Chris Packham’s Series ‘Inside Our Autistic Minds’

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Chris Packham said his scars from being misunderstood as a child are still tattooed on his psyche, as he uses his voice in television to shed light on how the autistic mind works.

The two-part series for BBC Two titled Inside Our Autistic Minds will see the presenter and environmentalist work with autistic people who are each at a key point in their lives, observing and learning about the ways they sense and interact with the world.


The 61-year-old will also introduce them to people who may be able to answer their questions about their particular experiences.

Speaking about his involvement in the project, which follows on from his 2017 documentary Asperger’s And Me, Packham said: “I don’t want anyone else to have to go through some of the difficulties that I faced myself

A WOMAN who featured in a BBC documentary about autism has said she's had a "really supportive response" to it.

Salisbury woman Flo Taylor was one of two autistic people Chris met to help them try to explain to their families and the wider world how they see the world differently.

Although Flo was very nervous about the premiere, she watched it among friends and family at The Winchester Gate, which features prominently in the documentary, both as the venue of a show Flo performed with her comedy troupe and as the place where Flo first revealed a short film to her mother explaining her differences and wish to show her mother her true self.

Flo said: “I was going to watch it on my own or not even watch it at all because I was so nervous so I’m really glad that I ended up at The Winchester Gate.”

Since the show aired, Flo said she has received a great deal of positive feedback from friends and family.

Flo said: “I’ve had such a really supportive response from my friends and my family, including some people I haven’t spoken to in ages. It seems like it really struck a cord with people, especially people who have autistic loved ones.”

A large part of the documentary involved Flo being able to show her “unmasked self.”

Flo said: “I think a lot of people mask so adeptly that they don’t really know how to unmask and that was true for me until I spent a lot of time with my husband and felt comfortable enough to start exploring that.”

Finally being able to unmask in front of her mother has improved their relationship. Since filming finished, Flo has become a mother herself to a daughter who is now four months old.

Flo said: “I think autism is actually a bit of a superpower when it comes to being a mum because I can tell what is a sensory overload for her, because as a mum I will get sensory overload from lots of bright lights, lots of noise, but so do babies, so I’m able to figure out what’s causing her distress.”

I watched a bit more.
I don't understand how flo can go on the stage in a nightclub but freaks out over a supermarket? Chris didn't want to go in either.

Supermarkets are the least stressful places you can go really, you know what to expect, you don't have to talk to anyone.

He hosted a documentary in the UK about 3 years ago.

It was very unbalanced never showing those with more disabling autism

There was also brief interview with neuro tribes author and an interview with an autistic person that got a job in Silicon Valley

Any ignorant NT watching would wonder if autism was a disability at all and question why anyone with it needed that much help.

To be entirely personal, I reached the age of 59 with no idea that I was autistic, but 20 minutes into my assessment I was told I would be getting a diagnosis. I do not believe that I was particularly ill-informed as someone who had had no personal contact with autism (other than unknowingly being autistic myself) and I am far from stupid. This is because the more overt and disabling forms that autism takes are far, far, far, better known to the public at large than the less overt, but still debilitating, forms autism takes. The only things I knew about autism, until accidentally realising that I might be autistic, were Dustin Hoffman in 'Rain Man', the autistic savant who could draw cityscapes from memory, and the silent child sitting in a corner not interacting with anyone. So I would say that the opposite is true, that overt autism characteristics (particularly in children) are very well covered in the media, and the less overt forms of autism are much less covered and more is needed.

Was just saying if a documentary is being made about a condition with a spectrum of disability on national TV, then the least it should be is balanced and show each side.

His first documentary wasn't, however judging by the last 1st episode this was an improvement, have to wait and see

The man who was without speech seemed to be significantly disabled by his autism. However, autism is not just about not being able to do things, but also the cost in exhaustion, anxiety and mental ill health to those autistics who can do things, but find them significantly more difficult than allistics do.