the problems are located within the child and they are all ascribed to the autism monster.

The angry child and the frightened child are the same person. The anger and the fear are united in the experience of the autistic child. The anger is born of fear and the cure for anger is to take away the fear. But in Dan’s story we are shown a frightened boy inside an autism monster and the cure is to take away the monster of autism and trample it into the ground.

Disturbing as this campaign is, I am even more disturbed by thought that, if this is how Action for Children think about autism, what is the impact of this way of thinking on the way they respond to autistic children in their care?

HarryWilliams
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24 Jan 2009, 6:07 pm

I think that's a more useful response than some anonymous tosser throwing cheap jibes; but if that does it for you - Ca Plane Pour Moi :-)

HarryWilliams
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25 Jan 2009, 4:31 am

things that go bump in the night...

DeLoreanDude
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25 Jan 2009, 7:01 am

Just saw this on TV. It's horrible that they are saying that acting NT is the answer to "fixing problems" for people with autism.

Sora
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25 Jan 2009, 7:20 am

They don't really know anything about Asperger's do they: http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/gallery_album.aspx?albumid=1

But this is so bizarre that I consider printing it and showing it to some ASD professionals to ask for an explanation on why people make something like this.

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HarryWilliams
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25 Jan 2009, 7:39 am

In fairness to Action for Children, I'll post GAry Day's response to my email. However, this is a standard response that's gone out to everyone who's complained.

I don't think they have a proper understanding of a very complex and contentious issue.

Quote:

Dear Mr Williams,

Thank you for your recent e-mail concerning our current advertising campaign. I am sorry that the current 'Dan' TV advert has upset you this was never our intention.

Action for Children’s new advert focuses on how we as a charity help to transform the lives of the most vulnerable children and young people. It is focussed on the real story of Dan who has autism. The advert is the second of three, which all take real and different stories from children and young people across our different areas of work.

As a charity we're committed to giving vulnerable children and young people a voice about issues that affect them-and this approach was central to the way we designed and produced the ads, and why we feature real voices and real experiences and are highlighting the story of a child suffering with autism.

Dan tells his own story in his own words, and he chose to name his condition, the drawings that you see were also drawn by Dan, the pictures depict how he saw himself before we as a charity got involved and helped Dan and his family.

Of course we would not intend to cause any distress to anyone who has autism or parents who care for a child with it and hope instead that people will understand that there are organisations like us who are there to give support to parents and children who have the condition, should they need it.

We also hope that through raising the profile of children who have autism and those who look after them, we can help to give a voice to those who are in this situation.

If you would like to complain about our advertisements then you can do this by contacting the Advertising Standards Authority at www.asa.org.uk. They will look in to your complaint and if your concerns are upheld then we will be instructed to change or remove the advert.

Once again I can only apologise for causing you upset and hope I have been able to explain why we are currently airing this advert on TV in its current form.

Yours sincerely

Gary Day

Head of Supporter Care

sunshower
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25 Jan 2009, 8:24 am

DeLoreanDude wrote:

Just saw this on TV. It's horrible that they are saying that acting NT is the answer to "fixing problems" for people with autism.

This is the actual philosophy I've been brought up under my entire life. I'm still not sure if it's wrong, or if in moderation it's a good idea. I still follow this ideal subconsciously after a lifetime of training, although since joining this site I have started to have doubts for the first time.

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Sora
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25 Jan 2009, 8:28 am

HarryWilliams wrote:

Dan tells his own story in his own words, and he chose to name his condition, the drawings that you see were also drawn by Dan, the pictures depict how he saw himself before we as a charity got involved and helped Dan and his family.

Ahhh... it would explain the confusion about what AS is.

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The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it. Terry Pratchett

Kajjie
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25 Jan 2009, 11:37 am

I'm happy to see that some people have said this advert is fine. It doesn't say autism makes you a monster. It says, truthfully, that autism can make you angry, and anger makes you a monster and that autistic people can be helped with their anger and their emotions, and become nice, happy autistic people.
I think too many people on here have that horrible thing about being part of a minority that makes you interpret everything anyone says about that minority in an offensive way.

As for the 'bullies' thing - the advert implies that people would say something rude to him, (as people do - life is like that- people have got to deal with it!) and he would completely overreact and punch them. That's not a good thing.

HarryWilliams
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25 Jan 2009, 12:08 pm

We're slightly at cross purposes here. There's two separate things going on.

Dan has an absolute right to express himself in whatever way he sees fit.

But for a charity to take this and present it as "Autism" to a mainstream audience as Holy Writ, isn't on.

Dan speaks for himself - not the autism community - and many of us demand that our equally valid, opposing views are heard.

http://autisticbfh.blogspot.com/2009/01 ... nster.html
http://aspergersquare8.blogspot.com/200 ... story.html
http://the-newrepublic.blogspot.com/200 ... cured.html
http://thefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com/200 ... ction.html
http://actionforautism.co.uk/2009/01/23 ... -children/
http://biodiverseresistance.blogspot.co ... arity.html

Plus AFF and Spectrumites and the LARM.

Morgana
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25 Jan 2009, 12:23 pm

HarryWilliams wrote:

In fairness to Action for Children, I'll post GAry Day's response to my email.

Dan tells his own story in his own words, and he chose to name his condition, the drawings that you see were also drawn by Dan, the pictures depict how he saw himself before we as a charity got involved and helped Dan and his family.

[/quote]

And where do his own words come from? Young children are highly impressionable, and can be easily swayed by the attitudes and opinions of the adults around them. Maybe someone in his life gave him the idea that his autism was "a monster", and the cause for all his problems. So, I find it in one way interesting that they chose a little boy to talk about autism.....

It´s also kind of funny that his name is "Dan"- (coincidence???) In America, "DAN" stands for "Defeat Autism Now".

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Morgana
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25 Jan 2009, 12:27 pm

DeLoreanDude: did you post that petition on a separate thread? I think it´s important, that more people see it. I´m sending it around to friends of mine.

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HarryWilliams
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25 Jan 2009, 12:39 pm

On the Action for Children's (AfC) Blog, one of their staff, Tom McLaren Webb writes:

Have a look at the ad before you see it on TV. It’s lovely!

http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/blo ... addcomment

Averick
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25 Jan 2009, 1:06 pm

Who are the monsters?
Are any of you?

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