Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello, my son now 11 with little speech but high logic has an increasing list of phobias that prevent him from taking part in school activities so I am trying to understand them in order to find ways and help him cope. Therapists strategy do not work so far..
The biggest problem in a video/photo/cameras world is Scopophobia, he cannot stand seeing himself on a photo (even his passport cannot be opened when around but has no problem with mirrors). He has huge meltdowns when someone wants to take a picture and he is around, screaming: "No photo, No video, No Future!". It expanded to watching videos at school on which he has no control whereas at home he knows he can switch off TV when it distrubs him and watch videos he choses on his tablet.
Would anyone understand this link to the future? Thank you advance, I am a bit lost with this one.
As someone who has always had this problem, I am sympathetic. I am still avoiding video calling and generally can't do social media as it is so video/photo oriented.
I suggest that you encourage your son to think of himself like an actor. To think of photography and video in this way, as something essentially fictitious. Such that he can appear in a photograph as someone else. Allow him to appear in photographs as anyone he wants to. It is then not necessarily a photograph of himself, in a sense.
Obviously this is one of those things that autistic people have right. Portrait photography is a massive drag unless you happen to be young and good looking. Even then it is arguably worse than useless. There is a whole literature about it but frankly the uses of photography are increasingly sinister and your son is entirely right to be sceptical.
John Berger said that photography is always an act of violence which is why photos are not made, but rather they are taken.
Deepcake said:There is a whole literature about it but frankly the uses of photography are increasingly sinister and your son is entirely right to be sceptical.
I fully agree! The current narcissitic tendancy is absurd, the problem is everyone think it is so normal that they take pictures all the time.. even at schools it seems. People need photo proofs of anything.I' ll try the actor tip!!! Thank you!
I am a outwardly confident mature white male with nothing to hide nor to be ashamed of. I have a very profound objection to being photographed in the majority of situations that nowadays seem to require it. Some people think I am cantankerous, others must think I have something to hide. Neither of these on my reason and nor do I fear the loss of part of my soul.
I often need to pause a TV show or video " to just take a moment" because I feel somewhat overwhelmed by aome aspect of what I am watching and hearing. I think it happens when I start thinking about out a concept that has been raised my mind unexpectedly.
May I ask what your son's viewing habits are in terms of TV and video ie does he watch the same sort of thing or the identical thing over and over?
I seem to have similar behaviours to your son although mine are better suppressed or milder. I wonder if we are driven to these behaviours for the same reasons.... hence why I asked about his habit with TV/video.
Just to add he learnt how to play 10 pins bowling watching videos of professional and launched his first real ball in a bowling like a pro.. without any practice before.. just by watching this video over and over again. Do you have something similar?
Number said:May I ask what your son's viewing habits are in terms of TV and video ie does he watch the same sort of thing or the identical thing over and over?
Yes he does! TechRax teaches him all about his favourite things, thank to what he can spot an Iphone 13 Pro whatever miles away.. As for TV he doesn't like it much, no cartoons whatsoever but he sometimes get interested in some piece of documentary or news I am watching when it deals with planes, trains, Tesla cars or something that raises his interests and meteo of course. No fast movies, no strong noise, no disturbing news image but I am also not a fan of them so we agree on what can be watched or not and switch off on demand.