anybody else disappointed with the A word?

An interesting analysis, recombinantsocks. 

I watched the first programme and wasn't impressed, however since reading some comments on here I decided to give it another chance and have now watched episodes 2, 3 and 4.

Although I'm an aspie, I have emotional empathy (an ability to feel the painful and negative emotions of others).  I used to work with children who had specific learning difficulties and was told I was very sensitive to their needs. However I cannot feel any empathy at all for Joe - I don't know if this is because the child is acting and so is not really suffering with the problems autism can cause? I find the constant playing of music and singing along really annoying too - I have to keep muting the sound on the TV. 

I was confused as to why the child was wandering along a road on his own at first, then later I realised it seemed to be a habit which he did early in the morning before anyone else got up. But the mother seems to be quite protective of her child and quite a controlling personality, so why doesn't she lock the doors at night for his safety? 

I did identify with the obsessive behaviour of the mother and her need to feel that her child wasn't going to be treated as "different" at school, but I couldn't understand her inability to learn some of the strategies the speech and language therapist was using and practice these with Joe - she just seems to expect other people to "cure" him, whereas I believe that if I was in that situation I would do my utmost to learn how to be an "expert" in that field and so keep control of the situation. 

I hope this programme will identify other people who are on the spectrum and the different ways it can affect people. Otherwise I fear it will have been a bit of a waste of time. 

An interesting analysis, recombinantsocks. 

I watched the first programme and wasn't impressed, however since reading some comments on here I decided to give it another chance and have now watched episodes 2, 3 and 4.

Although I'm an aspie, I have emotional empathy (an ability to feel the painful and negative emotions of others).  I used to work with children who had specific learning difficulties and was told I was very sensitive to their needs. However I cannot feel any empathy at all for Joe - I don't know if this is because the child is acting and so is not really suffering with the problems autism can cause? I find the constant playing of music and singing along really annoying too - I have to keep muting the sound on the TV. 

I was confused as to why the child was wandering along a road on his own at first, then later I realised it seemed to be a habit which he did early in the morning before anyone else got up. But the mother seems to be quite protective of her child and quite a controlling personality, so why doesn't she lock the doors at night for his safety? 

I did identify with the obsessive behaviour of the mother and her need to feel that her child wasn't going to be treated as "different" at school, but I couldn't understand her inability to learn some of the strategies the speech and language therapist was using and practice these with Joe - she just seems to expect other people to "cure" him, whereas I believe that if I was in that situation I would do my utmost to learn how to be an "expert" in that field and so keep control of the situation. 

I hope this programme will identify other people who are on the spectrum and the different ways it can affect people. Otherwise I fear it will have been a bit of a waste of time.