Jump to content

Autism today


Recommended Posts

Just watched most of the Arte programme concerning Autism and how young people so affected can be educated to be able to lead a life  as integrated as possible in society, albeit with loads of help. There was a huge amount to take in - as there often is with Arte programmes - considering the fact that education systems and approaches in Sweden, France and Germany (?) were looked at.

The considerable change of stance of the Swedish education system from the lock-them-away-out-of-sight view of the 70's to the considered view of the 90's+ was refreshing to see.

The comment by one spokesperson that helping young French autistic people more that at present would all cost 'too much' was a tad worrying considering ;  'France a été condamnée deux fois par l’union européenne pour

ne pas avoir scolarisé ses enfants autistiques'.

All in all it was a fascinating programme.

Sue

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'ts difficult to find out about provision for autistic children in France. There have been several letters on here and other forums from parents thinking of moving to France with their autistic children, asking if they'll get help.

I think support is provided in schools in some areas, but nowhere near as much as in the UK. I read somewhere that in France autism is considered to be a medical rather than an educational problem. So therapy should come from psychiatrists etc

This was the same in UK until about the 1970s, after which the situation became more like you mention in Sweden . At that time in the UK special schools for severely autistc and other children with severe learning problems changed from being under Health to the Education authorities.

I was working in the Service at the time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Patf"] I read somewhere that in France autism is considered to be a medical rather than an educational problem. So therapy should come from psychiatrists etc.

[/quote]

It seems so; this came over quite strongly with one young French lad who was 'followed' by a group, including his psychiatrist, who all did a lot of smiling and nodding but didn't seem to be able to engage with the lad in the same positive way that had been demonstrated as being achievable in similar situations in other counries.

Sue

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 There was an article on french news a couple of nights ago about this and an interview with a young man, maybe the young man on the program on ARte.

Looks like, as with many 'handicaps' in France, there is lots to do.

And yet the state is doing less and less, I know someone who has been kicked off cotoreps books recently who should not have been. Cotorep said that they had 'too' many clients and so were getting some people off their books. Very unhelpful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There was anarticle in today's Depeche about the state cutting back on accompagnement educatives in colleges, which isn't necessarily for special needs children, but they do benefit to some extent. These aides will only be provided for priority cases from Sept. 2015.

You would think, and hope, that in a socialist state there would be more support in schools for those who need it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There was an article in today's Depeche about the state cutting back on accompagnement educatif in colleges, which isn't necessarily for special needs children, but they do benefit to some extent. These aides will only be provided for priority cases from Sept. 2015.

You would think, and hope, that in a socialist state there would be more support in schools for those who need it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...
[quote user="Szymon507"]Today, autism is not a the end. People have learned to live with it..[/quote]

That's a very sweeping statement. Not my experiance, of having a relative with a seriously autistic youngster who is now approaching 20 years of age.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The topic of autism has become much more complicated in the last 20 years in the UK. Following a re-classification of psychiatric conditions, I think, USA based, there's now something called the 'autistic spectrum' which includes mostly people we would have previously called eccentric, or a bit odd, with problems of relating to others, or over-sensitivity to various sensory stimuli.  And we all know plenty of those!

Well now they/we  have a label too.

But I can't see that idea catching on in France.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is indeed known as Autistic Spectrum Disorder and has been very helpful to people working with children and adults who have this condition. It includes people who have no social or verbal communication through to those who can function very well in society. The condition normally includes the triad of behaviours; problems with communication, problems with social interaction and repetitive behaviours. My grandson is at the high end of the spectrum and manages well in mainstream school in another European country. I gather that France was for a long time stuck with the now discredited notion of autism being "caused" by "refrigerator mothers". This can't have helped the development of strategies to support people with ASD in France.

Incidentally I recently re-read L'Etranger and realised that it sounds exactly like a description of a man with high-end ASD or Asperger's Syndrome. Has anyone else noticed?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think that the translation of the title (usually "The Outsider") would be better served by the American word "Alien"...I believe that is what foreigners are  known as in some places.

That idea of "alienation" is better than just 'foreign' or being' outside', and it chimes well with high-end Asperger's...

I find the novel difficult since I read

Meursault, contre-enquête, de Kamel Daoud

this book is written from the point of view of the brother of the anonymous "arabe" whom Meusault  ad killed, blaming the murder on chance, the sun, co-incidence etc:

The brother Haroum sums the argument up:

« Un homme qui sait écrire tue un Arabe qui n’a même pas de nom ce

jour-là – comme s’il l’avait laissé accroché à un clou en entrant dans

le décor – puis se met à expliquer que c’est à cause d’un Dieu qui

n’existe pas et à cause de ce qu’il vient de comprendre sous le soleil

et parce que le sel et la mer l’obligent à fermer les yeux. » and points out that

si la plage est décrite « grain par grain »,

« l’Arabe » en revanche, cité vingt-cinq fois, « n’a pas un seul prénom,

pas une seule fois ....

So between Autism and the institutionalised racism which has allowed the book to be treated as a classic without this being picked up I find it hard to swallow

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it is that moment when he is so disturbed by the light and then shoots that made me realise. Extreme sensitivity to light and noise is such a well-documented part of ASD. And then of course all the reaction to the mother's death, classic symptoms really. So do you think Camus was just describing someone he knew? I don't think Asperger's work was widely known when the book was written.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for those, Norman - really interesting. Of course the discussion about whether it is or isn't ASD based on certain behaviours just shows how important the notion of a spectrum is to understanding autism.

I think Camus could have been describing behaviour he saw, but I come back to the extraordinary insight about photosensitivity and wonder how he knew that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I remember that name., but not so much about her work - I retired in 1990 (as an EP) so never experienced what seems to be a huge increase of diagnoses of autism. Acc. to Wiki, 1 in 100 people now thought to be within the spectrum.

The only cases we came across were all severely affected, including a colleague's only son.

(Sorry about the change of script - I must have tapped something.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...