Let's stop "Action for Children" demonising autist

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KenG
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25 Jan 2009, 1:33 pm

There is a new group on Facebook, called "Let's stop 'Action for Children' demonising autistic children":
http://www.facebook.com/srch.php#/group ... 7154931157

You are all invited to join the group.

Here is the group's description:
"The new campaign by the major UK children's charity TV advertisement portrays autism as a monster to be defeated, a monster with the nice well behaved boy trapped inside. An adolescent boy, Dan, narrates his story of how Action for Children helped him come to accept that his anger at bullies was wrong. He has been taught instead to blame his autism, to see how he had been a bad person.

Are Action for Children unconcerned with how bad autistic children will feel after seeing themselves portrayed in such a way?

This terrible ad will further reinforce the view many have of autism as a miserable thief of children and destroyer of families. Families with autistic members face enough difficulties, discrimination and stress from the lack of understanding of society. Action for Children has just gone and made their lives even harder.

Their website contains more information about Dan. A series of grim, sinister illustrations depicts his journey from a worried, confused teenager through his year of sadness and isolation at an Action for Children residential school, to his finial acceptance of his culpability and desire to please his carers."

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Sarafina7
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26 Jan 2009, 10:31 am

Is there another to do something about this, besides Facebook? I don't have Facebook and I want to help.

gina-ghettoprincess
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26 Jan 2009, 10:36 am

I don't have Facebook either, but that advert was shocking.

Unfortunately, as it is by a charity for children, people in general won't question it. NTs, at least the ones I know, think it's bitchy to question charities, even charities that do bad things like Cancer Research UK (testing things on animals).

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kittenmeow
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26 Jan 2009, 5:24 pm

Common theme noted.

Pity for parents, all blame on autistic children= profit.

philosopherBoi
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26 Jan 2009, 6:33 pm

I am confused what do you want me to do???

KenG
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27 Jan 2009, 3:07 pm

Sarafina7 wrote:

Is there another to do something about this, besides Facebook? I don't have Facebook and I want to help.

There is an online petition over here: http://www.change.org/autisticadvocacy/actions
You can sign it.
By the way, Sarafina, are you coming to our next meeting? (its on Thursday, at 18:00).

Sarafina7
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29 Jan 2009, 3:17 am

I signed the petition and sent the e-mail.

I got this e-mail in response:

Quote:

Thank you for your email and for raising your concerns over our recent television advert. I am sorry to hear the content of this advert has caused you offence or upset.

Action for Children's three new adverts focus on how the charity helps to transform the lives of the most vulnerable children throughout the UK. For 140 years we have been committed to children and young people being at the centre of all our work. Therefore these new adverts tell
real stories of young people, told by them, in their own words.

In our second advert, Dan chose to name his condition and approved the concept and drawings. These pictures depict how he saw himself and what he felt he needed help with before Action for Children helped Dan and his family for a number of years.

Action for Children helped Dan gain control over aspects of his behaviour - this was about helping him feel more at peace with himself, as he states in the advert, and clearly his autism is an intrinsic part of himself. The animation in the advert is a representation of Dan's
own individual feelings of anger and frustration, not of autism.

Action for Children is a major provider of services for disabled children, including some with autism, We have other significant areas of work as well, and are a leading charity working with over 178,000 of the most vulnerable children, young people and their family members .

If you would like to further your complaint or concerns 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 advertising.

Yours sincerely
Gary Day
Head of Supporter Care

The problem is the ads are misleading. Unless somebody knows the monster is representing Dan's own individual feelings of anger and frustration, they can think it's representing his autism (as we did).

ShadesOfMe
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30 Jan 2009, 6:19 am

Is there a link to the other commercials? I'd like to view them. I don't have facebook either, but i'd love to help out.

outlier
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30 Jan 2009, 6:37 am

There's a link here: Action For Children

The ad for Dan's story on autism is the monster one below.

At first I didn't hear the word autism when watching; it seemed like they were just requesting money to help children who are antisocial. It would misrepresent autism to people unfamiliar with it. It automatically implies that autism = violence.

ShadesOfMe
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30 Jan 2009, 6:39 am

outlier wrote:

There's a link here: Action For Children

The ad for Dan's story on autism is the monster one below.

At first I didn't hear the word autism when watching; it seemed like they were just requesting money for children who are antisocial. It would misrepresent autism to people unfamiliar with it. It automatically implies that autism = violence.

I saw the first one by clicking the face book link.

The Dan one is just so dark and scary.

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