"Action for Children" and their new advertising campaign

[Bookworm]

YouTube - Dan's Story

 

This is causing a big reaction in the autism world, none of it positive. The portrayal of the autistic child as a violent monster whilst the good child cowers inside panders to stereotypes and will only help stigmatising autistic people further.

 

I love the response from a parent here:

 

Asperger Square 8: Dan: The Real Story

 

which is pretty spot on.

 

Some parents have started a Facebook group here:

 

Let's stop "Action for Children" demonising autistic children | Facebook

 

and I'd recommend that anyone who is touched by autism (and most of us are or will be, whether we are fully aware of it or not) has a look and joins.

 

In case some of you do not know anything about the autistic spectrum and think this is a big fuss about nothing much, imagine a Down Syndrome child portrayed as a vegetable with no feelings, or an AIDS person portrayed as someone whose fault it is if he's got it who should be kept away until he's no longer a danger to others. Or worse.

 

Life with autism isn't easy. Life with anyone with a disability seldom is, let's face it. Autism has no cure, only coping mechanisms and it is up to us to adapt to an autistic child, because goodness knows they can't adapt to us.

 

Thanks for reading this.

[flyingdoc]

I sent in complaint email regarding this ad

 

Here is their response...

 

Thank you for your email and for raising your concerns over our recent television advert. I am sorry to hear the content of this advert has caused you offence or upset.

 

Action for Children’s three new adverts focus on how the charity helps to transform the lives of the most vulnerable children throughout the UK. For 140 years we have been committed to children and young people being at the centre of all our work. Therefore these new adverts tell real stories of young people, told by them, in their own words.

 

In our second advert, Dan chose to name his condition and approved the concept and drawings. These pictures depict how he saw himself and what he felt he needed help with before Action for Children helped Dan and his family for a number of years.

 

Action for Children helped Dan gain control over aspects of his behaviour - this was about helping him feel more at peace with himself, as he states in the advert, and clearly his autism is an intrinsic part of himself. The animation in the advert is a representation of Dan’s own individual feelings of anger and frustration, not of autism.

 

Action for Children is a major provider of services for disabled children, including some with autism, We have other significant areas of work as well, and are a leading charity working with over 178,000 of the most vulnerable children, young people and their family members .

If you would like to further your complaint or concerns about our advertisements then you can do this by contacting the Advertising Standards Authority at www.asa.org.uk. They will look in to your complaint and if your concerns are upheld then we will be instructed to change or remove the advertising.

Yours sincerely

Gary Day

Head of Supporter Care

[tiglet]

Bog standard response everyone is getting.

[Bookworm]

Yep. As if the fact that the kid has such low self-confidence about himself and therefore describes himself as at fault for being autistic somehow makes it all right to portray autism in this manner.

 

I wonder what NAS would say about it, and if they would go public against AFC.