My Autism Insights

  image of Steve Wiebe from Wikimedia Commons

The King of Kong is not a movie about the autism spectrum, but I’m reviewing it here because throughout the 79 minute running time, I couldn’t help but to be overwhelmed by how many of the people in the documentary exhibited characteristics of OCD (and I really thought at least one guy had Asperger’s).  While I am in no position to say for sure that any person featured in the movie had such diagnoses, there were certainly a lot of symptoms being displayed.  The story was about the rivalry between the top two Donkey Kong players in the world (both have made the Guiness Book of World Records ) Steve Weibe and Billy Mitchell.

This was much more than just a story of video-gamers.  It became a truly epic story of a rivalry that’s gone on for years.  Mitchell originally broke the world record for Donkey Kong in 1982 and held the record until Wiebe broke it in 2003.  Last year, Mitchell reclaimed his title (in a public venue), and Wiebe as of last October became the second person to ever achieve a score over 1 million points in a public venue, but did not take the number 1 position back from Mitchell.

The most interesting thing to me about this rivalry is the level of intensity and obsession both men have with this game.  Yet, it has not impeded them from having successful lives (Mitchell owns a successful restaurant chain and Wiebe is a Science teacher in Washington).  Both have families, but if the film is to be believed, Wiebe at least has had times of putting his complete focus into his game.  His first record-breaking videotape has his son in the background screaming at him to stop playing (which he couldn’t if he was going to break the record).

On the other hand, the film depicts some apparently underhanded behavior from the Mitchell ‘camp’ in order for his record to stand.  Twin Galaxies, the organization that officiates these records, sent two people to take apart Wiebe’s game in order to verify that it wasn’t tampered with - initially against the permission of Wiebe’s wife.  I kept wondering how any of these people held jobs if they were so wrapped up in this competition.

At any rate, whether they have OCD or not, one bright spot that strikes me is that they’ve used their special skill set (and Donkey Kong is an extremely hard game to master, which I have on good authority from my game-obsessed husband) to achieved greatness within their own niche.  The movie goes from just a movie about ‘gamer geeks’ to a truly engaging underdog story.  Definitely well worth a watch.  And who knows, maybe one day Gus will win a world record for playing Pokemon.

Interesting question.  So we finally made it to the movies this afternoon to see Wall-E in the second-run theater.   What can I say about Wall-E?

I can say that the short, Presto, at the beginning of the movie was very cute and engaged Gus completely.

I can say that the first fifteen minutes of the movie were very entertaining to DH (dear husband) and me, but MM was a little disturbed and Gus was very interested in the pattern on the wall next to us.

I can say that the popcorn was really overpriced and not worth it - stale.

I can say there’s a good reason we went to see it for $2 instead of $7 or $9.

I can say we probably should have gone to see High School Musical 3 and we may have gotten 45 minutes out of our tickets instead of 15.

I can say I’m glad I waited to buy the DVD because the kids both found the beginning of the movie “sad” (Gus) and “scary” (MM).  They have no desire to watch further.

Is this a negative review of the movie?  Not at all, but I think we’ll be renting from Netflix if we ever want to find out what Eva was looking for.

  Tomorrow begins the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.  While I love having my kids home, there is always the problem of how to entertain them all by my lonesome.  That challenge is compacted right now because I’m working at home so there are deadlines, and more deadlines, and oh yeah look another deadline.  I’ve got editing to do by Friday; 4000 words to write by Monday; and a novel to finish before Sunday.  Then there’s that pesky holiday to get ready for on Thursday.  How do I accomplish all that and still keep two kids busy?  Clearly, I can’t, right?  Or can I?

I have this crazy idea that I can still make a Herculean push these last 5 days and get everything done.   I think I may have to give up a few extra hours of sleep this week, perhaps just not sleep the rest of the week.  I plan to bribe the children with a movie if they give me a few hours to work tomorrow - High School Musical 3.  Or maybe we’ll check out Wall-E at the second-run theater.  And while I am fully aware that attempting to take the both of them to a movie on my own is probably a good indicator the beginnings of a nervous breakdown, I’m going to try it anyway.

Could it be that I’m sounding like the breakdown’s already begun? Not quite - close, but not quite.  Just having a strange combination of manic energy and not wanting to do anything but listen to Twilight on audio - otherwise known as procrastination.  See, so why should my kids be cooped up because I’m a chronic procrastinator?

I’m not sure how the loudness will sit with Gus, and MM may get bored halfway through.  I fully expect that one will end up wanting to leave and the other will want to stay…or one will want to roam and the other will want to sit.  It will likely be a disaster.  But what’s one more disaster to the big dope who managed to get so overloaded with stuff to do?  We’ll just call it an adventure and move on.

Plus, it will give me something to blog about tomorrow, providing we’re all still in one piece.  My posting may be sparse for the next few days.  There’s only so many words my brain can process in a day.

So, if I don’t post tomorrow or the day after, wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving and wish me luck that my brain survives the next few days!

I’ve recently come across a book and a movie that I think are worth checking out if you have some time over the weekend.

  First a movie: Snowcake.  I reacently learned about this movie in which Sigourney Weaver magnificently plays an autistic adult who has just lost her daughter.  Aside from being a very moving film about redemption (not hers), the performance gives a fascinating perspective on the world of a person with autism and also the way neurotypical people interact with them.  One scene in particular got me a bit riled.  After the wake for her daughter, she starts to behave in a way that might be considered by some to be inappropriate to the situation, but she was in her own home.  A neighbor tries to stop her.  This annoyed me - I hate to see someone go into another’s home and then control what goes on there.  If you don’t like it, go the hell back to your own house!  Anyway, it’s an excellent film.

Kid, Parents, and Power Strugglesby Mary Sheedy Kurcinka - I read this about 2 months ago and I think I will flip through it again.  Some very concrete strategies for interacting with children sans power struggles.  What I found most compelling was that Kurcinka spends a lot of time looking at how a parent’s issues will influence their interaction with their child.  Although this book does not directly deal with parenting a child with autism, she does address how special needs change the playing field, unlike some other parenting books I’ve read.

If you’ve got any other recommendations, please feel free to share a comment!  Have a great Labor Day Weekend!

The Hollywood Reporter told that Clare Danes will star in the HBO special, set to start filming around October, about the life of Temple Grandin, one of the country’s leading speakers about autism. The film, which has taken close to a decade to get the green-light, will be directed by Mick Jackson.

Temple Grandin is autistic and also a top scientist in the field of handling livestock humanely. She’s the author of several books to educate on the topic of autism including Thinking in Pictures, Emergence: Labeled Autistic, and most recently Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships co-authored with Sean Barron.

Danes will portray the young Dr. Grandin up through her graduate studies.

The Autism Self Advocacy Network has created a public service video in response to the very offensive language used in Ben Stiller’s newest creation, Tropic Thunder. 

I’m surprised that Stiller, who I’ve typically liked as an actor and comedian, would be so blatantly offensive. 

A coalition of disability advocacy organizations are calling for a nationwide boycott of the film, which uses the word “retard” repeatedly in relation to Ben Stiller’s character: an actor who plays a character, Simple Jack (the name itself is pretty self explanatory and insulting), in an attempt to win an Oscar.  Satire is one thing; blatant disrespect and abuse is something entirely different.  And they probably didn’t even intend to be offensive; they probably never even gave the word a second thought, which speaks volumes about how the disabled are disregarded in this country.

Shame on Ben.  I won’t even be watching this one on DVD.

Edit:  Support the boycott

   Warner Bros.

My husband and I went to see The Dark Knight in IMAX this morning (absolutely LOVED it, by the way).  For two and a half hours, this is what I experienced:

Noises and explosions so loud I had to keep my ears covered for long periods of time.  Some of the sounds were so intense (any time a car was onscreen) that I could literally feel the vibrations through my body, and it became hard to breathe.

Stunning visuals so large and close that I couldn’t take them all in, let alone process them.  And any time Batman jumped from a building, I had to close my eyes because the sensation made me dizzy and a little ill.

I spent at least half the movie needing to go to the bathroom, which means I spent half the movie splitting my attention between the film and the internal dialog I was having with my bladder trying to get it to, “shut up so I can watch the movie!”

Hurting ears, visual overstimulation, internal distraction making it hard to focus.  It occurred to me that living with autism might be a little like being trapped inside an IMAX movie.  I always had the option to get up and leave, but an autistic person can’t just walk away from the sensory overload.  I wonder if more people saw it like that if they’d be a little more patient, understanding and empathetic.

 Kung Fu Panda Teaser Poster 

It is very rare that we take our kids to the movies. They’re usually too loud, too visually busy, and Gus has a hard time sitting still through them. I can count on one hand the number of movies we’ve been to. We decided to try again since it was a rainy holiday and the people who had invited us for a barbecue lost their power.

What a great movie Kung Fu Panda is! The entire family enjoyed it and this will probably be one that we add to our DVD collection. Jack Black and Dustin Hoffman were really wonderful, and my husband and I laughed probably more than the kids.

In general Kung Fu Panda is a nice family movie with some positive messages. It is the story of an overweight, clumsy and completely lovable Panda who dreams of becoming a Kung Fu master like his idols, the Furious Five: Tigress, Mantis, Viper, Monkey and Crane, who are all trained by the legendary Masters Shifu and Oogway. He learns to believe in himself and that being himself is the way to achieve his destiny. I will admit and caution, the fights are pretty violent for younger kids, and it gets scary at some points. But this was not a G rated film, so I wouldn’t criticize per se, just caution. There was one scene where the villain, a buffed up snow leopard warrior named Tai Lung, is strangling Master Shifu and that got a bit hard even for me to watch. Yet the fights were also beautifully choreographed/animated, and were better and easier on the eye than some live action movies I’ve seen. Pretty amazing.

The humor was funny, but not obnoxious. One reason we pass on most kids movies is that the language and humor is often geared toward adults and not appropriate for younger kids, or kids who perseverate and echo lots of things they hear. We have to be very careful what Gus watches because he’ll go and start spouting is at inappropriate times, like at school. Or he may mimic some of the behavior, as many kids do. There was a minimum, if any, of what could be considered potty humor or offensive language. Very respectfully done, but I would expect no less from Jack Black or Jackie Chan. These are two actors who have earned my trust when it comes to kids’ movies.

As far as elements that might set off an autistic child, this movie is loud, but not too bad, and it’s not constant. Gus didn’t cover his ears once. The fight scenes did seem a little too stimulating for him, as those were the points when he got the squirmiest. I think the visuals were moving too fast and were perhaps too bright for him. At ninety minutes, it was just the perfect length for a child who has trouble sitting still. The message that you can be ‘flawed’ and still rise to greatness is one that I always love for Gus to see.

All in all, I’d give Kung Fu Panda 4.75 out of 5 stars. It’s a worthwhile flick for any kid, and parents will have a good time as well.