Good little BBC animation on autism

Another worthy old thread.

I quite liked this animation - I had not seen before.

The very first program that I watched when I started my journey was "Talk Disability: Episode 1 - Autistic". It was early in being diagnosed, and there were a few months left before it would be official that I was.

I watched it with my wife and just burst into tears (there are a few programs that have had this effect since, like "A Kind of Spark")

It is also only 6 minutes like the original poster's animation

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001lwcp/talk-disability-you-dont-look-1-autistic

I've posted this in my FB group. A friend of mine sent me the link as I think she knows the person who made the film. It's very good

You are very welcome! I hope you find an article/video related to your dedicated interest, both of those websites are great for harnessing hyperfocus.

What is your dedicated interest?

Nice one, will have to check that out, thanks for the links Awesomely Autistic :-)

Another thought, BBC Reel is also a good platform for short interesting videos on a variety of topics:

https://www.bbc.com/reel/

I am sure many of our members dedicated interests will feature in the videos!

Also BBC Future is a very good website for in depth articles on a variety of dedicated interests including psychology , films, language, environment, food and many more:

https://www.bbc.com/future

Enjoy your dedicated interest deep dive!

Thanks for sharing!

I think this animation is great, Sara Gibbs brilliantly describes the diversity of our autistic community, whilst also highlighting the life changing impact of autistic identification. I really like the way she describes autistic strengths.

 I particularly like the quote at the end of the video ‘being autistic is the blueprint for who I am.’ I completely agree.

Also this is another opportunity to recommend her book Drama Queen, it is very funny!

Another related point, I really like the BBC Ideas website because some of the videos are really interesting.

Well, thank you. That is a very kind response. I think each person’s experiences can provide a point of reflection for other people in a similar position. It’s why I appreciate places like this, the books that have been published and the various media representations that have been created. It just makes me feel a lot less alone, whilst also offering the chance for real learning and understanding (if that’s what someone is genuinely looking for).

That’s a great quote - I’d never framed the concept quite like that even in my own head (though I was most of the way there, just needed that slight further tilt of the mirror that just the right phrase can assist with).

I can relate strongly to each of your five points, especially 2, 3 and 4

Thanks, it’s really well made, Sara’s book was the first thing I ever read on autism, I then listened to her podcasts  Aut-hour where she interviews other autistic authors, really enjoyed them, I follow her on Twitter, there’s never a dull moment. My favourite quote is, “ you call it unmasking, I call it having unprotected autism.”

Always love your writing Oakling, and this is no exception. The way you’ve dissected that clip and articulated/opened up key points is thought provoking and beautifully expressed. 

Thanks for posting this. I have found that shorter clips are helpful to people wanting to learn a bit about autism, both for concentration/commitment but also due to them allowing further research if a chord is struck, rather than forcing someone to commit to hours on end.

This was an interesting watch with lots to reflect on. I see your point about masking, but also appreciate the challenge raised about stereotypes. This would be a good watch for people who say that they ‘get it’ because they saw an autistic person once.

A couple of the points that really stood out to me, but annoyingly, not in order of appearance, are:

1. The diagnosis acting as a framework to explain our experiences of the world (reliant on people actually listening, but a great point nonetheless)
2. The understanding gained from diagnosis giving permission to be forgiving to yourself and to begin the journey towards actually liking yourself. This is something I can really relate to at the moment as I approach my third year post diagnosis.
3. The need to over explain yourself in order to be understood- this has slowed down for me since diagnosis, but the feeling like I don’t belong hasn’t so much.
4. The low self-esteem as a result of a lifetime of being ‘different’ and judged for it. Hear it enough, it becomes internalised. I’m learning to overcome this at the moment.
5. The underrepresentation (a challenging word to spell, which I’m still not sure about) of various groups within the diagnostic process and beyond. An issue to really move away from.

Thanks for sharing!