An article was published on the website "Autistic, Not Weird" today titled "Ten vital reasons to never, ever share an autism meltdown video." I've never had a meltdown before, but the idea of being filmed in the midst of one and the video then being uploaded to social media sites without my permission is a horrifying thought. The author of the article says that such videos are regularly shared under the guilt-assuaging banner of "autism awareness" when really, all told, it's just plain voyeurism. So anyway, I've copied out the first few paragraphs below followed by the link to the full article for those who wish to read it in its entirety.
By the way, I've noticed that the term "meltdown" is misunderstood by many people on the forum, who believe it means feeing very anxious and upset, so let's clear that up right quick: an autism meltdown is a complete and total loss of emotional control - crying hysterically, screaming, hitting oneself or others, falling to the floor, biting, kicking, etc.
(Side note: If you use Instagram, you might consider finding the "Autism Sucks" page mentioned in the article and politely reiterating the author's concerns, if indeed you agree with them.)
Ten vital reasons to never, ever share an autism meltdown video
by CaptainQuirk
We see them far too often. Videos of an autistic child (or adult) in extreme distress, shared across the internet in the glorious name of “autism awareness”, perhaps even with a divisive or gatekeeping comment such as “this is what real autism looks like”.
The motivation, of course, is to display the problems that all too often kept behind closed doors. And whereas the issues do need discussing and addressing, perhaps there’s a better way to do so than uploading a publicly viewable video of a vulnerable person experiencing levels of anxiety most humans can barely empathise with.
But aside from the distress of the autistic person, and that the video is publicly viewable… to me the most depressing part is looking in the corner and seeing that the video has had 53,000 shares or something. These are not videos taken by a parent to show to a relevant professional in a confidential environment (e.g. a diagnostician seeking evidence, or a teacher who doesn’t see a student’s home life). Under those circumstances, filming a meltdown is fine and – if handled appropriately – may even help the person's needs to be met. The videos referred to in this article are specifically taken to be uploaded and spread as widely as possible, privacy and dignity be damned.
This article isn’t directed at the people who might film a child in extreme distress, publicly upload it and call it “autism awareness”. Because let’s face it, Autistic Not Weird (and its Facebook community) probably isn’t the kind of place that would appeal to such people, what with my focus on autism empowerment, defining people by their strengths, and treating the vulnerable with uncompromising dignity.
This article is directed at the other 53,000 people, who give power to that video by spreading its influence. And who, knowingly or otherwise, put the autistic person in more danger with every share (trust me, I’ll go into plenty of reasoning later).
Link to full article:
Ten vital reasons to never, ever share an autism meltdown video - Autistic Not Weird
By the way, I've noticed that the term "meltdown" is misunderstood by many people on the forum, who believe it means feeing very anxious and upset, so let's clear that up right quick: an autism meltdown is a complete and total loss of emotional control - crying hysterically, screaming, hitting oneself or others, falling to the floor, biting, kicking, etc.
(Side note: If you use Instagram, you might consider finding the "Autism Sucks" page mentioned in the article and politely reiterating the author's concerns, if indeed you agree with them.)
Ten vital reasons to never, ever share an autism meltdown video
by CaptainQuirk
We see them far too often. Videos of an autistic child (or adult) in extreme distress, shared across the internet in the glorious name of “autism awareness”, perhaps even with a divisive or gatekeeping comment such as “this is what real autism looks like”.
The motivation, of course, is to display the problems that all too often kept behind closed doors. And whereas the issues do need discussing and addressing, perhaps there’s a better way to do so than uploading a publicly viewable video of a vulnerable person experiencing levels of anxiety most humans can barely empathise with.
But aside from the distress of the autistic person, and that the video is publicly viewable… to me the most depressing part is looking in the corner and seeing that the video has had 53,000 shares or something. These are not videos taken by a parent to show to a relevant professional in a confidential environment (e.g. a diagnostician seeking evidence, or a teacher who doesn’t see a student’s home life). Under those circumstances, filming a meltdown is fine and – if handled appropriately – may even help the person's needs to be met. The videos referred to in this article are specifically taken to be uploaded and spread as widely as possible, privacy and dignity be damned.
This article isn’t directed at the people who might film a child in extreme distress, publicly upload it and call it “autism awareness”. Because let’s face it, Autistic Not Weird (and its Facebook community) probably isn’t the kind of place that would appeal to such people, what with my focus on autism empowerment, defining people by their strengths, and treating the vulnerable with uncompromising dignity.
This article is directed at the other 53,000 people, who give power to that video by spreading its influence. And who, knowingly or otherwise, put the autistic person in more danger with every share (trust me, I’ll go into plenty of reasoning later).
Link to full article:
Ten vital reasons to never, ever share an autism meltdown video - Autistic Not Weird
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