UK Programme on Autism Tonight, 9.00pm on BBC4

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I'm watching this right now and I agree. I wish she would have given her opinion.

When I saw the picture, I thought the girl looked a bit hurt. She was looking at the viewer almost as if challenging or questioning them. I could imagine her saying something like "How could you?" Her face looks aged a bit or the area around her eyes looks somewhat swollen. I'd assume maybe she's been through some kind of ordeal...

I really was disappointed, because I want to know if I'm "right".

I thought that as well. I suspect she wasn't seeing a lot of emotion herself as there wasn't much to see. The girl just looked a bit sad and questioning to me. She was just staring mainly, as Michael said. The fact she couldn't come out with what she actually was seeing spoke reams to me.

She could have said 'I can see this emotion, can you?' 'I can read this emotion because of this and this aspect of her face'. Otherwise Michael isn't to know what he's meant to be looking for in the first place. She isn't teaching him what to look for if she doesn't divulge what she's seeing so it was a pointless exercise.

This is my problem with researchers/psychologists - it's never about helping people with Autism, it's about making a name for themselves by pointing out our problems and getting funding for research. Most people don't pick up on these discrepancies like I do as they've been fooled into thinking these people care about helping us. No, this woman wants a career in TV, hence she'll turn up on any programme needing the 'authority' of a psychologist.

Why do people love to take the word of a psychologist as some kind of superior authority on the matter?

Who knows exactly how much Micheal and Laverne discussed their views with each other. I doubt it's all in the film. I'm sure they cut plenty of the interesting stuff.

I don't think this interviewer/psychologist was great, but she wasn't horrible. The program was still interesting and informative. A lot of people could do better. I could do better, but I'm not socially capable enough to interview people and make a documentary.

That's often the case - the type of person who would ask really interesting stuff wouldn't be the type to get a job on TV - they'd have the wrong image. And the people who are attractive enough to get on TV often don't have the depth of knowledge or sufficiently analytical nature to do a programme I will find interesting. It's all about the touchy feely 'group hug' type of scenario - this seems to be what the majority wants and which makes me cringe as it's not informative.

I'd love to know what she thought too. I would like to know if it was the same as I was thinking. I think the girl looked like she was a little scared and untrusting, possibly suffering from some sort of abuse. But, it was her mouth more than her eyes that was saying that to me (pardon the pun).

But surely from our own experiences alone we should realise that just because a person isn't happy and smiling, doesn't necessarily mean there's anything 'wrong' with them. People, including children do give solemn, quizzical looks sometimes; if they are shy and introverted that might be their normal look too ie they prefer to spend their time just looking at things and thinking rather than overtly expressing themselves in the loud and annoying manner society so evidently prefers. I've given looks a bit like that to camera and I wasn't upset, it was just my expression at the time. It could merely have been that she didn't know the painter or photographer very well so was a bit anxious.

I know, it really could have been anything. But, if I had to guess what the painter was trying to convey, that's what I would come up with. I really hope this is not just a portrait of a child, (i.e. an attempt at an accurate depiction of this actual person) because, to me, that expression is slightly unnerving and I'd be uspet if he'd painted my daughter with such a worried look on her face.

Hmmm Well we have very differing views then as I had no problem at all with her expression - I liked it as she looked solemn and thoughtful, which I identified with. I hate the pressure society puts on us all to smile all the time - I don't feel like smiling a lot of the time but it doesn't mean I'm unhappy, just that I have no desire to communicate anything to anyone around me.

Last edited by nessa238 on 16 Aug 2012, 5:47 am, edited 1 time in total.

wow, thanks. I don't live in UK, so this would have been hard for me to watch otherways

I thought she looked kind of annoyed like she didn't want to be there.

This is why I'd like to know what the interviewer thought. I'd actually like to know what the artist was trying to convey too. I don't have a problem with someone looking deep in thought and not smiling, but I got much more than that from the portrait. To me she looks mildly distressed, definitely not without emotion, as the guy in the video thought she was. The expression is not neutral, to my eye. I'd like to know if I've got what was intended by the artist.

I don't normally have problems reading emotions, the exact opposite in fact. I just don't know why people might have the emotion they're having. They have to tell me that.

Don't know how many times I was told by my mum and teachers to go play with the other kids, make friends, smile at the other girls etc. Poor Zane being told that school is fun....but he is right - its the people that we hate.

The other kids know something isn't right, and just avoid the ASD kid. As they grow older, it becomes teasing and bullying.

The ASD kid doesn't necessarily want to play with the other kids, but feels ostracized and is an outsider. Having high intelligence means that the kid knows something is wrong but doesn't always know how to fix it. Its just torture.

My mum watched about the last 20 minutes of the programme with me; I believe if I'm not mistaken, she thought it was quite an interesting documentary.

I too liked it, but would've like more of an insight into how autism presents in girls.

Yes, no girls. I hadn't thought about that. My daughter is very like the youngest boy in the programme, but there are very obvious differences, which I believe are mainly down to her being a girl.

I don't think what she thought was what was interesting. Everyone is going to see something different. It is the complete lack of any emotional response that is interesting.

Jason

True. I don't believe what I thought would match another's exactly, but it would have been interesting to hear if there was a stark difference between Laverne and Michael's perceptions (just as there is between mine and nessa's).