New Austrian Movie "Black Balloon"

[mc4_a]

Looks pretty good. I've watched the trailer a few times now. It appears to be a coming of age story mixed with a story of Autism and a family dealing with that Autism.
http:/****search.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=23884118

It will hit the festival circuit next year, so I doubt we'll see it before late next year.

[milivica]

Wow, that looked really intense. I hope it gives folks with no exposure to autism, a less judgmental attitude. I loved the meltdown in the store scene. Even loved how the exasperated dad spoke with frustration.

It was extremely hard to watch even the trailer. I saw an onslaught of missed opportunities for Charlie that would be the beginning of allowing him to develop enough 'missing milestones' (which is what autism is) to have an absolutely wonderful life, as independent and joyful as his nt brother. I was so hurtful to me, to hear the mother believe and accept her asd child would 'never' be like the nt brother, would live with her until she died. That perception must grow, bud and blossom before our kids can.

I'm certain I'll watch the movie. The trailer seemed as though they would portrait asd accurately, at least from an nt (external) view. For me, it's a bit like watching a movie about a child and family suffering from their child having a totally curable disorder, and thinking it's not.

I keep forgetting, love doesn't make anyone 'get' what to DO about autism. For me, love and being on the spectrum myself still didn't allow me to know what to do for my son, well I knew how he felt often and how to create a stagnant world where he could feel less anxious. But that's not a cure of course.

Anyhow, that really looked intense. I hope the asd person is always allowed to be portrayed in a dignified way - albeit with his undies on the outside of his clothes, hee hee. Vince used to do those kinds of things.

[mc4_a]

Milivica, thanks for your thoughts though I don't know if I agree with that POV. I know many parents that do a heck of a lot of therapies and alternative treatments and have children that are as if not more low functioning than Charlie is portrayed as in this film.

I think these children are born being more or less impaired. Some of them will be able to live on their own while a decent amount probably never will too. I've been very lucky with the progress my child has made, but some other children have made more and many others have made less too.

To suggest that the right treatment for the child hasn't been found points a finger of blame at the parents that I am uncomfortable with. The truth is I don't think there are any silver bullets when it comes to treatment. My daughter has benefited from things that other people felt were a set back for their children. Other things tend to work for a while but then stop working. ABA was this way. It was a great program for about a year, until my child decided that she wasn't going to play along anymore. Fortunately, a more traditional one on one approach is working better now.

Another thing to consider is I believe this story is set in the past. The person that co-wrote the story apparently has a brother with Autism. I believe a lot of this may be a bit autobiographical and from a time when a lot of doctors would just recommend institutionalization of children with Autism.

[milivica]

I for sure never feel blame toward any parent that tries. I do feel blame toward anyone that by profession, claims to know what to do for children with autism, don't, and take the child and parents on a road to no where either due to their ego, or greed.

Be careful about what you perceive as progress. It's so easy to be fooled, when your heart is in it. Academic, compliance, ability to follow instructions, anything you'd consider IQ all happens on one side of the brain, is not the kind of progress asd kids need help with, it's the other side of the brain (grrr, can't remember if it's left or right side of the brain).

I know no one believes me, I don't take it personally anymore cause I can only inform, not make someone do something. RDI works for every person on the spectrum. There's no way, any kids you know that are lfa, did RDI. Some of the things kids gain with RDI is the ability to borrow others perspectives, to enjoy collaboration, to have self awareness (no undies on the outside of the pants), reading body language, having flexible thinking, etc etc - no way anyone that has those abilities are more lfa than Charlie. ABA was never intended for autistic kids, no one tells you that of course. It was intended for children that were (so called) mentally retarded, and those kids, already have the functions our children do not.

Again, I doubt anyone will believe that. Took me an entire lifetime of searching for answers for myself, then a decade for my autistic child. Now I get it - I don't mean I get what autism is, I get what to DO ABOUT IT.

Just on the trailer, I saw missed opportunity after missed opportunity for Charlie, not that it was his parent's fault....it's not instinctive to teach instinct. That's a bit of a description of what RDI does, teaches the parent to enable their asd child to gain, what nt kids just gain automatically.

I feel so linked to all people on the spectrum, (naturally, since I'm on the spectrum). I dunno if this will exactly mean anything to you...but 2 days ago, for the first time in my life, I didn't want to live in 'Pleasantville'. It was an ongoing day dream of mine forever, to be able to see the day coming, before it came. I was convinced if I could do that, I could be happy. Sometime in high school is when I think that idea came to me. Very common for asd's actually I found out later. Well, I was shocked really, when I saw Pleasantville and thought, "I dunno if I'd want to live there, it might be a little boring". Actually, I was SCARED when I first thought that, I can't even tell you how unlike me that is. There are so many changes happening for me, all positive. Same for my son. It's all due to the fact that we are finally developing what I suppose you could call social IQ, I mean just referencing alone has been a blast! In RDI, referencing means that when you feel uncertain, you look at your mom (friend, big sister, husband) for direction or clarity. Nt's do it constantly. Vince and I never did. He's better than me now!

Most of all, I have a life no longer dominated by autism. It's like, I dunno, fifth on the list or something. Maybe tenth, depends on the day. It's for sure not number one. I didn't realize there was such a thing as autism not being number one, not just because of my autistic son, but because of having autism. I mean, it never stops. I always felt parallel to this world and everyone in it, and trust me, that's quite a feeling of distance to have, when you have it always. I feel like I'm coming out of a coma. I'm even reading body language, my son is AHEAD of me in that area!!! The only thing preventing my 100% happiness, is my inability to see everyone here enjoying what I am enjoying, which is seeing a happy kid with absolutely every chance for a fulfilling and happy life as an adult - and I don't mean "for an autistic" I mean for an nt, for anyone. The burden that has been lifted from me, I want to see everyone here have that.

Sorry, I'm just almost unloading or something here.

If your child has autism, unless you get to the root of the problem neurologically, but developing the neurology that has been stunted, how else can the child progress? I don't mean a child so allergic to dairy and grain can drink and eat all they want, and with RDI will be fine. And that is not a neurological issue anyhow. What helps our children gain self awareness - not reminders, not social stories, that's memorization. What about flexible thinking? What about noticing weather your contributions to a conversation are welcome, weather the other person is interested cause it's a shared conversation, what program or intervention does that?

Again, sorry. I just want so bad to see others here say "Well Mili, you finally drove me so nuts talking about RDI, I checked it out, and I couldn't believe it, why isn't this mandatory for every doctor and shrink to suggest to parents! It actually works!"

Hmmm. Is it too late to say Merry Christmas?

I just hope you see my drive and passion and wish to see every parent and every child, enjoy what I've been blessed enough to enjoy. I've never in all the years here, seen a child make progress (developmentally I mean) in such a way, a parent can no longer worry about autism, cause it's just no longer an issue. I want that for everyone. Everyone deserves this to come true, it should be normal here and now in 2007, for a child with autism to have the same shot at a future as nt kids, there is no longer any reason this should not be so other than not being able to get the RIGHT treatment, which is, developing those undeveloped milestones. It's a simple as that for autism. Co occurring conditions, of course, have their own individual treatments.

Anyhow, gosh, what a long post. If you don't believe me now, just store it in your mind someplace. When the opportunity arises, or when you create it, to begin RDI, you'll remember my words and be shocked that there's been an answer all along.