The A Word – Tues 15th March 2016
By Jeannette | March 15, 2016
It’s been an okay (ish) day here today, business as usual really – apart from D getting very upset because she thinks T is “glaring” at her…. this happens quite a few times in our week/a lot at weekends and we move on from each episode. It can be tricky with both children not really reading body language very well.
Talking of episodes, there’s a new BBC drama starting next Tuesday (22nd March) and I’m looking forward to watching it. It’s called “The A word” and it’s about a five year old boy, his journey to an autism diagnosis and how this affects his family.
I don’t really enjoy watching documentary programmes where there are meltdowns shown, it can feel a bit intrusive and close to home and I wonder if the producers aim to be sympathetic or sensationalistic.
It’s a catch-22 situation, isn’t it? On the one hand, you want others to know just how life can be at times, but then there are the ones who mock on social media, very similar to those who’d “tut” and make “bad parenting” comments in real life, the ones who don’t want an explanation, just want to criticise.
Here’s some more detail about “The A word” (from TV Times magazine):
Not fantastic pictures – sorry – but the fact it’s a prime time slot on BBC1 (not hidden away on BBC3 or BBC4) can only be good news for awareness.
Being described as “warm-hearted” ticks a box for me too. What I’m most interested in is how they tackle the wider family reaction and friends. One of the quotes from the trailer says something like “he smiles, he looks you in the eye, how can he be autistic?” How indeed, the autistic spectrum is a very broad one, each child is individual, they cannot be “lumped together” just because it suits someone in authority.
The only downside to the slot is that it means there’s no more “Happy Valley”, which has been absolutely wonderful to watch.
I hope “The A Word” is just as good, I hope it gets some more awareness out there, because there are a lot of people living with autism and each and every one of them deserve to know that awareness of an invisible disability will hopefully rise and reach those people it should (those tutters and whisperers).
Thinking about the programme’s title reminded me of one of my favourite posts I’ve written, one that just flowed one day A is for …
If you watch the programme next week and think it’s been a good portrayal, tell others about it, encourage them to watch, it can only help.
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