Starring Autism… in Disguise article and new parenting workshops

Dear everyone:

For this month's Awakening Minds' update, I am featuring two topics:

1) I would like to address the issue of disguised portrayal of autism in popular American sitcoms that are also shown in many countries. I am referring in particular to two of my favourite shows: Monk and The Big Bang Theory. Both of these shows feature characters (namely, Adrian Monk and Sheldon Cooper) who have captivated the attention of fans throughout the world; what many viewers are not aware is that they are strong profiles of gifted individuals with autism. You see, the term is never mentioned. I consider it a real shame that TV viewers and fans do not know that these beloved characters are entertaining representatives of autistic individuals whom they would not have gotten to know in real life. With my "outing" of these characters, I hope that people would have greater insights and empathy towards individuals with autism.

Below is an excerpt of the article:

Starring Autism… in Disguise

By Choo Kah Ying

Over the last decade, the television show, Monk, captivated the attention of mass audiences who flocked to their TV set each week to watch Adrian Monk, a former-detective-turned consultant, solve crimes that defy the San Francisco Police Department...

Yet at the same time, Mr. Monk is handicapped by a vast catalogue of phobias (more than 300), his debilitating adherence to routines, and crippling pursuit of perfection and symmetry in a world of imperfections, which require him to hire a personal assistant to help him in his daily life...

On the surface, Mr. Monk seems to be suffering from a disorder that has no name.... Yet, for me, Monk’s frustrating rigidities and idiosyncrasies enable me to see many of my autistic son’s aberrant behaviours in a refreshing new light. They further confirm my belief that Mr. Monk is a gifted, high-functioning autistic individual. Yet, the term “autism” never comes up....

More recently, The Big Bang Theory, another TV series, has introduced the character of Sheldon Parris, a theoretical physicist who has a high IQ of 187 and attended college at 11....

Without skipping a beat, he seems compulsively driven to expose the fallacies and deficiencies of his friends’ statements, while flaunting his intellectual superiority without recognising his arrogance. At the same time, he is limited by his rigid adherence to daily routines... and uncompromising standards about how he wants things to be.... He also struggles to make sense of social conventions and nuances in conversations...

To me, Sheldon offers the classic portrait of a gifted individual with high-functioning autism. Yet, once again, the term “autism” is never mentioned. He is simply labeled “weird”, “strange”, “idiosyncratic” and even “robotic”.
... Though I cannot imagine that the fans of these series are drawn to these shows for the same reason as I, it is amazing to me that so many viewers love these characters whom I consider to be well-fleshed-out representations of high-functioning autism... If TV viewers know that these characters are strong representations of autistic people, these TV shows can serve as effective powerful vehicles for changing the public’s perceptions of people with autism...

To read the full article, please go to: http://www.awakeningminds.com.sg/articles_starring_autism.html

2) In recent months, I have received inquiries from schools about conducting various types of parenting workshops for caregivers of special needs kids and typical kids. Thus, I have put together a list of parenting topics with a focus on enhancing parents' skills and effectiveness in raising their children and building relationships with them. I consider my work with caregivers of typical children as a means of promoting mental wellness (the preventive approach). Please check out this list: http://awakeningminds.sg/mental_wellness_workshops.html#publicschools

I also provide affordable home-based consultations to families regarding mental wellness issues, special education and autism, where I would typically go to the clients' homes and work with the entire family on issues of concern. To learn more about this service, please go to: http://awakeningminds.sg/mental_wellness_consultations.html, http://awakeningminds.sg/consultations.html

Please feel free to forward this email to others.

Much appreciated,

Kah Ying

A parenting article, an autism website and a free talk on mental illnesses

Dear Everyone:

In this Awakening Minds update, I would like to highlight the following feature and events:

a. My new article for this month, "The Rich Kid Syndrome", is inspired by my real-life encounters with parents who consider their non-discriminate provision of money and material things to their children as the demonstration of their parental love. However, their children grow up to expect their parents to give them whatever they want and worse still, to bail them out when they get into trouble. In fact, some of these children who have manic depression are often able to finance their excessive lifestyles during their manic phases through their parents' generosity. Thus, I consider this article as my contribution towards a preventive approach in promoting mental wellness: parenting our children appropriately to prepare them for the challenges of life plays an important role. (Below is an excerpt of this article).

The Rich Kid Syndrome

By Choo Kah Ying

This article is not necessarily about rich kids. In fact, many kids who fall prey to the “Rich Kid Syndrome” (RKS) are not rich; their parents may only have average to slightly above average incomes. Children who suffer from RKS believe that they are entitled to get whatever money can buy from their parents. These parents stint and save on necessities for themselves in order to lavish the lion’s share of their earnings on their beloved children and satisfy their desires...

Unfortunately, these children who are accustomed to these “acts of love” come to expect and take them for granted. Basically, they treat their parents like walking ATMs: they feel entitled to getting the money they need to purchase whatever they want, with nary a care of how hard their parents have had to work to earn the money... These children then grow up to become adolescents who crave brand-name clothes, the latest fashion and technological accessories, and even fancy holidays in overseas locations with their peers. Each of these cravings and adventures is graciously sponsored by their doting parents....

(To read more, please go to: http://www.awakeningminds.com.sg/article_the_rich_kid_syndrome.html)

b. I would also like to remind everyone about this free talk. Please remember to register for the event with Silver Ribbon Singapore.

May 29, 2010: "A Journey With..." (organised by the Silver Ribbon Singapore): This event is open to members of the public. This is a free talk by four authors who have written books on their experiences with mental illnesses:

Mr. Raymond Anthony Fernando, Mental Health Advocate/Writer, Loving a Schizophrenic
Ms. Choo Kah Ying, Mental Health Advocate/Writer, Five Little White Pills... And Then There Were None: A Journey from Manic Depression to Recovery
Dr. Rita Goh, Mental Health Advocate/Writer, Back from the Brink of Insanity
Mr. Harris Ng, Mental Health Advocate/Writer, Recovered Grace: Schizophrenia
The details are as follows:
Date and Time: Saturday: 29 May, 2pm – 4pm
Location: Toa Payoh Public Library
RSVP: Registration is compulsory; call 6386 1928 or email info@silverribbonsingapore.com.

If you want to preorder any of my books and pick them from me on that day, please let me know ahead of time. I will only be bringing a limited supply (http://awakeningminds.sg/books.html).

c. Finally, I would like to invite everyone to check out the amazing website done by two wonderful final NTU students, Han Weiding and Wong Huifoon: http://reachautism.sg/. It is a primarily Chinese Website, but if you click on my story and check out the videos, the interviews with me are in English. The other featured stories also contain interviews that are in English. So even English speaking people should check them out. The video footages and the slide show featuring Sebastien skating, doing his work and cooking are awesome!

Best regards,

Kah Ying

P.S. To all the wonderful mothers of their children with special needs and mental illnesses, Happy Mothers' Day!