I’ve just finished watching the Channel 4 documentary ‘Make me Normal’ which revolved around a few teenage students with autism.
I was left with mixed feelings. There was so much I recognised in those kids, particularly Roxanne and for me there was a lot of laugh out loud moments (Roxanne’s interview with her friend towards the end was very amusing). It was also impossible not to be moved by these kids emotional detachment. For an NT anyway.
However, I was growing increasingly frustrated by the attitude of the headteacher. At no point did I question her commitment but her overall attitude seemed to me to be one of teaching the kids how bad autism was and how it was holding them back. At some point in the documentary, all of the kids expressed a desire to not be autistic. A couple expressed the desire to kill themselves. I can’t help but feel that a headteacher who would teach these kids that their autism (who they are after all) is OK. That the NT world has rules and that if they wish to progress in that world they need to learn them but that being autistic is both natural and who they are. Trying to teach them to circumnavigate their autism seems both futile and morally dishonest.
I have to come clean and say its very difficult for me to be objective. I don’t want Megan to be an object of pity. I don’t want Megan to feel she has no worth unless she conforms to an NT viewpoint but I know that if she genuinely desired to be in that world then I would be failing in my duty as a parent to not support that.
I think I’m going to be mulling this programme over for awhile. If you saw it, what did you think? Don’t be PC, be honest.
Left Brain Right Brain 
Watching it next time I am at home.
I currently have no TV!
I agree, the way the head teacher acted was a bit strange, telling them that autism was bad and trying to change who they are.
You also have to understand that she is obviously a trained professional and knows what she is doing (we hope). Overall I think it was a great program that gave me more of an insight into autism, and it made me laugh…
I didn’t see the show, but I’m autistic and can relate to the children’s desire not to be autistic! On the other hand, my life could have been much easier (and happier) if, while i was growing up, even one person shared your attitude that “being autistic is both natural and who they are” instead of always trying to force me to conform to a world that will never totally make sense to me.
I have since come to see that being autistic is more about thinking differently, which can very often be a good thing rather than a problem. While it is often helpful to learn strategies for “appearing normal” in the NT world, I think your daughter would benefit greatly if you helped her to understand that it is okay to be herself : )
David – you’d be amazed how many trained professionals have some very bizarre (and in some cases outdated) beliefs regarding disability – even those that claim specialism in one key area.
For example, we once had an ‘expert’ tell us that because Megan was autistic she’d never have any friends! Its a sad fact that the pro’s get caught up in their academic beliefs and some tines struggle to see the person at the heart of the issue.
I’ve got to agree with you about the headteacher’s attitude – while she seemed to be successfully encouraging the kids to be aware of their autism and accept that is was the reason they had trouble with social skills, she was also putting the idea in their heads that it was a terrible affliction and a great pity.
ARGH. If everything I have heard about this programme is true the Cure Autism now movement will be having a great time of it….
This is the last thing that I want.
‘Professionals’ are generally the people who do the most damage in a young person’s life. Autism is not some disease for which we must desperately hunt a cure, it’s an impairment, a state of being. An autistic toddler will be an autistic child, an autistic teenager and an autistic adult. And in my experience, if you tell a teenager that what and how they are is not how they ought to be, that will damage and haunt them for the rest of their lives. Adolescents, autistic and not, are incredibly vulnerable, emotionally. I think that head teacher is doing her students a huge disservice, but then the whole experience of being in an autistics-only school has some big negatives around it anyway. Trading autistic-friendly learning spaces for any chance of feeling accepted and welcomed in your local community, swap small class sizes for a decent range of subject choice, exchange ‘specialist’ teaching strategies for hours on a minibus every day. Even the nicest, warmest, friendliest, most welcoming special school with truly good intentions and provision will harm its pupils with these things. I’m not sure it’s ever a good trade off, but I am aware that others disagree.
You make some very valid points Rebecca.
Every child, irrespective of their individual neurology, needs nurturing and encouragement to develop self-confidence and constantly telling a teenager that who they are is holding them back is terrible. Its no wonder they all wanted to be ‘normal’.
What I really hope is that the documentary makers go back and visit those kids ten years from now because in the meantime they’ll have grown up and hopefully realised that who they are shouldn’t be an impediment but a difference. Most autistic adults I’ve spoken to feel that way.
If you’ve read the earlier parts of my blog you’ll know that Megan is in a mainstream school. She’s there because we feel its the best environment for her right now. We looked at a Special School and it was totally inappropriate. Where she is now, *all* the staff have taken autism awareness courses and Megan is encouraged to participate in all aspects of the school.
Was really touched.
I’m an educational psychologist with particular interest in children with ASDs. I thought the programme was dreadful, extremely negative and sensationalist. It made me very angry actually. I had hardly set foot in one of my schools the following day when mother of a child wioth ASperger Syndrome met me at the door and expressed her utter distress experienced by watching the programme. In fact she had been unable to watch it all. Months of careful work taking that family through the diagnosis of their child could have bene undone. This only confirmed my feelings about how irresponsible it was to broadcast that documentary.
Sorry about my spelling. I was typing angrily !
That’s OK Clare, type as angrily as you want :o)
Very nice to hear from an EP who found it as depressing as some of us. Do you think it was the staff who were misguided or the way the programme was edited that made it come across so negatively? Or maybe a bit of both?
I think the program was very interesting, I totally agree that some of it was distressing but at the same time it may make the alleged professionals who are supposed to monitor our children wake up and realize exactly what some Children are going through. I actually have a child with Autism who has only recently been diagnosed he is now 13 years old. Due to the lack of Monitoring. My Child has also been bullied three times in 5 months at a Mainstream School that he will no longer be attending. This School has not met his needs and Not Aware of Autism.
That’s terrible Louise. Unfortunately bullying of autistics is not uncommon. Indeed, I know a parent whos 13 yo AS son was bullied until he snapped and hit back – he ended up being suspended and the crew who’d been bullying him got off scot-free.
I got the impression that it was the editing that was underlying the impression the programme gave rather than lack of experience of staff, but of course, you can’t be sure about that which added to my frustration about the whole thing. I felt that showing Roxanne repeatedly slapping herself on the head and pulling her hair, without any attempted intervention, was sensationalist television and verged on immoral. I was also perturbed at the apparent lack of both anger management strategies being used with the pupils or bereavement counselling for Moneer. The impression I got of the headteacher was not good from a professional standpoint though it was clear that she had genuine sympathy and warmth for the pupils. (My brother, who has an autistic son, felt that she was fantastic ). I wonder how she felt about her portrayal… I don’t think that teachers in general receive anything like the amount of training they should in relation to ASDs and sympathise greatly with you, Louise , in relation to your son and the problems with mainstream settings. I suppose if it did one useful thing, the programme brought to light the significant difficulties that young people with autism and their families face. I just wish it could have depicted the pupils’ lives in a more positive light without resorting to the use of comedy. I’m very interested to hear the views of the AS and ASD community about this programme.
Well, I almost entirely agree with your opinions Clare. I felt it was edited in a very sensationalist way with an emphasis on showing how badly ‘autism’ affects people and no consideration given to the fact that kids should surely be taught that how they are is not a bad thing. Above All, I saw a bunch of kids who had had it programmed into them that their autism was responsible for everything bad that happened in their lives and little to no encouragement in accepting and being happy with who they were.
Here’s a thread from a forum of mainly AS (and other ASD) members on the pro gramme.
i Dave : 3 days, 7 hours ago
i I agree, the way the head teacher acted was a bit strange, telling them that autism was bad and trying to change who they are.
At no point, at no time, in no sense, did the head teacher tell anyone that autism was bad. You must have been watching another program.
That’s not strictly accurate Tom. At one point, the girl Roxanne, was commenting that she wished she wasn’t so bad and the Headteacher said to her quite matter of factly that it was her autism that was ‘making’ her act that way. She also expressed the view that autism was a negative force in her pupils lives.
There was a general attitude throughout the documentary that autism was a negative ‘invader’ forcing these kids to be naughty, violent and bad. No one ever suggested that these traits are true of _most_ teenagers, regardless of their neurological status, instead they concentrated on showing ‘autism’ in a continuing negative force.
For those who want my opinion on it – I’ll give it when I have a chance to watch it
I’d be very interested in hearing your take on it Helen.
I was told about this programme by my 13 year old son’s speech and language therapist. I am interested in watching it so if anyone knows of a re run, plaese let me know. Like Louise, my son has just been diagnosed and i’m finding alot of difficultues and alot of confusion about what is best for him. He is currently in mainstream school, but gets bullied and teased and I am now making enquiries about sending him to a school for children with autism. I would be grateful for any help and advice.
p.s. I have never discussed this over the internet and rarely use e mail, but i thought i’d give it go!
Welcome along Kerry :o)
How are you finding your local LEA? They can be a little bit aggravating on occasion! IS there anything in particular you’re having issues and difficulty with? Feel free to mail me privately if you’d rather at kevleitch@gmail.com
Hi there
New to this blog/forum, but does anyone know where i can find this programme to view again?
I did watch the programme and having an autistic child myself (age 7 ) found it true to life.
However i do agree with a previous comment by “Clare” in that they appeared to try and sensationalise the bad behaviour for “viewing figures” possibly. But my son does demonstrate alot of the behaviours within the programme and i found it reassuring that he’s not alone.
My son said he wanted to watch it again as well because “i want to watch children like me”, so if ANYONE can help at all with a copy, i would really appreciate it!
Sian
Hi Sian,
I’m not sure if Channel4 have any plans to show this again – the last time I heard they did not.
Typical of the NAS – they try to please everyone but **** off at least one group. I thought the program was overwhelmingly negative (just watched the video somebody lent me). Hell did I never have discipline issues like the 13 year old boy with Asperger’s. And the girl Roxanne, they just told her how bad her autism was but did nothing to show her any positive traits. Interesting what you point out about her Calculon – I think she’s aspie but with accompanying issues such as a personality disorder. They did nothing to help her think more positively. The school seems to use a very old fashioned way of thinking. They do nothing to help the pupils utilise their strengths, but just force them to act in one way. I’ve emailed the NAS saying how they found anything positive in the program. It was not reflective of what being an aspie is like at all.
From the Independent (c.cortauld@independent.co.uk)
Quote:One of the most alarming symptoms of Asperger’s is the sudden sparking of foul-mouthed and violent episodes. But of course, that sort of behaviour is often seen in “normal” people too. We call them yobs. Usually teenagers, they can be boys or girls.
What utter ****, now that’s a great thing for that journalist to write now all aspies are going to be assumed to be a chav/yob!.
From an aspie.
My input is coming in a bit late, but oh well…
I have severe dyspraxia with a definite autistic infusion, although I don’t qualify for a full diagnosis of AS or HFA. I was deeply disturbed by the documentary ‘Make Me Normal’ – not least by the title. There is a lot to be said for special education – my autistic nephew attended a mainstream school up until the age of seven, but it was sheer hell for him and in the end my sister transferred him to a special school. He is now happy, confident, and…fully accepting of his autism. He isn’t proud of it, but he isn’t ashamed either. It’s just who he is. He accepts it. I wouldn’t advocate special ed. for every autistic child – it depends on the individual and what suits him best. (My own schooling was mixed – sometimes I was in the main classroom, and sometimes I was in the special unit.) The special school certainly helped Ben. So I didn’t have a problem with the fact that Spa School is a specialist institute – it’s their ethos that I didn’t like. That and the fact that they chose ‘stereotypical’ autistic people to be in the documentary.
Yes, they conveyed the raw pain that autistics often experience – but at what cost? My friend has a twenty-four-year-old brother who was recently diagnosed with mild – MILD – Asperger’s syndrome, and she saw the programme shortly after. She said, in tones of exaggerated suffering, “Now I finally understand why he hits me and swears all the time.” Admittedly this girl does love a little attention, and the abuse she suffers at the hands of her autistic brother is currently one of her favourite topics of conversation. As I’ve met her brother, I shouldn’t be surprised if she’s exaggerating (he seems perfectly polite, and his autism is scarcely apparent). But if he does swear profusely, then it’s not because he’s autistic. The documentary seemed to be confusing autism with a certain type of Tourette’s syndrome. I agree with the previous poster – that documentary has convinced half the nation that autistic people are foul-mouthed yobs who can’t control their behaviour. How could anyone reasonably link Moneer’s anger to his Asperger’s syndrome? He’s a young boy who’s just lost his mother to cancer! There were far too many confounding variables.
The name above is an alias. But the e-mail is not.
I was a former pupil of spa during the reign of that head[ Jude]. I was ment to be in the documentary. But I was seen as too normal.
At Spa the school is built up of children with diffirent abilitys and ranges but they only showed the more troublesome ones.
From what I gathered and how I see it the documentary was a ploy for money. Theres nothing wrong with that but I did find Jude increasingly plastic towards me, always on one level towards all the students. Her predossesor John Davis was a lovely man and made the school feel like one big happy community, with a lot of social gatherings for the students to attend, but under Jude their was no interaction between any of the classes.She has now since gone and the school is without a head.The last time I spoke to her while I was in school she left me feeling distruaght[ I had issues about the long term ban on football] and I could really see her one level teaching method when she was talking to me. What left me really upset was the fact of the sarcasm I could feel she was giving to me. This view maybe biased but its true.
Leaving that witch aside[ ha ha] Spa school was and still is a lovely somtimes magical place[ and a very fuuny place aswell. My alias is a reference to Phil Collins, it was a long running joke in spa aimed at a staff member Richard who hates him] that I still visit. I really do love that place. The people staff and students alike, the building and the entire vibe of the school is that of a nice and cosy place where you can really be your self and I will always hold it dear to my Heart.
I hope Jude reads this becuase I’m sure she saw me as a bit slow well do I sound slow now.
If any one would like to contact me my e-mail is real
bye.
Martn_x@hotmail.com
thats my e-mail.
Hello, i was a pupil at spa school, i was also a very close friend of Moneer and his family, one of his parents Gill was a very close friend of my mother, we were with her almost allthrough her illness cancer, now let me tell you it was Jude regan who made her life hell, she would phone Gill and began shouting at Her about what moneer had done in school, Gill and the rest of the family and friends hated Jude regan, i could not tell You the trouble She caused, She even invited herself to Gill’s funeral !!!, She even brought two LSA’s (class assistants) with Her, incase anybody tried to throw Her out the graveyard or moneer attack Her, Jude’s a mutha fukker Bit ch, she’s caused many people pain, She got my family investigated by social sevices and caused my Mum to have a mental breakdown, and become depressed, so listen to me don’t send Your kid’s to spa, go on do something amazing, thanks 4 reading.
I last spoke to you back in June and would just like to let you know that now Charlie now attends an Autistic Spectrum Centre where he is so happy now. Finally the Lea gave Charlie what he needed after a long battle. At least he is safe now.
Glad to hear it Louise.
Memo for posters to this thread: there’s some strong allegations being thrown around here. Be careful that you know for sure that they are accurate. And I’d appreciate it if the personal abuse could be left out please – its possible to not like someone and not verbally abuse them either.
OKAY
i didn’t KNOW THAT ABOUT JUDE.
Who the hell ARE U saikuri?????????????
I worked at Spa for 3 years as a support worker. I have read through the comments regarding the documentry ‘Make Me Normal’, after a former pupil (P.Collins) drew my attention to what was being posted here.
I feel that the schools attitude towards dealing with ASD and in particular Jude Regan’s have been rather unfairly represented here. While I worked there the school had a policy of being completely honest and frank when discussing autism with it’s pupils, some of whom would at times become very distressed with their own challenging behaviourisms, and wanted to know if they would ‘get better’.
If you were faced with a distressed young adolescent desperate to find answers to why they hurt themselves or those around them what would you say? A simple ‘yes you will get better’ or would you explain to them that it was the autism making them act thus, and that by accepting this and recognising it is NOT them, you can help them find ways of expressing their frustration in ways less distressing to them?
That was Jude’s entire ethos while at Spa, and one which I think is totally responsible. If the documentry presented her or the school in any other way then I would suggest that was the result of editing in the interests of a linear storyline rather than a 100% accurate portrayal of a remarkable school.
I’m sorry I only found this thread now, 5 months after it began, as it is probably now too late to redress the balance.
_”I feel that the schools attitude towards dealing with ASD and in particular Jude Regan’s have been rather unfairly represented here.”_
They’ve not been represented at all. They’ve been discussed. The people who did the representing were the school and Channel 4.
_”While I worked there the school had a policy of being completely honest and frank when discussing autism with it’s pupils, some of whom would at times become very distressed with their own challenging behaviourisms, and wanted to know if they would ‘get better’. If you were faced with a distressed young adolescent desperate to find answers to why they hurt themselves or those around them what would you say? A simple ‘yes you will get better’ or would you explain to them that it was the autism making them act thus, and that by accepting this and recognising it is NOT them, you can help them find ways of expressing their frustration in ways less distressing to them?”_
Unfortunately, you’re coming at this with a few misconceptions and assumptions about autism. You say you’ve been a support worker for 3 years? Most of us in this thread have been _parents_ of autistic kids for quite a bit longer than that. As such, I think we know a little bit more about autism than you.
A persons ‘challenging behaviour’ is not the sum total of their autism. I’m sure most people, autistic or not, would become distressed with their own challenging behaviour but most people wouldn’t have the assumption that their neurology is represented by their challenging behaviour. Maybe thats not how Spa operates but we only have what was shown to go on. if that really isn’t how things are then you need to take that up with the Editors.
You talk about recognising that autism is *not* them – this is an error. They are autistic. It *is* a very large part of who they are. I don’t know how much contact you have with non institutionalised autistic adults but I assure you you’d recieve a very different impression about what autism is if you spent some time talking with them.
No one is suggesting shirking or ignoring challenging behaviour – I live with it a lot of the time. We don’t manage it by telling our child that her nature makes her act bad and that its not really her anyway. We channel it by realising that it is mostly born out of frustration at our inability to communicate with her and that as well all learn how to do that, challenging behaviour is lessened.
You need to re-open you mind Noah. Sorry.
Hey kev whats the difference between institutionalised autistic people and non institutionalised autistic people in your view
tell me thx
Some are in an institution and thus may feel unable to speak freely and some are not and are thus more able to speak freely.
Apology accepted.
Great response Noah. Thanks for that valuable contribution.
kev i thought that you had a anti institution view on autistism becuase i was a student at spa but what u said is true at times i didn’t feel i was able to speak as freely as i would like.
I thought u were saying that students with aultism in a institution were less able than those in mainstream but now i see.
Not a problem Bob – I realised after I read your comment how badly I’d worded my point so thanks for giving me the opportunity to expand on it and hopefully clarify it.
can I pick up on the ethos of the spa school? Our experience wasn’t that there was understanding of autism and challenging behaviour. My son was treated as a badly behaved boy and I was treated as an irresposible parent for questioning the management of bullying in the school. One of the children who was in the original film was also excluded on several occassions because his anxious needy behaviour was treated as bad. As a parent, I also totally disagree with the view that autism causes difficult and challenging behaviour – what causes that behaviour is the trauma autistic children face in trying to cope in an unforgiving and ignorant world – including in mainstream and special schools. We should be seeing the behaviour as anxiety responses to bad experiences, not as symptoms of autism – and maybe then we can truly find ways of dealing with it. And – p collins – who is saikuri? – a child damaged by his experience at the school and who is still struggling to deal with the aftereffects.
saikuri that cannot be the name of the child i don’t remember any name like that. Are you talking about peter?
He wouldn’t want to be identified
okay then liar liar