Television Documentary on Autism

[Guest guest]

This was sent from my father in NZ. Has anyone read the study mentioned, An Anthropologist On Mars ?

Thought you might be interested in the review:

Autism Documentary an inspiration.

I NEARLY didn’t watch the program on autism on Monday night. I’m a little gun-shy from many such douches which either misfire with once-over-lightly potshots or send you into retreat under rapid-fire sentimentality.

And judging by what often passes for "documentary", I really didn’t fancy seeing autistic people either paraded in some kind of televisual freak show, or having Documentary New Zealand shake the collection tin in my face for "disease of the week".

But Autism: Life Amongst Strangers (TV One), was a compassionate, respectful and remarkable glimpse at extraordinary people who live in a strange "other world" and the people who live with these "strangers".

The narration was never loaded or patronising, but merely served to clarify and fill any gaps.

There is no doubt this intriguing disability has a tragic face, perhaps no better illustrated than in the case of Janine Albury-Thomson, who was found guilty of the manslaughter of her severely autistic daughter, Casey.

For many of the subjects in the documentary, autism meant an existence forever on the fringes of the circus of life — watching, while others played "people games", said Harold who spent his entire childhood tormented over why he was "different".

Harold wondered why he could never understand the nuances of communication which was like a rare currency he couldn’t deal in. He found it difficult, like most autistic people, to touch or have emotional relationships. At last, he said, he had found someone who could understand him and on the eve of his marriage to an autistic woman, he said: "She’s a lovely [lady] and she’s mine, so push off."

Harold was gregarious, intelligent and flamboyant. Psychologists would probably whip out a label for his behaviour, like "inappropriate", but he seemed to have more of a grip on life than many so-called "normal" people.

Jen had a razor sharp intellect, but floundered in social situations, which, even with other autistic people, were like walking on cut glass. Jen sought solace in libraries, where the rustling of pages was a cerebral massage. She, like many autistic had a "special interest". Jen was bowled over by poultry and positively cooed and clucked over her feathered friends, who were far easier to understand than human beings.

No one knows what causes autism, there is no cure, and it is, by and large, left up to the parents of these emotional exiles to teach, through hours of relentless repetition, determination and dedication, the skills which come naturally to others.

As United States doctor Temple Grandin said, only with endless hours of education can autistic children be unlocked from their loneliness. And Dr Grandin should know. When, as a child, she was diagnosed as having a milder form of autism, her mother was told to send her to an asylum and throw away the key. Instead, she set about helping her daughter learn, socialise and find some order in the chaos of her world.

Dr Grandin, the subject of Oliver Sacks’ study An Anthropologist On Mars, is considered something of a superstar in the autism world. She is an inspirational and fiercely intelligent spokeswoman who as a child hated balloons (because you never knew when they’d pop) and phones.

She had been prescribed anti-depressants ("I am a believer in chemistry") which allowed her to travel the world and talk about her disability.

While one would never diminish their struggle or the seriousness of autism, what was an anathema to Harold, Jen, Dr Grandin, and others, often seemed an exaggeration of the many and varied paranoias and anxieties experienced by "normal" people.

"Teenagers are a social animal I don’t understand at all," said Grandin. And, "I find emotions very boring to talk about". An aversion to phones, feeling like a tourist in social situations, an obsession or special interests...

Harold, in describing how he sometimes feels, used the analogy of someone who had never been to a stock market before, having to spend the whole day there and trying to make sense above the yelling and screaming.

For his parting shot, the delightful and flamboyant groom and his new bride finished their vows, the guests cried, "Kiss the bride!" Horrified, Harold replied, "No way! We’re autistic!"

For anyone - "normal" or otherwise - but particularly those who live with autism, this documentary must have been nothing short of an inspiration.