autism every day film May 3, 2008
Posted by away2read in Autism.Tags: autistic, persons, poetry
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Autism Every Day directed by Alison Singer is found on the website:
http://www.autismspeaks.org/sponsoredevents/autism_every_day.php
shares the perspective of living with a child with autism on a daily basis.
I found her daily struggles and the other parents daily views on raising their children in the short version of the film, to be courageous. As one of the parents who had within a few years found that all her children were diagnosed with autism.! In this mom’s outward disposition I found her views as working through parenting similar to many other parents views when difficult situations arise and as a parent you work through it and you don’t quit on your child. At least that is what I had taken away from her brief interview.
I find much of what this film brings is realistic, as a parent – I will go out on a limb , but I do not think that Alison Singers words implies that it is socially appropriate behavior to harm your child in anyway. I will make a comment that I myself have made comments about harming my own children at one point or another – and I KNOW that it is a form of release in speech. I would find it hard to imagine any parent not thinking terrible thoughts at one point in their life about their child as they raise a child (autistic or not). This is my opinion and it is also a realistic right on the film maker to place such a personal comment about herself and how others may feel, but it is not to indicate that it is a behavior that will be followed through nor is it a socially acceptable behavior to actively follow through on the thoughts to make it a terrible reality to harm a child.
I agree that if a child cannot speak that it ABSOLUTELY important to teach that child a way to communicate and to be understood!
I am thankful for your comments athenivandx and I found your blog not only interesting, but your poetry wonderful – I do hope more will read it: http://athenivanidx.wordpress.com/
i agree with your assessment of this film…i know that this film has caused such controversy in the autism world but i did appreciate the honesty of it. and no…i do not believe that mother was advocating harming or killing her child. was the film a little over the top in depicting the hardships and challenges that parents face when raising a child on the autism spectrum? yes perhaps but…it definitely hit home for me as i have had many days similar to those parents.
[...] away2read added an interesting post on autism every day filmHere’s a small excerpt [...]
Meander:
well, she may not have meant it, however, the fact is that it was a very stupid, disgusting, insensitive thing to say on film………especially a film that will be watched alot……..
I say this as an autistic person. I don’t buy into this “but you’re not like my child, he or she can’t do this or that” kind me argument. It may be true, but that’s no excuse for anybody to be saying this kind of thing on a nationally-broadcast thing.
You may have felt or said certain things like that every now and then, but I bet you never said them on camera! That’s the main problem.
Actively wishing she could drive herself and her daughter off of a bridge, and SAYING EXPLICITLY that the only reason she hasn’t done it is because of her other daughter….if that’s not in some way suggestive of wanting to do something horrific, then what is? Parents have gotten ideas like this before………remember Karen McCarron? She murdered her 3 year old daughter and then lied about it to her husband and her parents.
I’m not saying all parents of autistic children are bad people for ever having thoughts like that or said words like that to their friends or spouses, venting out frustration. I’ve said terrible things before, we all do. That’s not the point though. There is a time and place and context for everything, and in that respect, what Alison Singer did was outrageous.
away2read: thanks for your kind compliments and for linking to my blog. I’m glad you liked the poems.
The Integral of athenivanidx
oops……….I forgot to edit my comment before hitting submit!
“You may have felt or said certain things like that every now and then, but I bet you never said them on camera! That’s the main problem.”
I meant that the main problem with her statement is that she said it on camera. Poorly worded sentence……….but hell I can’t help that, I’m not always the best with words………
I think I did say it again better in the words after that. Whoa I’m confusing myself, I need to go eat lunch.
The Integral of athenivanidx
[...] interview in the film that drew significant controversy was that of a mother describing that she did not kill her autistic daughter only for the sake of her other, [...]