@Stephii Anie May It is the same with my high functioning daughter. She’s introverted and has no friends, just acquaintances at school. But she loves horses and spends all her free time at the barn with her horse, who is her best friend, confidante, and psychiatrist. I’m so grateful she’s found a faithful friend. I hope you’ve found your passions and I wish you happiness.
seeing tom get his diagnosis made me so happy. Getting support early for autism is so important. I sometimes wonder how different my life would have been if I'd been diagnosed as a child; girls are very under diagnosed because autism often presents differently in us
That is an issue in the uk too. Im 24 in a matter of weeks and I believe i am on the spectrum, hate changes, no routine, struggle with sleep, struggle with food, self soothing. And meltdowns, my family don't understand. They wont help me get a diagnosis.
An autistic child very well might not eat even if hungry. I'm an autistic adult and even still if I don't have food that it "safe" for me, I literally cannot make myself eat. When I was younger, I wouldn't even try. You're incredibly ignorant, and wrong.
@¡ Yeb Bush ! If he really was a little shit they would have had all kinds of stories about him being mean to his little brother or to the baby or to the pets. But he didn't seem to do anything like that. He didn't seem mean or nasty at all.
I disagree with that one woman, Thomas was bothered by his behavior...his eyes looked troubled and he kept his hands at his face, which seemed like he was calming himself....I feel for that child he needs a calm, quiet atmosphere and that household is very chaotic!
Dana Jo He just wants a space away on his own That was the same with me i hated it when people would tell me to get in my room or get down stairs when i feel angry.
That's true but kids without a disability would be much more ashamed and have tried to stop their mother from showing it especially cause it'll be shown on tv.
Explains autism. Men while able to produce children at an older age the risks of things like autism and even down syndrome is a lot higher than with young men.
junbh2 Having a separate dining room is a middle class thing where I’m from in England. Our houses are much smaller compared to America. It’s common to combine two rooms together due to the lack of space.
After they talked about all the people in Tom's house, I started feeling suffocated myself. So many people packed in such a small space... I certainly couldn't handle it. I've had social anxiety since as far back as I can remember (though I didn't know what it was or even that it wasn't just normal until just before my last year of college) and I probably would have burned the house down rather than live with that many people on top of me all the time. Thank goodness he is getting some space to himself.
Dustin Rodriguez Not all of us grew up in big homes with wealthy parents. I grew up in a tiny house with one bathroom and had to share a bedroom. There was no place to be alone. There are far worse things in life.
@@lessehead I didn't grow up in a big house or with wealthy parents either. We were on food stamps at times, and we also only had 1 bathroom. My sister and I did have separate bedrooms, though, an attic that had been split, so small rooms with those sloping ceilings, etc. I am sure that being in a packed house wouldn't bother a lot of people, some might even prefer it. But I wouldn't be able to tolerate it personally. And of course there are worse things, there always are. I don't see how that matters.
Dustin Rodriguez I had no choice but to tolerate it. It was a very unhappy household, nonstop screaming. I stayed at my friends’ houses as often as possible and counted the days until college.
@@linmei8617 That's the experience of the majority of humanity throughout history, really. Private bedrooms and separate rooms for different activities didn't exist outside of palaces and homes of aristocracy until the Industrial Revolution. When they built factories and workers got packed in cities, the factories didn't pay young workers enough to raise families, so suddenly there were lots of babies no one could afford to feed. To solve that, they decided to kill sex. Separate bedrooms for parents and children were one of the major changes for that.
I actually cried watching Thomas on Christmas day hanging out all by himself clearly stressed out. Its so sad to see him so eager to make friends and take part in group activities but miss the mark completely. Hes so innocent and so cheery, its heartbreaking to hear him say he has no friends and cannot understand why. I really truly hope things got better for him.❤ He seems like such a cool dude, I loved his enthusiasm for the hoover and it made me laugh when he said his is called James (I guess this is a UK thing?) And that the hoover turns on and off while he pushes the button haha 20:37 then he says sarcastic people are liars and hes perplexed by how Santa manages to get into houses if the doors are locked lol. I thought it was lovely that they allowed him to take a break and that his dad takes him to those activity days on saturdays where hes able to have fun and feel like everyone is his friend. I love how supportive his family is. They never shame him but clearly just want to understand and help him.
God bless Thomas and his family. he is very intelligent boy and I don't believe his parents are lazy. what they do for him proves they care for him and love him! The diagnosis can help him to work on his behavior as he will understand why he is behaving like he is or reacting and what other people expect of him.
I am flabergasted that THOMAS's teachers did not pick up on this much much sooner. His poor mum has been ignored for years. the education system here has seriously let this young man down.
I don't know about these days but I bet teachers training on autism is down to a few hours lecture. When I was at school 1978 onwards to 1990 autism wasn't as widely known so teachers thought I was off, clingy to mum blsh blah even blamed my over maturity on having older parents as I liked more adult theatre shows etc than kids things always have ice I hated pantomimes but loved going to see royal ballet in nutcracker suite I was enthralled I think I was only kid there I believe I was aged ten then
@@Azariachan sure but it didnt sound like he'd watched the movie yet. Anyways does it really matter if he's watched it or not? 😂 i just thought *if* he hadnt watched it yet it would be funny to see his reaction
Thomas, what a beautiful child. Delighted he got his diagnosis. Like Mark at the end said, diagnoses was crucial to his development. Fantastic. Mark's success made me cry with joy. As for Jensen, the mum is the problem. Her shock over the allergy made her hyperfocus. Her face contorted into a rage when the doctors told her it was peanut and cat. She does realise that peanuts could be even in the vicinity or same factory as his food just because there is no peanut does not mean it's not come in contact. Also hives are common in kids and adults. Environment. Dust. Heat. Transfer of cat to their clothes. The tiny spot on the child's face just looks like those drool spots kids get by drooling or chaffing on the bottle. The 2yr old should be having meals with her or by himself not restricted in a high chair. He's an active child the high chair makes him feel imprisoned. Anyway best of luck to these children's. These program are brilliant and educational to other parents. Dr Ravi is an earth angel bless him as is Dr Dawn. ❤️💐
Thomas reminds me a little bit of myself as a kid. I had a lot of meltdowns (overstimulation), talked at people and took things extremely literally. I also had trouble reading facial expressions and nonverbal social cues. He is a great boy!!!!
Same as me. As an adult, I still have difficulties, but I do manage it better. Although I do see the advantages, the downsides of the condition do still cause me a lot of frustration. I wouldn't change my condition for the world, but there are times where I wish I could do the things that most others can.
MY 6-year-old was diagnosed with autism yesterday my tears won't stop but i will do everything to help my child he is such a sweetheart i thought that i faced all the worse pain in my life but to hear that my son have autism it tears me apart am trying to be strong because he needs me. this video made me cry a lot but gave me hope thank you
Rose Flower hey don’t despair. Just focus on his strong points and his loving heart. Find his superpowers and encourage them. You will do just fine, he is yours for a reason x
Seagull SG hello . thank you for your kind words I feel much better am doing research’s to see the things that will help him. I will do all the things that I can to help improve his life. Thanks again
That is horrific, autism is NOT a tragedy! And we are autistic, it’s our identity and majority of the autistic community wants identity first language as the default. Please respect that :) Crying over the child being autistic is so harmful and implies shame and embarrassment for being autistic. It’s not like your child got cancer… they just learnt their identity and that they aren’t difficult or lazy or weird, they are autistic
@@seagullsg784 not superpowers, listen to autistic people please. We don’t have powers and saying we do or implying so is harmful and incredibly dehumanising
My son is 12 he has never had friends. Never been invited to a party and never had any friends to invite to his party.. Boys are mean and bully him daily. My son is the most intelligent caring loving child out there. He has so much to give. He has adhd odd and anxiety. He doesn't sleep well . He is such a friendly boy. Yet kids look at him like he's a weirdo. It has smashed my heart to pieces. I dint no how to help him. I try so hard. Its impacting my mental health. Just be kind kids and give others a chance.
he'll be alright. my nephew was like that- very similar description. once e got comfortably into his teens, he started picking up friends- it took him a while of changing courses over the first year or two of university, now he's doing his PHD in nueroscince, and lives with his friends in London :) he went to a regular primary school, but when he went into his school his richer grandparents paid for him to go to a private school. I dont know if the different intake and atmosphere allowed him a better chance. regadless of this, if you keep him focused and have a supportive environment for him to find what he likes, the rest will come.
Thomas enjoys tinkering. He needs to be given the opportunity to explore that! A school that specializes in STEAM activities, could be a great place for him. Especially when those schools will be full of students that enjoy what he enjoys. He needs more people that understand him like his mom and dad do. Thomas could honestly be gifted.
jennabird I agree. People keep commenting like his parents should go buy a big house just so he can have his own room or something insane but if he went to a school where he could be himself and be comfortable with it and make friends he would be so much happier and I think his home life would be better as well.
Tom def has aspergers, he reminds me of me. so much. i didn't really have any friends either, it didn't really bother me as a kid since i had so many cousins i got to play with, plus i actually preferred to play by myself. but now im an adult. and having no friends is actually quite lonely. im in a great serious relationship atm, and it makes me sad that he has friends while i don't. but im happy for him, hes lucky. im just not easy to be around due to my severe anxiety.
I am pretty much the same as Thomas - rigid in thinking, bossy, obsessive, used to throw tantrums but have now stopped when in public. I’m very quiet and prefer to be alone and in a quiet environment. I asked my form teacher at school about it and she was adamant that I don’t have Aspergers, although she hasn’t seen me more than once a week for about 6 months in only one environment. I behave very similarly to a couple friends I have with aspergers. Being a girl, it’s easier to hide but I’ve noticed I’m so much different to others. Any advice?
@@tenyaiidasglasses6067 I’d recommend going to a specialist if you want to get diagnosed, 3 years ago I went to a doctor as my mum was adamant she wanted to get me diagnosed, unfortunately from my teachers reports I couldn’t be diagnosed because apparently I acted ‘perfectly fine at school’ and they weren’t allowed to take my mums word for my behaviour and outbursts at home. It was only when I went to a mental clinic due to my eating disorder (due to my anxiety and controlling obsessive autistic behaviour) that a specialist saw me and could tell straight away that I expressed traits of autism. Just because your tutor says you’re not doesn’t mean it’s true, you could be masking (not showing you’re autistic behaviour very common is aspergers girls) at school and as you say it’s only one environment, getting it diagnosed will definitely help as it means lots of help and support will open up to you, sorry this is long hope it helps
@@tenyaiidasglasses6067 I'd recommend seeing your GP and asking for a diagnosis - however the NHS waiting lists are very long so you might have to go private
Same, i actually figured it out watching this video and laughed because it felt like a missing puzzle piece was finally given to me but i also feel sad that this whole time i thought i was just dumb and cringey
I think Thomas was showing signs of anxiety when watching his tantrum on video. He kept putting his hands over his mouth and he looked quite anxious in the face to me.
He didn’t have a tantrum. Please educate yourself. He had a meltdown, a complete involuntary response to something triggering or anxiety causing. A tantrum is chosen behaviour to get what is wanted. Thomas had no intent of that, he was just struggling to process and reacting to a trigger.
Dr Ravi there in this documentary is the doctor who reported Licy ketvy the baby killing nurse to their bosses at their hospital. I recognize him because he gave an interview and explained how it was to to work with Lugy letby. I am happy to see that this good man works with the TV too to help other kids than only them in the hospital. He was the first person who reported Lucy letby btw. And no one listened and he was even forczd to say sorry to Lucy Letby. After all wht happened they saw that he is so intelligent and he sees when there is a problem. A great man
Diagnosis helps in many ways. Children sensitive to textures can be excused wearing standard school uniform; those with auditory or overstimulation sensitivity can be provided a quiet space. Carers can obtain a disabled parking permit and get free entry at many attractions. I learned this from a colleague who has two children, both high-functioning autistic but still quite a handful.
what lovely parents Thomas is blessed with. he will have a great life with that support and early diagnosis. im a 17 year old girl and was only diagnosed three weeks ago, meaning i got no support growing up and was just told to cope with my odd behaviors. its so important to intervene early. happy for him.
Samantic Pragmatic Disorder is a diagnosis my son had at the age of 5, then he was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome at 9. It's so important to get all parties on the same page to get statements in place before school, whether it's mainstream or SEN school. My husband and I had to fight lots of battles to get it, keep it and to make sure he got the best out of his support. Now 25 years later he's an amazing young man and now himself works with young people with SEN... Lots of love, patience and trust is required to jump each days hurdles and they will be many. My heart goes out to any parent and carer that is just beginning their battle, it's so much harder now to even get a diagnosis. Keep trying, you have to be their voice and no one knows your child better than you.
Is it just me or Thomas's parents seem to have an extreme age gap. Im trying not to judge but the Mother only looks in her 20's and I thought Dad was actually Grandad and in his 60's.
You can't help but be sad for Thomas when he said he had no friends and couldn't understand why, the poor child. I love that he got his own shed at the end - I wish I had one of my own! Good for him! I hope he's had a nicer time at school since this documentary was filmed.
The parents seem to be needing help with some type of compulsive disorder like hoarding or something, or it could just be that they have more kids than they can handle 🤷🏻♀️
my youngest has autism the behaviors Thomas shows are clear signs! Mine son was diagnosed doing these things at 2 1/2 he is 18 now. We still had rules like you would for any other child. Set Limits they work.
It’s heartbreaking how many autistic children grew up being called “naughty” and “bad” and “sick” day in and day out because nobody understood their needs.
I totally relate to Thomas. When I have an interest, it’s practically an obsession. It’s all I talk about, if I’m not careful. Even when I try to be careful, I know I drive other people crazy, but if I just don’t talk, then people think I’m stuck up or plain weird. At present, I have one friend. In school, I didn’t have friends after first grade. In Kindergarten and first grade, I had one friend. Once she moved away, I didn’t have any friends. My interests are not typical, in fact, others think they’re plain weird and “abnormal.” But that’s how I form friendships, over shared interests. I can’t “read” people or faces. Social cues elude me with other adults. With young children and animals, it’s quite different. I think I’m on the spectrum, but is it really worth getting diagnosed at age 63?
Tom has no friends because he is overstimulated at home and just doesn’t need more. I think this kid is a future ESA or NASA scientist. But great parents. They seek for help. I know a lot parents who would have just ignored his problems.
I don’t know how old the dad is but studies have shown that there is a link of autism and couples who’ve had babies later in life particularly the father. From some of the families that I met who’ve had children diagnosed with autism they were older couples (this isn’t the case always) but it’s common .
i think thomas might have aspergers, or as its known as now ASD, and i can relate to him in some ways. he seems to have a fixation with lego and talks about it a lot, and its a thing i experience too. i have aspergers myself and i have a big fixation with stuff like video games, especially team fortress 2, my favourite game. like with thomas, i talk about it pretty much every day with my friends and i talk about it a LOT. it can get to the point where i talk about it for hours and luckily, my other friends like it too. thomas also seems to have difficulty with social situations, like eye contact. but when asked about those certain topics he seems very social and engaging. its a problem with me too. i dont really make eye contact with people and i often speak in a sort of monotone way like thomas does. sometimes people with aspergers have trouble with getting jokes. he seems to completely miss the punchline of jokes, such as the helicopter in the parking lot thing (yes because people obviously park helicopters in car parks). this happens with me too sometimes, although not as much since i make a lot of jokes myself. sometimes it takes longer for me to figure out a joke and i dont always get them right away, but i seem to figure it out in a few seconds. angry outbursts are a thing of the past for me. i eventually figured it out of my own to just keep everything inside buuuutt that really probably isnt too healthy (i blame my grade 6 teacher who was pretty much abusive). thomas seems to get upset at change or chaotic and loud situations, and i still do sometimes (i express it as a groan of fisgust or complaining though). i can deal with chaotic situations, i mean, i _am_ a chaotic situation, but thomas' brain doesnt really know how to cope with it so he does the only thing he knows how: lashing out. now im not a doctor and ive never met thomas before, so dont take this as a diagnosis. i dont think thomas is a naughty or bad child, i just think he has trouble in some situations and just acts odd because thats how his brain works. he may need a little more discipline though and again, im not saying he has aspergers, so maybe hes just an odd child. i dunno.
I have aspergers as well... and can go on all day about trains, pokemon, and legos :) I've found though, that meeting more people with the same diagnoses has helped with making friends
@Rachel is My Angel non existent? its been proven by science and medical research because not every autistic person is the same, so i dont think its non existent.
@Rachel is My Angel i wasnt saying that autism and aspergers are the same thing, well, not low functioning anyway. autism isnt always low functioning. its just that aspergers is on the same spectrum as autism. one end is low, in which people affected cam be severely disabled and need an adult with them, and the other end is high, meaning they can function by themselves, but are still a bit disabled and need help with some things. im not sure how to explain it that well so heres some links: www.helpguide.org/articles/autism-learning-disabilities/autism-spectrum-disorders.htm searching up aspergers will greet you with a brief overview of it, and it does say that aspergers is on the spectrum. www.autism.org.uk/about/what-is/asperger.aspx
I saw the first few seconds of the documentary and instantly said that Thomas was autistic. I’m also autistic but am a lot different to him and enjoy hanging out with other people, I need time out afterwards but I enjoy it. I know a lot about both autism and ADHD and have researched both
I honestly can relate to Thomas I am on the autism spectrum myself and I shared similar traits like him when I was younger. I didn’t have many friends in school when i was younger at all. I had simular interests of legos and also loved video games and would talk about them for hours to the point other people found it annoying. I feel that Thomas gets frustrated also because he knows he doesn’t really have anybody at school which I think adds on to his anger outbursts.
I also don't have friends. Doesn't matter how hard I tried, nobody wants to be friends with me and I don't know why, because I was always nice to everyone.
He reminds me of how I acted and behaved as a child. I’ve never been tested for autism in my life. My brother also shows many symptoms of autism but like me he’s never been tested he’s currently 11 years old and he doesn’t have a lot of friends and is very lonely.
I'm going through the process of being tested for autism and its horrible it's such a long process I'm in year 10 and I've struggled with school for aslong as I can remember it's taken my whole life for me to get as far as I have and its horrible
The little boy with the food problem clearly had the worst fake cry ever. And mom just kept feeding into it. He knows all he has to do is do a awful fake cry and she will jump up and run to make something else and continue on. When my son throws his food guess what, it’s taken away and that’s that. Exactly what the doctors said, it’s a game to him and they do think it’s hilarious so obviously if mom allows it why wouldn’t he continue on?!
Thomas’s mom is a child too. The Dad is 60+ and the moms is clearly child or was when she had Thomas. There is something off about them and that old man needs to be investigated
my baby sister refused to eat as after she was weaned, too, and there was never a diagnosis, but my mum tried a lot of things and in the end she resorted to making fresh, whole wheat meals that were completely home made, down to making the flour in a little kitchen mill, she basically went on a healthy trip, and my sister started to eat everything
Lucky ... my case is the opposite , my mom was a health nut , she made the flour at home and grew half of our veggies in the kitchen garden , but my sibling refused to eat anything except processed , fatty snacks until he entered school and his teacher and my parents forced him to atleast touch a healthy meal
Thomas reminds be of myself when I was a child. My mum and her sister tried so hard to get me diagnosed with something so they would understand how they could help me yet nobody wanted to help. I don’t know if there is anything wrong with me but I know I behaved the same way as Thomas growing up.
Yes I have watched him and he appears to be consistent in his own mindset To explore and discover things his own way . His mind is never stopping information and stimulus Therefore his body moves with his frustration of understanding the moment. He is not a bad child He is a different learner.
thank you Mark for your part as it warm my heart, as I was told by one doctor that my son is too stupid to have Aspergers as he have issues with talking - she completely ignored the fact that my son at 2 years knew alphabet- recognised all the letters in words and could count in 3 languages to 10 - name the numbers at random ...
That doctor is incredibly ableist especially for using the term “stupid”, that is so so ableist. But know Aspergers is an outdated term no longer a diagnosis in most countries and was named after a Nazi who created the term to differentiate autistic children into categories of their usefulness to Nazism :( I am autistic and Aspergers is autism, Aspergers is also used too often as supremacy to other autistics
Me too!! I am autistic and came here with a lot of anxiety about harmful language being used and stereotypes and misinformation but am amazed how they have listed to actually autistics about what we want. My only anxiety with this video is some comments using harmful language
It's really sad to think there are gonna be thousands of children who'll never hav the opportunity to be evaluated in depth like this and they'll grow into adults wit problems that'll affect der whole lives..
My son is 21 and is getting himself tested for a variety of thinfs such as high functioning autism qnd ADHD, etc. He had a lot of autistic tendencies from age 4/5 yo. Such as hating textures, changes... liking playing alone and needing routines.. But i had a lot of electives in college such as early childhood development, socialogy and psychology, etc while i was getting a degree in Engineering. I had a lot of health problems after having my son so i ended up as a SAHM. I was able to help my son learn to play and chat with others..taught him how to play games and lose games, etc. i also knew to give him space when he had a flip out/became overwhelmed.. i arranged lots of opportunities to play with and interact with other kids and adults..
I get your intent but he isn’t strong, or weak either. You are pushing harmful ideas that being autistic is some kind of superpower. It isn’t. It’s just a different perspective on the world.
“Children with Autism find that very difficult.” Well, for the most part, yes, that would be called Alexithymia, roughly 85% of the people affected have trouble with emotion recognition. I am not one of those kinds of autistics. There are different social impairments.
It's kinda strange how they talk about autism at the end of the video. They say that very many people with autism aren't able to live an independent life. That is true but they fail to mention that it is a wide spectrum and that many of those who can't live alone aren't even able to talk or do daily stuff like cooking whilst most people who are diagnosed with aspergers or high functioning autism are actually pretty much able to do all that. Sure it's helpful to give them some support in understanding emotions and socialising but they let it seem as if it's such a severe disability that you can't do anything at all without help.
@Lisa K I did not get that impression. Those are facts; when this was produced only 15% of autistic persons were employed full time. Can’t change facts. But they gave a great deal hope by interviewing Mark, who is highly successful and on the spectrum.
At the beginning of these videos I always think they just need Nanny 911/Super nanny. But it ends up being way more complicated and I feel like a jerk for thinking that.
“At risk for autism” Excuse me, autism is a neurotype, NOT a disease or cancer or illness with risks or warning signs. There’s no risk, autism isn’t bad or less. It’s just DIFFERENT
Thank you!! I like watching these older documentaries but man some of the language they use really gets to me, autism is always highlighted as negative??? The parents always react like their child has cancer or something and its honestly pretty sad that they react that way to their child Also the use of the 'high-functioning' label from a literal professional when its not even a medical term :/ sorry for the long reply (I am autistic, I ramble a lot haha)
The weaning advice is SO spot on. We gave our child only green vegetables fpr the first month of weaning, then moved onto other vegetables, then carbs. She was eeaning for maybe 4 months before we gave her some fruit and a year old before she got ANYTHING sweet- a scone with raisins with barely any sugar in it. Is she a good eater now? You bet. She's 4.5 and she'll eat ANYTHING
I'm so happy he finally has a diagnosis. I have a grandson on the Autism Spectrum with sensory processing disorder. I know Thomas mom is frustrated, but she looks hateful. His Dad seems more involved with him. Praying for Thomas and Jensen right now. 🙏❤
I speak from experience when I say that the frustration and pure exhaustion is very very real. Being at your wits end, can weigh on you. Your love for your child isn't less, but when you constantly hit a wall over and over again you can start to disassociate from the problem and start to seem cold or distant. It is exhausting
The paediatrician in these documentaries, Ravi, has made 3 appearances on The Weakest Link: he holds the record for winning the highest amount of money on the daytime editions.
I think Thomas’ family made an appearance on Supernanny. It was one of those Q & A type set ups in a shopping centre a number of years ago, that she used to do. Showed a few minutes with them. I recently binge watched a number of episodes. Anyone else see it?
Im extremely late, but i know what it's like to be that kid with no friends. Im 16, and I still have zero friends. I have never had a friend, and it gets really lonely. I also sat and ate alone. Not only did i feel so alone, i also dont really have a relationship with my family.
Hearing Thomas say nobody wants to play with him breaks my heart 😭
My childhood 😧 I had high functioning autism lucky I was extremely introverted so it didn't bother me so much.
@Stephii Anie May It is the same with my high functioning daughter. She’s introverted and has no friends, just acquaintances at school. But she loves horses and spends all her free time at the barn with her horse, who is her best friend, confidante, and psychiatrist. I’m so grateful she’s found a faithful friend. I hope you’ve found your passions and I wish you happiness.
@@pinkmonkeybird2644 thanks 😊 I have been better than I ever expected
@@stephiianiemay8059 I've got high functioning autism also
@@pinkmonkeybird2644 I have high functioning autism from a seizure
seeing tom get his diagnosis made me so happy. Getting support early for autism is so important. I sometimes wonder how different my life would have been if I'd been diagnosed as a child; girls are very under diagnosed because autism often presents differently in us
That is an issue in the uk too. Im 24 in a matter of weeks and I believe i am on the spectrum, hate changes, no routine, struggle with sleep, struggle with food, self soothing. And meltdowns, my family don't understand. They wont help me get a diagnosis.
@@meganjones1326 I believe there are charities like Autism UK that might be able to help! They could help you to get a diagnosis :)
I was 30 when I got diagnosed with Autism.
@@frannychoo2 your right
@@meganjones1326 your an adult you need to do things on your own and go to a doctor , not blame your parents for not helping you.
A lot of children don’t eat on a regular schedule. Most will eventually get hungry and ask for food. I wish we had more footage.
This is how it should work........
An autistic child very well might not eat even if hungry. I'm an autistic adult and even still if I don't have food that it "safe" for me, I literally cannot make myself eat. When I was younger, I wouldn't even try. You're incredibly ignorant, and wrong.
Thomas sounds like a cool person to be friends with
@¡ Yeb Bush ! If he really was a little shit they would have had all kinds of stories about him being mean to his little brother or to the baby or to the pets. But he didn't seem to do anything like that. He didn't seem mean or nasty at all.
@@noahneverasked3651 You are special just the way you are!
@@junbh2 typed hat
Yes Dillon...I can relate to Thomas.
I disagree with that one woman, Thomas was bothered by his behavior...his eyes looked troubled and he kept his hands at his face, which seemed like he was calming himself....I feel for that child he needs a calm, quiet atmosphere and that household is very chaotic!
Dana Jo
He just wants a space away on his own
That was the same with me i hated it when people would tell me to get in my room or get down stairs when i feel angry.
That's true but kids without a disability would be much more ashamed and have tried to stop their mother from showing it especially cause it'll be shown on tv.
@@Lisa2206xP good point, I didn't think of that
I didn't like that they called it a tantrum.
Not going to lie I thought Toms dad was his grandad
Same
yup.
Explains autism. Men while able to produce children at an older age the risks of things like autism and even down syndrome is a lot higher than with young men.
He's appears to be a caring Dad regardless
Lol, I was thinking that except that I was wondering if it was his moms' grandfather and his great grandfather!
I would love an update on these children to see how they are doing now that they are receiving the support they need.
Why is the baby eating his meals alone in the living room? Is he not allowed at the table with the rest of the family? It looks very awkward.
junbh2 Having a separate dining room is a middle class thing where I’m from in England. Our houses are much smaller compared to America. It’s common to combine two rooms together due to the lack of space.
@@EmilyWalters yeah your right, where we come from (England) we don't have the space sometimes.
Where I'm from the whole family finds a way to eats at the table all together. Its important for a child's development
Or he throws food all the time, But it would be a bad idea to leave your kid alone.
I never ate at the table lol
After they talked about all the people in Tom's house, I started feeling suffocated myself. So many people packed in such a small space... I certainly couldn't handle it. I've had social anxiety since as far back as I can remember (though I didn't know what it was or even that it wasn't just normal until just before my last year of college) and I probably would have burned the house down rather than live with that many people on top of me all the time. Thank goodness he is getting some space to himself.
Dustin Rodriguez Not all of us grew up in big homes with wealthy parents. I grew up in a tiny house with one bathroom and had to share a bedroom. There was no place to be alone. There are far worse things in life.
@@lessehead I didn't grow up in a big house or with wealthy parents either. We were on food stamps at times, and we also only had 1 bathroom. My sister and I did have separate bedrooms, though, an attic that had been split, so small rooms with those sloping ceilings, etc. I am sure that being in a packed house wouldn't bother a lot of people, some might even prefer it. But I wouldn't be able to tolerate it personally. And of course there are worse things, there always are. I don't see how that matters.
Dustin Rodriguez I had no choice but to tolerate it. It was a very unhappy household, nonstop screaming. I stayed at my friends’ houses as often as possible and counted the days until college.
I grow up with my parent in a 1 room apartment which function as bedroom siting room dining room with no toilet and the corridor is the kitchen .
@@linmei8617 That's the experience of the majority of humanity throughout history, really. Private bedrooms and separate rooms for different activities didn't exist outside of palaces and homes of aristocracy until the Industrial Revolution. When they built factories and workers got packed in cities, the factories didn't pay young workers enough to raise families, so suddenly there were lots of babies no one could afford to feed. To solve that, they decided to kill sex. Separate bedrooms for parents and children were one of the major changes for that.
Thomas actually seems like a really sweet person. Hope him and his family are doing well
I actually cried watching Thomas on Christmas day hanging out all by himself clearly stressed out. Its so sad to see him so eager to make friends and take part in group activities but miss the mark completely. Hes so innocent and so cheery, its heartbreaking to hear him say he has no friends and cannot understand why. I really truly hope things got better for him.❤ He seems like such a cool dude, I loved his enthusiasm for the hoover and it made me laugh when he said his is called James (I guess this is a UK thing?) And that the hoover turns on and off while he pushes the button haha 20:37 then he says sarcastic people are liars and hes perplexed by how Santa manages to get into houses if the doors are locked lol.
I thought it was lovely that they allowed him to take a break and that his dad takes him to those activity days on saturdays where hes able to have fun and feel like everyone is his friend. I love how supportive his family is. They never shame him but clearly just want to understand and help him.
God bless Thomas and his family. he is very intelligent boy and I don't believe his parents are lazy. what they do for him proves they care for him and love him!
The diagnosis can help him to work on his behavior as he will understand why he is behaving like he is or reacting and what other people expect of him.
My psychiatrist said same on letter I was given that people will need to make reasonable adjustments for how I am
I was exactly like this as a child, And after a long 29 years I finally got diagnosed with Autism, There just isn't enough support out there.
I am flabergasted that THOMAS's teachers did not pick up on this much much sooner. His poor mum has been ignored for years. the education system here has seriously let this young man down.
I don't know about these days but I bet teachers training on autism is down to a few hours lecture.
When I was at school 1978 onwards to 1990 autism wasn't as widely known so teachers thought I was off, clingy to mum blsh blah even blamed my over maturity on having older parents as I liked more adult theatre shows etc than kids things always have ice I hated pantomimes but loved going to see royal ballet in nutcracker suite I was enthralled I think I was only kid there I believe I was aged ten then
when he started talking about his teddy coming alive, i was thinking so much about what will happen when he comes across the movie 'Ted'
Omg lmao 😂
Or Calvin and Hobbes
maybe he already watched - and that is why he is saying that...
@@paulagap2222 lol i doubt he'd be allowed to watch that movie at his age
@@Azariachan sure but it didnt sound like he'd watched the movie yet. Anyways does it really matter if he's watched it or not? 😂 i just thought *if* he hadnt watched it yet it would be funny to see his reaction
Thomas, what a beautiful child. Delighted he got his diagnosis. Like Mark at the end said, diagnoses was crucial to his development. Fantastic. Mark's success made me cry with joy.
As for Jensen, the mum is the problem. Her shock over the allergy made her hyperfocus. Her face contorted into a rage when the doctors told her it was peanut and cat. She does realise that peanuts could be even in the vicinity or same factory as his food just because there is no peanut does not mean it's not come in contact. Also hives are common in kids and adults. Environment. Dust. Heat. Transfer of cat to their clothes.
The tiny spot on the child's face just looks like those drool spots kids get by drooling or chaffing on the bottle.
The 2yr old should be having meals with her or by himself not restricted in a high chair. He's an active child the high chair makes him feel imprisoned.
Anyway best of luck to these children's. These program are brilliant and educational to other parents. Dr Ravi is an earth angel bless him as is Dr Dawn. ❤️💐
Thomas reminds me a little bit of myself as a kid. I had a lot of meltdowns (overstimulation), talked at people and took things extremely literally. I also had trouble reading facial expressions and nonverbal social cues. He is a great boy!!!!
Same as me. As an adult, I still have difficulties, but I do manage it better. Although I do see the advantages, the downsides of the condition do still cause me a lot of frustration.
I wouldn't change my condition for the world, but there are times where I wish I could do the things that most others can.
so sad when that boy says he has no friends :(
It broke my heart too.. 😞
I had no friends in public school either.
I had no friends in real life either
what's sad is not telling the kid he's an asshole, that's why he has no friends even his siblings are giving him a wide berth
what u talkin about, it's fucking hilarious
Thomas is a mechanical engineer, he likes to design and build with legos, and he's fascinated by mechanical equipment
The dad looks like he could be the grandpa!!!
exactly what I was thinking ahah
I've noticed that there are a lot of older men with very young children in the UK.... I'm starting to think its common
@@subekennedy9554 We love our Sugar Daddies ;)
That Thing that’s not true
@@fredlee9362 yeah hes/she's right that's not true
MY 6-year-old was diagnosed with autism yesterday my tears won't stop but i will do everything to help my child he is such a sweetheart i thought that i faced all the worse pain in my life but to hear that my son have autism it tears me apart am trying to be strong because he needs me. this video made me cry a lot but gave me hope thank you
Rose Flower hey don’t despair. Just focus on his strong points and his loving heart. Find his superpowers and encourage them. You will do just fine, he is yours for a reason x
Seagull SG hello . thank you for your kind words I feel much better am doing research’s to see the things that will help him. I will do all the things that I can to help improve his life. Thanks again
stay strong because your son is still the same person, you just now know how to deal with him better. sending love xx
That is horrific, autism is NOT a tragedy! And we are autistic, it’s our identity and majority of the autistic community wants identity first language as the default. Please respect that :)
Crying over the child being autistic is so harmful and implies shame and embarrassment for being autistic. It’s not like your child got cancer… they just learnt their identity and that they aren’t difficult or lazy or weird, they are autistic
@@seagullsg784 not superpowers, listen to autistic people please. We don’t have powers and saying we do or implying so is harmful and incredibly dehumanising
My son is 12 he has never had friends. Never been invited to a party and never had any friends to invite to his party.. Boys are mean and bully him daily. My son is the most intelligent caring loving child out there. He has so much to give. He has adhd odd and anxiety. He doesn't sleep well . He is such a friendly boy. Yet kids look at him like he's a weirdo. It has smashed my heart to pieces. I dint no how to help him. I try so hard. Its impacting my mental health. Just be kind kids and give others a chance.
he'll be alright.
my nephew was like that- very similar description.
once e got comfortably into his teens, he started picking up friends- it took him a while of changing courses over the first year or two of university, now he's doing his PHD in nueroscince, and lives with his friends in London :)
he went to a regular primary school, but when he went into his school his richer grandparents paid for him to go to a private school.
I dont know if the different intake and atmosphere allowed him a better chance.
regadless of this, if you keep him focused and have a supportive environment for him to find what he likes, the rest will come.
I am so sorry to hear this, have you spoken to his teachers?
Thomas enjoys tinkering. He needs to be given the opportunity to explore that! A school that specializes in STEAM activities, could be a great place for him. Especially when those schools will be full of students that enjoy what he enjoys. He needs more people that understand him like his mom and dad do. Thomas could honestly be gifted.
jennabird I agree. People keep commenting like his parents should go buy a big house just so he can have his own room or something insane but if he went to a school where he could be himself and be comfortable with it and make friends he would be so much happier and I think his home life would be better as well.
unfortunately those schools arent widespread in the UK for people his age
Thank you! Very informative. I have a son a lot like Thomas.
Melissa I do as well & he was recently diagnosed
I only got diagnosed when I was 14. These families are lucky.
If you are female there is less understanding of ASD presentation 😞 My best friend is 27 and going through diagnosis now. I hope you are doing well 🌸
I was diagnosed autistic at 14 too, it was so liberating knowing why I was different!
My son didn't get diagnosed till he was 21. Yes they are lucky to get diagnosed at that age.
@@JessicaceI was in my late forties when a psychiatrist said properly autistic I'm struggling with sleep also
Tom def has aspergers, he reminds me of me. so much. i didn't really have any friends either, it didn't really bother me as a kid since i had so many cousins i got to play with, plus i actually preferred to play by myself. but now im an adult. and having no friends is actually quite lonely. im in a great serious relationship atm, and it makes me sad that he has friends while i don't. but im happy for him, hes lucky. im just not easy to be around due to my severe anxiety.
My son's anxiety is much better with vitamin D.
I am pretty much the same as Thomas - rigid in thinking, bossy, obsessive, used to throw tantrums but have now stopped when in public. I’m very quiet and prefer to be alone and in a quiet environment. I asked my form teacher at school about it and she was adamant that I don’t have Aspergers, although she hasn’t seen me more than once a week for about 6 months in only one environment. I behave very similarly to a couple friends I have with aspergers. Being a girl, it’s easier to hide but I’ve noticed I’m so much different to others. Any advice?
@@tenyaiidasglasses6067 I’d recommend going to a specialist if you want to get diagnosed, 3 years ago I went to a doctor as my mum was adamant she wanted to get me diagnosed, unfortunately from my teachers reports I couldn’t be diagnosed because apparently I acted ‘perfectly fine at school’ and they weren’t allowed to take my mums word for my behaviour and outbursts at home. It was only when I went to a mental clinic due to my eating disorder (due to my anxiety and controlling obsessive autistic behaviour) that a specialist saw me and could tell straight away that I expressed traits of autism. Just because your tutor says you’re not doesn’t mean it’s true, you could be masking (not showing you’re autistic behaviour very common is aspergers girls) at school and as you say it’s only one environment, getting it diagnosed will definitely help as it means lots of help and support will open up to you, sorry this is long hope it helps
@@tenyaiidasglasses6067 I'd recommend seeing your GP and asking for a diagnosis - however the NHS waiting lists are very long so you might have to go private
Same, i actually figured it out watching this video and laughed because it felt like a missing puzzle piece was finally given to me but i also feel sad that this whole time i thought i was just dumb and cringey
I think Thomas was showing signs of anxiety when watching his tantrum on video. He kept putting his hands over his mouth and he looked quite anxious in the face to me.
He didn’t have a tantrum. Please educate yourself. He had a meltdown, a complete involuntary response to something triggering or anxiety causing. A tantrum is chosen behaviour to get what is wanted. Thomas had no intent of that, he was just struggling to process and reacting to a trigger.
Dr Ravi there in this documentary is the doctor who reported Licy ketvy the baby killing nurse to their bosses at their hospital. I recognize him because he gave an interview and explained how it was to to work with Lugy letby. I am happy to see that this good man works with the TV too to help other kids than only them in the hospital.
He was the first person who reported Lucy letby btw. And no one listened and he was even forczd to say sorry to Lucy Letby. After all wht happened they saw that he is so intelligent and he sees when there is a problem. A great man
Diagnosis helps in many ways. Children sensitive to textures can be excused wearing standard school uniform; those with auditory or overstimulation sensitivity can be provided a quiet space. Carers can obtain a disabled parking permit and get free entry at many attractions. I learned this from a colleague who has two children, both high-functioning autistic but still quite a handful.
Autism/ADHD doesn't excuse bad behaviour, but it does make it harder (coming from someone with both)
I feel for Thomas, he must find it so hard 😢
5:20 the dad is a legend
what lovely parents Thomas is blessed with. he will have a great life with that support and early diagnosis. im a 17 year old girl and was only diagnosed three weeks ago, meaning i got no support growing up and was just told to cope with my odd behaviors. its so important to intervene early. happy for him.
I’m so sorry Robyn-I’m sure you still turned out to be a lovely human. I wish you would have gotten more support though. ❤
I love so much that they made Thomas a little man shed! Lovely parents❤
I have a question. How come Jensen eats alone? Just curious
Samantic Pragmatic Disorder is a diagnosis my son had at the age of 5, then he was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome at 9.
It's so important to get all parties on the same page to get statements in place before school, whether it's mainstream or SEN school. My husband and I had to fight lots of battles to get it, keep it and to make sure he got the best out of his support.
Now 25 years later he's an amazing young man and now himself works with young people with SEN...
Lots of love, patience and trust is required to jump each days hurdles and they will be many.
My heart goes out to any parent and carer that is just beginning their battle, it's so much harder now to even get a diagnosis. Keep trying, you have to be their voice and no one knows your child better than you.
22:31 the Buddy bench haven’t thought about that since elementary school
Is it just me or Thomas's parents seem to have an extreme age gap. Im trying not to judge but the Mother only looks in her 20's and I thought Dad was actually Grandad and in his 60's.
You can't help but be sad for Thomas when he said he had no friends and couldn't understand why, the poor child. I love that he got his own shed at the end - I wish I had one of my own! Good for him! I hope he's had a nicer time at school since this documentary was filmed.
I think it would help the boy if the house was less full of stuff everywhere because he gets easily overwhelmed
The parents seem to be needing help with some type of compulsive disorder like hoarding or something, or it could just be that they have more kids than they can handle 🤷🏻♀️
my youngest has autism the behaviors Thomas shows are clear signs! Mine son was diagnosed doing these things at 2 1/2 he is 18 now. We still had rules like you would for any other child. Set Limits they work.
It’s heartbreaking how many autistic children grew up being called “naughty” and “bad” and “sick” day in and day out because nobody understood their needs.
I totally relate to Thomas. When I have an interest, it’s practically an obsession. It’s all I talk about, if I’m not careful. Even when I try to be careful, I know I drive other people crazy, but if I just don’t talk, then people think I’m stuck up or plain weird. At present, I have one friend. In school, I didn’t have friends after first grade. In Kindergarten and first grade, I had one friend. Once she moved away, I didn’t have any friends. My interests are not typical, in fact, others think they’re plain weird and “abnormal.” But that’s how I form friendships, over shared interests. I can’t “read” people or faces. Social cues elude me with other adults. With young children and animals, it’s quite different. I think I’m on the spectrum, but is it really worth getting diagnosed at age 63?
Ask yourself how your life would be different (or not) if you had a diagnosis of autism. That is your guiding light.
Tom has no friends because he is overstimulated at home and just doesn’t need more. I think this kid is a future ESA or NASA scientist. But great parents. They seek for help. I know a lot parents who would have just ignored his problems.
0:07 the parent “s” are trying to keep them under control
Dad is just walking by
Moms trying to keep the kids controlled
Discipline
I thought his father was the Grandfather, because the mother looks so young compared to her husband.
we have a family friend called tom. known him all my life and all my life hes been obsessed with hoovers
Is his house super clean then?
We not going to talk about the fact the dad looks at least 40 years older than the mom 😬
They seem happy
Yes !!! That's what I thought too !
I don’t know how old the dad is but studies have shown that there is a link of autism and couples who’ve had babies later in life particularly the father. From some of the families that I met who’ve had children diagnosed with autism they were older couples (this isn’t the case always) but it’s common .
Apologies, at first I thought you meant the bearded fella. Then I saw the old man...
I was looking for this comment 😂
i think thomas might have aspergers, or as its known as now ASD, and i can relate to him in some ways.
he seems to have a fixation with lego and talks about it a lot, and its a thing i experience too. i have aspergers myself and i have a big fixation with stuff like video games, especially team fortress 2, my favourite game. like with thomas, i talk about it pretty much every day with my friends and i talk about it a LOT. it can get to the point where i talk about it for hours and luckily, my other friends like it too.
thomas also seems to have difficulty with social situations, like eye contact. but when asked about those certain topics he seems very social and engaging. its a problem with me too. i dont really make eye contact with people and i often speak in a sort of monotone way like thomas does.
sometimes people with aspergers have trouble with getting jokes. he seems to completely miss the punchline of jokes, such as the helicopter in the parking lot thing (yes because people obviously park helicopters in car parks). this happens with me too sometimes, although not as much since i make a lot of jokes myself. sometimes it takes longer for me to figure out a joke and i dont always get them right away, but i seem to figure it out in a few seconds.
angry outbursts are a thing of the past for me. i eventually figured it out of my own to just keep everything inside buuuutt that really probably isnt too healthy (i blame my grade 6 teacher who was pretty much abusive). thomas seems to get upset at change or chaotic and loud situations, and i still do sometimes (i express it as a groan of fisgust or complaining though). i can deal with chaotic situations, i mean, i _am_ a chaotic situation, but thomas' brain doesnt really know how to cope with it so he does the only thing he knows how: lashing out.
now im not a doctor and ive never met thomas before, so dont take this as a diagnosis. i dont think thomas is a naughty or bad child, i just think he has trouble in some situations and just acts odd because thats how his brain works. he may need a little more discipline though and again, im not saying he has aspergers, so maybe hes just an odd child. i dunno.
I have aspergers as well... and can go on all day about trains, pokemon, and legos :) I've found though, that meeting more people with the same diagnoses has helped with making friends
@@alexandernotsogreat6944 thats pretty cool man
its kinda helped me with friendships too, a talkative person really helps boost friendships
@Rachel is My Angel non existent? its been proven by science and medical research because not every autistic person is the same, so i dont think its non existent.
@Rachel is My Angel i wasnt saying that autism and aspergers are the same thing, well, not low functioning anyway. autism isnt always low functioning. its just that aspergers is on the same spectrum as autism.
one end is low, in which people affected cam be severely disabled and need an adult with them, and the other end is high, meaning they can function by themselves, but are still a bit disabled and need help with some things. im not sure how to explain it that well so heres some links:
www.helpguide.org/articles/autism-learning-disabilities/autism-spectrum-disorders.htm
searching up aspergers will greet you with a brief overview of it, and it does say that aspergers is on the spectrum.
www.autism.org.uk/about/what-is/asperger.aspx
@Rachel is My Angel welp, guess youll stay ignorant and arrogant then.
It’s an sensory tantrum if the boys get what they want and they are still crying it’s an sensory meltdown
1:02 I've never heard "controversy" pronounced like that before.
Evieteresa I have
I hadn't either
Honeysuckle Blossom I’ve heard it from posh teachers from school. I hear it both ways. Even in the news.
Bright and aware individuals need an intelligent, warm and funny environment based on 100% truth
I saw the first few seconds of the documentary and instantly said that Thomas was autistic. I’m also autistic but am a lot different to him and enjoy hanging out with other people, I need time out afterwards but I enjoy it. I know a lot about both autism and ADHD and have researched both
I honestly can relate to Thomas I am on the autism spectrum myself and I shared similar traits like him when I was younger. I didn’t have many friends in school when i was younger at all. I had simular interests of legos and also loved video games and would talk about them for hours to the point other people found it annoying. I feel that Thomas gets frustrated also because he knows he doesn’t really have anybody at school which I think adds on to his anger outbursts.
I also don't have friends. Doesn't matter how hard I tried, nobody wants to be friends with me and I don't know why, because I was always nice to everyone.
He reminds me of how I acted and behaved as a child. I’ve never been tested for autism in my life. My brother also shows many symptoms of autism but like me he’s never been tested he’s currently 11 years old and he doesn’t have a lot of friends and is very lonely.
Every person no matter autistic or not, need their own space sometimes. The noisy house of Toms family would drive me crazy too.
I'm going through the process of being tested for autism and its horrible it's such a long process I'm in year 10 and I've struggled with school for aslong as I can remember it's taken my whole life for me to get as far as I have and its horrible
The little boy with the food problem clearly had the worst fake cry ever. And mom just kept feeding into it. He knows all he has to do is do a awful fake cry and she will jump up and run to make something else and continue on. When my son throws his food guess what, it’s taken away and that’s that. Exactly what the doctors said, it’s a game to him and they do think it’s hilarious so obviously if mom allows it why wouldn’t he continue on?!
He needs a smack wack smack
Thomas’s mom is a child too. The Dad is 60+ and the moms is clearly child or was when she had Thomas. There is something off about them and that old man needs to be investigated
I understand that nicola recorded it to show them for a diagnosis but recording it just makes it worse (as an autistic myself)
I never had friends I'm 14 now
Same and I'm 15
@K Yu
can I ask why?
L
Roy Thuv it’s hard for some people to make friends
@@tee981 oh, I know all about that.
41:03 is the start of accidental asmr
I had no friends until the start of this year and I’m about to start over again with college 🙁
my baby sister refused to eat as after she was weaned, too, and there was never a diagnosis, but my mum tried a lot of things and in the end she resorted to making fresh, whole wheat meals that were completely home made, down to making the flour in a little kitchen mill, she basically went on a healthy trip, and my sister started to eat everything
Lucky ... my case is the opposite , my mom was a health nut , she made the flour at home and grew half of our veggies in the kitchen garden , but my sibling refused to eat anything except processed , fatty snacks until he entered school and his teacher and my parents forced him to atleast touch a healthy meal
Thomas reminds be of myself when I was a child. My mum and her sister tried so hard to get me diagnosed with something so they would understand how they could help me yet nobody wanted to help. I don’t know if there is anything wrong with me but I know I behaved the same way as Thomas growing up.
Why doesn't she eat with him
I felt so bad for the dad if Thomas he seems like he’s trying so hard
Yes I have watched him and he appears to be consistent in his own mindset
To explore and discover things his own way .
His mind is never stopping information and stimulus
Therefore his body moves with his frustration of understanding the moment.
He is not a bad child
He is a different learner.
thank you Mark for your part as it warm my heart, as I was told by one doctor that my son is too stupid to have Aspergers as he have issues with talking - she completely ignored the fact that my son at 2 years knew alphabet- recognised all the letters in words and could count in 3 languages to 10 - name the numbers at random ...
That doctor is incredibly ableist especially for using the term “stupid”, that is so so ableist. But know Aspergers is an outdated term no longer a diagnosis in most countries and was named after a Nazi who created the term to differentiate autistic children into categories of their usefulness to Nazism :(
I am autistic and Aspergers is autism, Aspergers is also used too often as supremacy to other autistics
Gosh, you are bossy.
That poor dog in Thomas”s house. Most dogs can’t stand yelling.
I love this first person language!
Me too!! I am autistic and came here with a lot of anxiety about harmful language being used and stereotypes and misinformation but am amazed how they have listed to actually autistics about what we want. My only anxiety with this video is some comments using harmful language
It's really sad to think there are gonna be thousands of children who'll never hav the opportunity to be evaluated in depth like this and they'll grow into adults wit problems that'll affect der whole lives..
My son is 21 and is getting himself tested for a variety of thinfs such as high functioning autism qnd ADHD, etc.
He had a lot of autistic tendencies from age 4/5 yo. Such as hating textures, changes... liking playing alone and needing routines.. But i had a lot of electives in college such as early childhood development, socialogy and psychology, etc while i was getting a degree in Engineering. I had a lot of health problems after having my son so i ended up as a SAHM. I was able to help my son learn to play and chat with others..taught him how to play games and lose games, etc. i also knew to give him space when he had a flip out/became overwhelmed.. i arranged lots of opportunities to play with and interact with other kids and adults..
What made Thomas' mother marry this old man? He looks old enough to be HER grandfather. And their cluttered house... no wonder he feels constricted.
Hope Thomas family can arrange the house to include him. ❤️
Thomas reminds me of my grandson who is autistic. Sending love and good wishes to Thomas for a happy life with his family and future good friends
Is Tom a fussy eater
Stay strong Thomas and God Bless You !!!
I get your intent but he isn’t strong, or weak either. You are pushing harmful ideas that being autistic is some kind of superpower. It isn’t. It’s just a different perspective on the world.
“Children with Autism find that very difficult.”
Well, for the most part, yes, that would be called Alexithymia, roughly 85% of the people affected have trouble with emotion recognition.
I am not one of those kinds of autistics.
There are different social impairments.
Sounds like me. I recognize them in animals and young children but have difficulty with about age 13 on up, adults being the most difficult.
Everyone is different, so how you experience it might be different than what another Autistic goes through.
The strongest correlation we have for autism is dads over 40.
Why is nobody talking about how Thomas mom looks like 17 and his dad is 64?
Because that is not what the story is about.
23:47 i'm pretty sure i got those same pictures in speech therapy when i was younger
Thomas reminds me of my oldest grandson. I bet his dad had the same problems when he was younger.
41:06 a brilliant beard rub! 😊 That sound is amazing 😍.
It's kinda strange how they talk about autism at the end of the video. They say that very many people with autism aren't able to live an independent life. That is true but they fail to mention that it is a wide spectrum and that many of those who can't live alone aren't even able to talk or do daily stuff like cooking whilst most people who are diagnosed with aspergers or high functioning autism are actually pretty much able to do all that. Sure it's helpful to give them some support in understanding emotions and socialising but they let it seem as if it's such a severe disability that you can't do anything at all without help.
true it is rather misleading.
@Lisa K I did not get that impression. Those are facts; when this was produced only 15% of autistic persons were employed full time. Can’t change facts. But they gave a great deal hope by interviewing Mark, who is highly successful and on the spectrum.
I was so hard to read this 😪 😭 😫 😩 😔 😞 😪 😭
At the beginning of these videos I always think they just need Nanny 911/Super nanny.
But it ends up being way more complicated and I feel like a jerk for thinking that.
“At risk for autism”
Excuse me, autism is a neurotype, NOT a disease or cancer or illness with risks or warning signs. There’s no risk, autism isn’t bad or less. It’s just DIFFERENT
Thank you!! I like watching these older documentaries but man some of the language they use really gets to me, autism is always highlighted as negative??? The parents always react like their child has cancer or something and its honestly pretty sad that they react that way to their child
Also the use of the 'high-functioning' label from a literal professional when its not even a medical term :/
sorry for the long reply (I am autistic, I ramble a lot haha)
@@camo2156
yeah also the use of the r-slur. I mean the guy used in a way that was okay but still could've said "the r-word"
The weaning advice is SO spot on. We gave our child only green vegetables fpr the first month of weaning, then moved onto other vegetables, then carbs. She was eeaning for maybe 4 months before we gave her some fruit and a year old before she got ANYTHING sweet- a scone with raisins with barely any sugar in it. Is she a good eater now? You bet. She's 4.5 and she'll eat ANYTHING
I'm so happy he finally has a diagnosis. I have a grandson on the Autism Spectrum with sensory processing disorder. I know Thomas mom is frustrated, but she looks hateful. His Dad seems more involved with him. Praying for Thomas and Jensen right now. 🙏❤
I don't think she's hateful just scared frustrated. Sometimes emotions like those make is act certain way. But I dont think she's hateful
I speak from experience when I say that the frustration and pure exhaustion is very very real. Being at your wits end, can weigh on you. Your love for your child isn't less, but when you constantly hit a wall over and over again you can start to disassociate from the problem and start to seem cold or distant. It is exhausting
She might be a little angry but I think she's just frustrated, not hateful
I have ASD
Super to get diagnosed 😊
Thomas reminds me of myself , idk i act like that when shits getting too much for me/ when i am stressed or pressured
23:21
He wanted a handshake too :(
Big White no he didn’t
@@egg_bogg7602 You can clearly see he went for it and saw the lady wasn't
Big White no he was just putting his hand down. I highly doubt that he wanted a handshake
Maybe he did want a handshake but he just for some reason was like it ain’t finna happen. I know cuz I do this with everyone I meet
I think he obviously did too. That was rude
Love Dr Ravi!
Yelling, "that's for 5 year olds" is simply imposing a random cultural construct on a kid.
Adults play with similar toys. They're just motorized.
Thomas seemed a lovely kid. Hope he is doing well. I'm 67 and people are still telling me I think about life in a very weird way. 🥰
No such thing as born naughty that is not possible. It's how the parents deal with the child's behaviour at that moment
I think it also depends on what you think of as 'naughty'. I really dislike the term when relating to children's behaviour, honestly.
The paediatrician in these documentaries, Ravi, has made 3 appearances on The Weakest Link: he holds the record for winning the highest amount of money on the daytime editions.
I think Thomas’ family made an appearance on Supernanny. It was one of those Q & A type set ups in a shopping centre a number of years ago, that she used to do. Showed a few minutes with them. I recently binge watched a number of episodes. Anyone else see it?
I actually like Thomas and his family
He refused food and his mum tried to help him and it was very very very sad 😞
Why are old dad/young mom parents so common in the uk?
no idea probably money and maturity
Im extremely late, but i know what it's like to be that kid with no friends. Im 16, and I still have zero friends. I have never had a friend, and it gets really lonely.
I also sat and ate alone. Not only did i feel so alone, i also dont really have a relationship with my family.
Any updates on these two?