Australian documentary about living with ASD 12 March 8.30pm

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Dear Alyson, I just wanted to let you know that tomorrow night (Wednesday 12
March at 8.30pm) there is documentary about living with Autism Spectrum Disorder. It is on ABC 2 (not to be confused with ABC 1).

I haven't seen the documentary, but from the preview I saw it is about children with ASD coping in school. It may be worth a look. Best Wishes Sue www.suelarkey.com

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[quote=ABC2 Program Summary]What is it like to not understand the world you live in? What happens when the simplest daily tasks lead to frustration, anxiety and even violence?

Make Me Normal is a journey into another world: the autistic world. Autism is a condition of the mind that affects the way you communicate with the world around you. There is no cure for it and for those afflicted, life is a series of challenges and mysteries. Their world is complex and fascinating and made all the more poignant by their desire to live and function in the real world.

Four of the most able students at one of Britain's largest special schools for children with autism, the Spa school, show what it is like to struggle with autism. The journey with these four is explosive, revealing, haunting and painful. But they are in a place where they can and do learn strategies to cope with their condition by having it named and explained and are supported by teachers with endless patience.[/quote]

Could be interesting. I'll have to tape it because I'm a Melbourne Tigers fan and Game 4 of the NBL grand final is tonight (we'll win!). The fact that it's from Britain really will not make much of a difference to it's impact in other countries.

Thanks for this notice, ASPlanet!

It was good.

It showed how AS manifests in several different individuals; not just the social impairment and fixations, but the emotional turmoil that goes along with it. It also shows people who don't like their disorder, which I think is a good thing, a counter to the "aspie"/"autie" pride stuff.

Liam, the girl's friend was the only one who appeared to have autistic disorder, the rest had AS [that it focused on].

Kingdom I think it might have been. Was the girl dark skinned?

The boy who lost his mother (can't think of his name) reminded me a lot of me when I was his age - except that I wasn't physically violent. The way he expressed himself was me all over.

Wasn't keen on the rewards thing though - despite the fact that it worked. He knew it was blackmail and he saw the injustice in it.

It differs from person to person. I think I might have been able to handle him - mind you, I'm a Star Wars fan as well so that would help! And did you see his reaction to meeting the guy who played C3PO? Loved that!

Yeah. It was from the UK.

Roy with his "EastEnder" fixation and desire to find a girlfriend; the boy whose mother died recently, who is fixated on Star Wars, and also is disruptive in class; the other young lady who talks in front of the camera about her dislike of autism as she’s sitting down in a studio setting.

Is it anywhere on the net?

No, not the video.

Yes, the meltdowns were hard to watch. I for one just wanted to hug Roxanne and try to reassure her that she was okay when she was going through that head bashing thing.

My mother noted the beliefs of the headmaster (which were in contrast to the tip-toe approach of many professionals), but we both agreed that it'd probably be preferable to tell the children and young adults the truth--the reality of the situation, especially by those who want to be "normal" and do normal things.

Personally, I'd much rather people be blunt with me rather than glossing the truth over.