Published on 12, July, 2020
When I woke up yesterday morning I had never heard of Sia or the film Music (Yeah ok! I was born in the 60s and am behind the times, it would seem, lol). Goggle tells me that Music has been a bit controversial. I watched the film last night I see why. No, "crushing" autistic people "with love" mid meltdown is the last thing anyone should try. Bloomin' dangerous! No, she didn't pick an autistic actor and yes, the character Music does only seem to be there to further the stories of the other protagonists. So, ooooh yes, I do see why.
Anyway, Sia was brought to my attention because apparently, she has just announced that she is late diagnosed autistic! That said I see posts here a year old on the topic, so I'm a bit confused.dot.com as to how recent this really is.
Sia says she's on autism spectrum two years after Music controversy | Metro News - dated this week
With that the Metro approached the NAS for comment on being late diagnosed from some actually late diagnosed people. Amanda and I from the Now I Know campaign obliged. Actually, I quite like the article. They've picked three very different experiences. And it is great to be given the chance to open public eyes, so I'm happy about that.
What it's like to be diagnosed as autistic as an adult | Metro News - today
I'm curious now though to see whether and how perceptions of Sia might have changed. And whether people think it will be helpful for the public to know her story in the same way that other public figures disclosing their diagnosis, say the lovely Chris Packham, Christine McGuiness, Melanie Sykes and Fern Brady, have done.
I understand Sia later apologised for her approach in Music and recognises now that she is both in recovery from alcoholism and getting to know her autistic self. As a Spiritualist, I do rather believe that the path of change and growth is open to all, and we don't have to suffer forever for their mistakes. We've all made them, after all.
So, what are folk's feelings about the latest celebrity autism reveal, given the context?
Deing diagnosed Autism Spectrum isn't necessarily Autistic. She could be dyslexic or ADHD - doubtful she has the added bonus of the Autistic communication difference from what I've heard about her from those who actually know her in the film/music industry. I've worked behind the scenes in editing roles.
In the US, companies might diagnose anyone as "On the Spectrum" who doesn't fit the Extrovert 'Typical' American profile along with random DSM criteria. Australia has adopted the DSM.
Understanding what is and isn't Autism is vital. Resources allocated to companies like ABA with malpractice who have 'success' stories for kids "on the spectrum" do more harm than good to Autistics who have added communication barriers and deal with being accused of being immoral simply for having a loss in translation.
oh flipping heck, its all so complicated ! arggghhhh!
[Disambiguation - I mean the topic is so complicated, not what you have specifically written about it which I can see as all perfectly valid and important considerations to bear in mind = thus the complication.]
Yeah. It's personally frustrating.
Even today, the ADHD Foundation put an article on Twitter which was really ableist against Autistics, as if our kids don't engage in imaginative play. It's absolutely mind-blowing that the NT brain cannot recognise play pretending as an adult isn't just about social exploration but one of colours, shapes, and physics.
I've got a mind to change it, and send emails when it's important but am largely ignored. Which won't stop me. This misperception needs correction. The major problem is for the Freudian-Neurotic form of communication to take a hard look at itself. sigh.
No, I wouldn't have coped with such infantile play nonsense either. It absolutely doesn't mean we don't have imaginations though. I can imagine a new crochet sock design in fantastic detail.
Like all the other gubbins from the diagnostic manuals, they could of deficit when really it's difference. No we don't have communication deficits. We communicate just fine amongst eachother, we just do it by our rules rather than NT's, etc.
Yes when clinical professionals talk about autistic people lacking imagination it seems to be specifically in the context of role play and the use of the more general term imagination can be misleading and unhelpful in my view.
For example. How good are you at imaging n dimensional regular polyhedrons?
I'm sorry to jump in off topic. I personally feel like I'm so undereducated when it comes to autism when I read stuff like "lack of imagination". I went online to read more about it and of course it's not accurate. It's an imagination expressed differently. In my therapy there was a part of "play" where we would imagine that we are kids playing I guess? Still not sure. Like at the lake side for example or so on. I found it sort of silly because I'm not a kid and there's no lake here!!. Now after many months when I read this, I wonder if things are connected.