Chris Packham: Asperger's and Me

[petek]

Had a go at Chris Packham's book 'Fingers in the Sparkle Jar' couldn't get on with it at all so it went to the charity shop. That said he's good on Spring and Autumnwatch ,enthusiastic and knows his stuff.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Had a go at Chris Packham's book 'Fingers in the Sparkle Jar' couldn't get on with it at all so it went to the charity shop. That said he's good on Spring and Autumnwatch ,enthusiastic and knows his stuff.

Bring back Kate Humble I say

 

[GuyBoden]

https://www.autismforums.com

 

[Levo-Lon]

It was interesting that in America it is often seen as a problem/disease for which there must be a nice neat cure. I liked Packham's attitude to that idea.

You have to love them...Not

 

[mjr]

Same with us lot and our silly user names and such. We're all just avatars.

Not just - don't you realise that those avatars represent other real people? If not, that's an entirely more worrying problem.

 

[winjim]

Not just - don't you realise that those avatars represent other real people? If not, that's an entirely more worrying problem.

OK, not just, but the key word in that sentence is represent. I am a real person, but your perception of me is almost certainly different than if you had met me IRL, based as it is on the avatar of myself which I have, consciously or otherwise, decided to project onto this forum.

In fact, careful reading of my post should show that we are (I think) in agreement.

 

[uphillstruggler]

Bring back Kate Humble I say

Short of 'material'?

 

[Fab Foodie]

Well I’ve just watched the program. Possibly one of the bst things I’ve seen in a long time. It should be compulsory watching.
Brave stuff.

 

[Fnaar]

When I was at university, many many years ago, I wrote my dissertation on autism. Much of it revolved around the types of USA therapies (well, the behaviour modification ones) that are still popular in the US, but were ditched a long time ago here in Blighty. There was a school for autistic children up the road from my parents' house at the time. I wrote to them to see if I could visit, while I was writing the dissertation, but there was a 2 yr waiting list!

The ex-Mrs Fnaar reckons I'm somewhere on the spectrum but hey, aren't we all?

 

[Electric_Andy]

There are exceptions Ricky Gervais for instance

I'm not sure I agree. He may come across as a tw*t on TV, but many of his posts on social media etc aim to challenge a lot of society's failings. For instance, he does a lot to spread the word about animal cruelty and mistreatment. He also challenges religion in a no-nonsense way and asks the questions that others are afraid to ask because religion (especially Christianity) is so ingrained in the western world. This type of behaviour IMHO is what brought us out of the dark ages where people were branded evil for daring to question the existence of God. He might act twattish, but he has more guts than a lot of people to say what he does.

 

[srw]

He might act twattish, but he has more guts than a lot of people

Supporting animal rights and attacking religion? Absolutely mainstream these days. He's a twat.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Supporting animal rights and attacking religion? Absolutely mainstream these days. He's a twat.

He's certainly a Marmite character, I don't like Marmite

 

[Inertia]

I've always like him, maybe I'm weird. If someone is enthusiastic about their subject I always think it rubs off on the audience and I think that's true of him in spades. For me at least.

On a tangent,I've been watching the new star trek. One of the new characters Tilly, comes across as If she may be somewhere on the spectrum. I like her too.

 

[presta]

I don't know Packham really, as I don't watch wildlife programs, but he hit the nail on the head when he said that it's acceptance that's required, not a cure. Society has a mould shaped the way they want it, and they try to crush people until they fit it, like breaking in a horse. I've become even more reclusive than Packham, not because I don't want company, just because it isn't worth the aggro any more.

Had a go at Chris Packham's book 'Fingers in the Sparkle Jar' couldn't get on with it at all

Try this. I read it when I came to the realisation that I probably have Asperger's, and Attwood left me feeling like he's the only person on the planet who knows who I am.

 

[Tin Pot]

I watched the show with some consternation.

As the iPlayer started I already had a list of things I didn't want it to say, drumming a pattern on the remote control counting up to ten and down over and over again, feeling my stress rise and rise, listening to him describe his problem being overpowered visually, and going off on tangents. I shifted and tried to relax, but later realised I was still counting up to five and down, and this time coordinating the fingers drumming with a beat on my toes, and talking to myself in my head. In reality, I didn't want the show to make me think that something is wrong with me.

It was perfect in some ways, in others less so;

... she just doesn't understand body language.....her own, or others. She has no idea how people can walk into a room and know immediately who is interested in them, and who is not.

The good news is that some body language can be learned - I found Paul Eckmans book extremely revealing. I had no idea the way I was making some of the people around me feel until I read it just a few years ago.

http://www.paulekman.com

If it's any consolation to her, some of us without Asperger's are pretty hopeless at things like that too...

And this is the part about shows like this that make me want to scream. We all find it hard to fit in. We all feel like we are on the outside looking in. We all feel rejected. I have heard a rumour that some people get through that.

She'll talk about a specific subject quite easily, but she's not good with natural pauses and often says "I never know who's turn it is to speak".

We all do, some of us hide it better than others or have learned a game plan for social situations that works.

The ex-Mrs Fnaar reckons I'm somewhere on the spectrum but hey, aren't we all?

Indeed...Or is there no normal at all?

The idea that not-normal should be cured is wrong, but also wrong is the assertion that autism advances technology. That genius is prevalent in autism is a myth, and promoted by implication in this show.

I would like to see a similar show, but have a few very different people , including a "normal", open up about their life, their childhood struggles and adult depression. I think we'd see a lot of similarity.