THE A WORD

Bit disappointed that I have not seen anything on here regarding this drama series which has just finished it's run on BBC one. So will post myself and hopefully get some discussion going on it. I have a five year old autistic son, so feel well placed to pick out some personal likes and dislikes from the programme. I will say though, that overall I enjoyed it.

Likes:
1. The fact the BBC showed a primetime drama about this subject, albeit based on an Israeli tv show
2. A lot of the mannerisms and actions displayed by the Autistic boy Joe were accurate and very well portrayed by one so young.

Dislikes:
1. The show focussed too much on the story outside of the child. This programme could have done so much more to highlight issues of Autism
2. Only a couple of 'autistic' charactaristics were explored in any depth. And that was mostly by repeating the boy doing those actions time and again.

Overall, I think a chance has been missed with this programme. Why didnt they highlight the tantrums, and how long it can sometimes take to get a child back to relative normality from these tantrums? Apart from one instance in the first episode, the punching/kicking/biting/scratching problem that often accompanies a problem was left out of the story.

These are just some of my thoughts. As I say, wanted really to get a discussion going to see what others thought of it and their awareness of autism.

Thanks for reading

I must say, I am astounded and somewhat disappointed that this has not garnered a single reply. An issue as serious as Autism cannot create any discussion? But limericks/fantasy tv shows/fav comedians muster thousands of responses. Thought this site was better than that.

I thought it was an excellent drama series. I wouldn't know if the boy portrayed an autism lad convincingly but it looked real. I also enjoyed the sub plots, and the difference between the parents and how they dealt with it. Did anybody else think the father had a touch of autism? Not spectrum like, but a hint.
One thing that didn't ring true was the parents allowing their son to wander along a main road every morning. Would any sane parent allow this?