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
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
posted by Choo Kah Ying at
8:56 PM
1 Comments:
A POSITIVE AUTISM BOOK
"No Matter What" (Autism) wins a Gold Award at the 2010 inaugural World Book Awards - chosen as a sensational book to receive top honours. ISBN : 9781847477491 - It's a valuable book which takes a positive approach to understanding and dealing with autism.
2010 World Book Awards http://www.worldbookawards.com/
"No Matter What" websiste: www.autismguide.org
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Sandy Howarth, at 10:35 PM
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