I admit it, I'm fascinated by autism. I think it's because there are elements of autism, elements of behaviors that used to be labeled as anything from "eccentric" to "very eccentric" to "downright weird", that strike a chord somewhere deep within me. I may be speaking naively and I know there will be those who disagree with me, but I think that in some ways there's a really fine line between what we think of as "normal" and what's on the autism spectrum. In other words, I think a matter of degree separates those with sensory issues and those who are immersed in a truly different world that most of us can't even imagine.
But I think for most of us, our idea of what autism is was deeply shaped by the movie Rainman, which although (to me) it gave a wonderful portrayal of a slice of one aspect of autism, it was limited by the fact that autism itself is a spectrum which means that a single portrayal cannot even come close to showing the amazing nuances and degrees of this maddeningly misunderstood and oft-debilitating malady.
A view of autism in childhood began for me with the movie Run Wild Run Free, which upon closer examination doesn't even purport to be about autism at all. But coupled with this amazing video it could explain, perhaps, my idealistic notion that the world of autism is really only frightening or "wrong" to those of us who can't see inside it.
Getting back to Rainman, the problem there was that it only skimmed the surface, as I see it. Yes, certain behaviors were mimicked and responses that parents all over are likely familiar with were shown. But what's missing is both the anguish experienced by families of these amazing people as they strive to connect with and otherwise force a fit to them, and the rich world inhabited by those who are autistic themselves.
With now 1 in every 94 boys being somewhere on the autism spectrum and a new diagnosis made every 20 minutes, I'm hoping that our incomplete picture of autism can be fleshed out a little somehow, and soon, to provide support for everyone concerned.
