Producer Christine Thornton speaks on her documentary Autism and Me. Watch it now on RTÉ Player.
Three years ago, I heard this young Irish voice on the radio talking about what life was like, living with Asperger’s syndrome. I found myself pulling my car to the side of the road so that I could hear more of his story. I had actually never heard anyone speak about his personal experience of autism before. Until then, I had only ever heard ‘experts’ talk about “Autistic people”, “the Autistic spectrum”, and the “invisible condition”.
In spite of these experts’ best efforts, it still remained a mystery to me and perhaps a bit of a scary subject. How do you get it? How do you speak to someone with Autism? How do you react when they don’t make eye contact or engage with you? Are you allowed to give them a hug? Why is there a certain amount of negativity associated with their behaviour? Why so many “meltdowns”?
I was fascinated that this articulate person on the radio had clearly found his voice and had decided not only to share his story but, drawing from his personal experience, he had set up an information website. He also mentioned that it was imperative to create more awareness around Autism if society was ever going to change its attitude toward the condition. This young man was Adam Harris and he was eighteen years old.
This was the moment that prompted me not only to meet Adam but also to go in search of more people who might, if I was lucky enough, tell me about their personal experience of living with the Autism. Perhaps through their collective testimonies, we could convey what Autism is and even debunk some of the myths and misconceptions about the condition.
My dream was to not only give them a voice to tell their individual stories but to find a way into their world so that the audience could see life from their perspective. Perhaps, there might also be a way to help remove the stigma that often surrounds the condition. I also desperately wanted to know how they saw us – the so-called ‘neuro-typicals’. Are we really that different?
During the research phase, I met many children, teenagers, young adults and older adults, who were kind enough to share their experiences of the condition. I was reminded that a child with Autism grows up to be an adult with Autism.
It was also a complete revelation to discover so many on the spectrum who are non- verbal. How cruel. Then I met Fiacre who, at the age of 13, finally found his voice by pointing to the letters of the alphabet to form words. Now ‘unlocked’, he astonishes us all with his poetry and essays.
Apart from meeting so very many, inspirational individuals with Autism during the making of this documentary, it was also a most humbling experience to meet their parents. What extraordinary people. What they can teach us about patience, determination, and humanity. And another great, common denominator - their humour and optimism. Talk about ‘Autism warriors’.
By the end of this journey, I came to fully understand the famous quote by Dr. Stephen Shore: “if you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism”.
Written by Christine Thornton
Watch Autism and Me on RTÉ Player here.
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