Chris Packham, Asperger's and Me

Saw this on a friends Facebook page:
Just read an article online about Chris - he says he won’t get another dog while Scratchy is around as he’s too possessive to tolerate another (Scratchy, that is ?).

Fascinating, what an interesting and intelligent man, who has found his way to 'circumvent ' the problems his condition causes when interacting with others.

A good article about autism.

theconversation.com/how-coping-mechanisms-allow-autistic-people-to-manage-their-condition-85932

Thanks for clearing that up, Pamela. That makes more sense.

Durhamjen, I did say Chris is high functioning, it’s my cousins stepson that isn’t.

I have now caught up with this programme and find myself loving Chris Packham even more than I did before. He came across as so warm and sincere, and my heart ached for him with his ongoing grief at the loss of his kestrel, and the prospect of losing Scratcher. He's had such a difficult life, yet has succeeded, and is clearly much-loved by his partner and his stepdaughter. I feel privileged that he has let the audience into his world and given us the chance of understanding him better. I've always admired his amazing brain - I admire it even more now. He's a wonderful example to all kids growing up on the spectrum. I hope his programme reaches out.

My DGD is the happiest she has ever been since starting secondary school, according to my DiL. Long may it continue as she had a pretty bad time with bullying in Yr 5

Depends on the school too and how good they are at supporting pupils with difficulties. I have taught A.S.D. kids who have gone on to secondary school and coped amazingly well. My D.S. is probably 'on the spectrum'. Never diagnosed. He was hyperactive as a youngster but changing his diet was miraculous.

Teaching my grandson at home because he couldn't cope.
He could cope with going to different rooms, because he likes maps, but he was so scared of being late all the time, he couldn't relax at school. Another big problem was the number of staff and pupils who didn't know about him, and bullied him because he was different.

Just shows that they are all different.

Anya That's really interesting about your GS. We are wondering how GS1 will manage next year when he hates things being different, but perhaps he will take to the idea of each subject being in it's own box. He had a horrendous time a couple of years ago when he had about 4 different teachers in one year, but if it's a "planned" difference he may cope

As for Aspergers in the work place and a the large numbers of unemployed persons with Aspergers. My OH has a masters degree but lost numerous jobs due to his difficulties with the condition.

Can you really have someone in a business setting who will talk to clients and go then go off at tangents of his own ideas? Not really introducing the idea of what he is talking about because he does not understand he has not given any clues .
At home he comes in telling me about something he has heard or done without giving me any clues whatsover.
When at home I often have ask him what or who he is talking about and he gets annoyed.

Frankly any consultancy clients would run a mile. (He also get sidetracked and becomes totally confusing. )

I have never forgotten a geology trip I went on the Canaries. we were going to walk up this "mountain" of geological and archeological interest.
The guide arrived and launched into a conversation with our "minder" and translator. I recognised the lack of the usual niceties and introductions and his body stance right away and my heart sank. He was totally obsessed with this place.

At times he was giving far more details than needed and getting agitated when we seemed impatient. (This was very disruptive to our schedule.)
In the end half the party retreated and the others were ages before they got back down.

How in real life do you deal with an employee like this who was really putting people off? This really is a difficult dilemma.

I haven’t watched it yet but these posts have made me keen to view.

I’ve been amazed at the changes in GS1 since he went to secondary school. He actually finds the ‘different subjects, taught by different teachers, in different rooms’ something he understands as in everything in its own box! I’ve always found him to be so like Chris Packham in so many ways, especially since I read his book Fingers in the Sparkle Jar

I was interested to see him running stinging nettles through his hands when visiting the site of his kestrel's burial. I wonder if he needed the pain to go along with how he felt.

Sorry for the typing error, should gave been losing his beloved kestrel.

What a brilliant programme, really warmed to Chris. He is totally honest and the pain still him living his kestrel made me cry, how will he be without Scratch? Found the American system, barbaric. As shown there are verging degrees of the condition and for those that don't like physical contact to be subjected to it continuously mystery be torture to them. I take my hat of to Chris' family and friends who love him for what he is, unique and intelligent, not trying to make him what he isn't.

I enjoyed it and found his insights very helpful. I have tremendous respect for him and his achievements.
I think it was a very unfair portrayal of ABA though. On Mumsnet there is quite a bit of comment about how much children with ASD have been helped by the system which, in the UK, is about teaching skills and communication through rewards and reinforcement. I thought it was unfair to include the footage of the child in America from the 1960s. Not sure what that was supposed to prove.
I also think it is about time that we saw a programme about low-functioning autism to provide a bit of balance to perceptions of ASD.

The interesting thing about teaching him is that it doesn't do the same thing two days in a row, quite often.
You have to be careful not to mention any US states to him, or he'll give you all the facts on it, capital city, largest city, state flag, etc., whether you want to know or not.
Football statistics as well.

Oh jen; that's a classic. Tell him my brain's the same, too!

My grandson squirmed at the idea of anyone doing anything to his brain. "It's my brain. I like it, even if it doesn't always do what I want it to."

I was fascinated, so many parallels with GS1. Also lots of differences because, as Chris says, everyone is different. I was another one worrying about what he will do without Scratchy. DD kept her hamster in the freezer for a long time so that seems quite normal to me. DH has got the ashes of his favourite cat on a shelf, waiting to go in the coffin with him.

I really didn't like the American system. They always have this urge to "cure" things. It's like their churches that claim to cure homosexuality. I suppose that if you had a severely affected, non verbal, autistic child you might feel it was worth trying but it would be real torture for my GS.

Do you notice that if she goes to touch him too much he stiffens and backs off?

I think this documentary has explained why, to me, he comes across as supercilious on screen.

I won't be so critical now.

It was a very interesting programme (unfortunately I missed some of it as I nodded off, jetlag not boredom) so missed the tadpole incident.

I did wonder why he doesn't get another dog or even two so that there is some continuity when much-loved Scratchy dies. What a wonderful relationship he has with his step-daughter.

The way children with Asperger's are treated in America shocked me; it seemed very cruel and backward-looking. I know that many children in America are on Ritalin too which makes me feel that if they are being forced to conform to an ideal view of 'normal' childhood and was very scary in its ideas.

It would be interesting to know what Chris's coping mechanisms are when filming as he seems to have a good on-screen relationship with Michaela Strachan. I wonder if he finds this difficult or is she very empathetic?

I have just done my Waitrose delivery, and realised how much of it is built around my grandson's tastes.

It was worrying that only 14% of adults with autism have full time jobs in this country.