the curious incident of the dog in the night-time

"The medium is the message" is illustrated by "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time" (2003).  The story is told so that us "neurotypicals" can better understand and appreciate how autistic people see the world and interact with it.  You should note that there is a spectrum of autistic behavior. 

One trait noted by Christopher John Francis Boone,  (the narrator) is that he enjoys puzzles which led him to enjoy murder mysteries.  He fits many of our stereotypes for autistics and justifies some of them:  obsession with colors, taking words literally and not understanding metaphors, avoiding lying (except white lies), avoiding looking at faces, better than average memory, screaming with little excuse, and heightened mathematical expertise.

The author depicts the exasperation of caretakers that is not quite understood by autistics although they sometimes acknowledge it.  He is loved by two people (his parents), but makes their lives difficult and at one time or another they both have hit him..

People around him, his parents, teacher and neighbors find their routine disrupted, sometimes very dramatically.  Definitely played a role in marital stresses.

Oh, yes he did solve the mystery of the dead dog.

Mark Haddon, the author and illustrator won several awards.  Perhaps ironically this was written for the adult market, but won awards in both adult and children's categories.  I believe he provided the drawings and also found the mathematical challenges.  He is also a painter.

If you would like to understand the autistic mind and appreciate how they affect people around them, "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time" is a good choice.

Michael McCreary is also autistic, but at a different point on the spectrum and has been able to fit in a little better and observe outsiders.  His acknowledgment at the bottom of the link below is priceless.  .http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/04/funny-you-dont-look-autistic.html

Love Child

There are a lot of stories available about autism which seems to be increasing.  One factor is that now it is diagnosed on a spectrum, meaning that some of the news attention getting geniuses are balanced by non functional humans and there are plenty in between.  I included non functional, but in reality all humans are helpful for something if given a chance.

"Love Child" (2025) is about a young couple who got pregnant and vowed to love each other and the unborn child.  They both quit school to take low level jobs and set up a household.  For about two years the family seemed fairly normal, but their new son's behavior caused a concern which resulted in a diagnosis of autism.  They wanted to help as much as they could, but they encountered stresses.  More money was needed, but sometimes work conflicted with caring for their child.  Specialized care was expensive.  Frustrating that a caretaker received more response than his mother. They encountered people who lived separately abroad to earn more money to support their special needs child.  

They are forced to make very difficult choices.  Inevitably there were guilt feelings and heated discussions about the difficult choices.  Their love did survive the stress.

As viewers we get a glimpse about how difficult life can be for some of our fellow beings.  It is only a glimpse, but should help you better understand the ordeal presented by special needs.  As voters we have a choice to support governments that prove a concern for struggles or continue with some form of the status quo.

Most of you will not guess how this story ends, but unfortunately it does make sense.  Some hard thinking went into this film.

Jonathan Jurilla was the director and helped write the script.  More importantly he helped create it.  He had a son diagnosed as autistic.  He felt that most stories about autistic people were with genius exceptions, but didn't really deal with the struggles of parents.  This film reflects some of the struggles.   He has been an associate professor at the University of Philippines.  He has 8 directing credits, 8 for writing credits and 4 for editing. 

Arden Rod Condez was a writer and a producer.  He has 14  credits as a writer; 3 for additional crew and 8 for directing.

Andrew Florentino composed the music.  He has 28 composing credits; 10 for the music department and soundtrack for 13 including for "Lola Igna" (2019).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/08/two-filipino-movies-with-message.html

Rommel Sales was the cinematographer.  He has 62 cinematography credits, 10 for the camera and electrical department an 3 for directing.

John Paul Ponce was the editor.  He has 15 credits as editor and 6 for the editorial department. 

Jane Oineza played Ayla, the mother.  She has 40 acting credits and 1 for script and continuation department.

RK Bagatsing played Pao, the father.  He has 29 acting credits and 1 for script and continuation department.

Jon Tyrron Ramos played Kali, the autistic child.  This was his first film. 

Autism seems to be more prevalent these days, but part of the reason might be we are more sensitive to those on different parts of the spectrum.  Every person is unique and that needs to be appreciated just as we also need to understand what we have in common.

I have done several blogs involving autism and would like to draw attention to two that deal with youngsters and the stress on the parents.  This first one is the most popular of any of my film blogs and concerns an unusual therapy, but please note parental separation:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/03/the-lighthouse-of-orcas.html

Another blog is more recent and deals with a school for special needs children which had been sought by desperate parents:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/12/the-mothers-of-pengins-series-from.html

"Love Child" is available subtitled on Netflix.

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  They are not necessarily a recommendation, but generally I found them worthy of my time.  If you follow the links you should be able to determine if a particular film is worth following up.

"A Propos d"Antoine" or in English "About Antoine"

"A propos d'Antoine" is a series of shorts (mostly 20 minutes).  We are introduced to a young actress, Julie who has decided to leave her boyfriend in Montreal and take up with a new man, Marc in Quebec City.  She has been told he has two children, one of whom is very handicapped.  But nonetheless it is overwhelming and she thinks she may have made a mistake. 

Doing some background research I conclude that it really is based on real life experience.  It is mostly a comedy, but one suspects it wasn't so funny at the time.  There are a few sobering moments when the viewer wonders how they would care for a severely handicapped child. 

We learn that that both Marc and his ex wife Justine feel the other is responsible for Antone's condition, but have not discussed it.  Both confided in Julie. 

What a family when they gather together which is frequently.  Marc's mother,  ex wife, two brothers, two children, one of whom, Antoine has an extensive list of disabilities.  He can't walk or talk, he is autistic and has epileptic fits.  He is almost always smiling and is included in all activities.

The reason behind my title is that Netflix uses "About Antoine" for its promotion, but at first I was unable to find the title at IMDB, but eventually found the original title, "A Propos d'Antoine".

The gang that made this series includes those below.

Daniel Grou was the director.  He has 34 credits as director, 2 as producer and 2 for the Art Department including for "Three Pines" (2022), "Transplant" (2022) and "Lupin" (2023).

Cathleen Rouleau was a writer and the leading actor, Julie.  She has done many tv. commercials for the Quebec market.   Cathleen graduated from the Ecole National de l'Humour.  She has performed comedy at festivals n Quebec, Switzerland and Belgium.  Cathleen has 4 credits as an actor and 3 as a writer.

Sylvain Parent-Bedard is the producer and matches many of the details of the leading male, Marc.  He created the Festival Grand Rire de Quebec.  He has produced shows for Madonna and Celine Dion.  He has 26 credits as a producer.  Also noteworthy, he is a big supporter of charities for epilepsy and autism.  

Shawn Pavlin was one of he cinematographers.  He has 33 credits for cinematography, 21 for the Camera and Electrical Department and 5 for the Editorial Department including "Mommy" (2014).  The other cinematographer was Vincent Biron who has 62 cinematographer credits, 9 as director and 7 as writer.

Claude Legault played Marc, the festival owner.  He has 65 acting credits and 10 as a writer.

 Antoine Parent-Bedard plays the focal character.  Despite his multiple handicaps he always has a smile.

 Fanny Mallette plays Justine, Marc's ex wife who is still considered and acts like a member of the family.  She won a gold medal in 1989 at Canadian junior judo championships.  She has 54 acting credits, 1 for directing and 1 for producing including "The Barbarian Invasion"(2003).

Micheline Bernard played Margot, Marc's mother who lives next door.  She has 49 acting credit including "It's Not Me, I Swear!" (2008) and "Matthias and Maxime" (2018).

Sylvain Marcel plays Patrick,  a brother and business partner with Marc.  He has been successful in television commercials. He has 51 acting credits including "Good Cop, Bon Cop" (2006)

Quebec is an important part of Canada.  Quebec City is one of my very favorite places and a nearby vacation spot Ile d'Orleans.   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/07/travels-of-salesman-part-3-quebec.html

Available subtitled on Netflix.  If distorted bodies or references to messy bowel movements make you squeamish, well you should watch it anyway--it will do you good.

 As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  They are not necessarily a recommendation, but generally I found them worthy of my time.

The Ransomware Hunters

The inter net has opened a Pandora's Box.  It has made many billionaires and definitely made life more pleasant for more people than almost any other invention.  We have become so dependent on it that it can upend our lives.  Some have mastered its innermost secrets, at least enough to manipulate the masses.  Using mammoth amounts of details some made fortunes analyzing, refining and developing strategies to make more profit.  Stealing information was another way to make money.  More recently another way was developed by blocking access to information and demanding a ransom to restore it.  And beyond that others could unravel blockages.

 The book starts with some people who might be called misfits as alluded to in the subtitle.  They were obsessed with what computers and the inter net allowed them to do.  They developed skills, but the time required combined with their personalities assured they were not popular.  Of course when they were able to apply their knowledge for the benefit of others they did gain a sort of popularity.

While some turned their skills to exploiting others for profit, a few loved the challenge of developing their skills further.  For some this meant stealing information for those willing to pay.  Eventually some learned they could make easy money by blocking access to computers and the internet.

Still others wanting to help enjoyed the challenge of breaking the puzzle.  Some of them found each other and worked as a team.   Initially they were sometimes able to decipher the blocking and restore the original information and save the ransom.  Sometimes they were able to determine the address of the perpetrators and if they were not in a country with no extradition they could be arrested.  

The internet has opened up the whole world and hackers are very adept at exploring internationally for opportunities as well as support.  It was thought Russian gangsters were involved at early stages.

As ransomware became more common, legal authorities became concerned and did take steps.  The F.B.I. was interested, but their setup offered limitations.  They tried to train established agents, but found in the first place they were not skilled enough.  Even more they ran into a culture problem.  Taken from other cases, agents found they were often ridiculed because even when successful there were seldom arrests and the crimes seemed less serious.  Promotions were largely based on arrests.  When the F.B.I. tried to recruit the really skilled, there was no interest in the regular training program and no desire to carry a gun.  Over time some rules were bent and a strategy of contracting skilled operators for specific projects.

In the Netherlands, a different strategy developed.  The started a branch called the High Tech Crime Unit.  Soon they actually recruited skilled hackers and paired them with regular trained officers.  The high tech people were part of the culture.  Another development occurred when an autistic person was directed to them which at first was resisted, but persistence resulted in training that paid off.  Pairing an autistic with a regular agent worked better as there was respect on both sides.

The ransomware hackers at first had money sent to safe accounts in places like Panama, but realizing they might be traced discovered bitcoin which was much harder to trace.  Iran, Russia and North Korea are almost impossible to penetrate as they do not have extradition to the U.S.

COVID increased society's dependence on the inter-net.  Schools were shifting to online instruction which could be disrupted.. 

Recovery companies saw an opportunity to help victims.  Unfortunately many of them were exploitative.   Some companies would negotiate a lower demand and keep the difference without telling the client.  Sometimes making a working relationship with the attackers to their mutual benefit.

Insurance companies are finding it more difficult to insure with the ransomware amounts escalated.   Negotiations original demand

As defenses get more sophisticated so also do offenses.  This book was published in 2022 and is excellent to bringing you up to that date..

This account is told by investigative reporter Renee Dudley and Pulitzer Prize winner Daniel Golden.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo

"Extraordinary Attorney Woo" (2022) with an autistic lead has impressed me the most of any television series seen this year.  The Autism Spectrum Disorder is becoming a more common theme.  More of us now realize it is in society and we will likely encounter one variation or another.  Increasing our awareness in an entertaining way is challenging, but they pull it off.  If you like stories of overcoming obstacles and some really smart twists you will not be disappointed.

 Those looking for entertainment can find it with odd antics and the soap opera elements.  Those who are looking for something deeper will find more comments and segments that illustrate the feelings of autistics.  Almost as important we watch those who live and work with autistics how they deal with the odd behavior that can be disruptive or frustrating.     

Hans Asperger was an Austrian physician who worked with children who learned of a Russian scientist's work.  He was associated with Nazis and there is some uncertainty about his role.  He identified some autistic youngsters who did useful work as adults.  He helped develop the concept of autism spectrum disorder.   Attorney Woo is on the high end of the spectrum.

Woo is a graduate who topped her law class, but couldn't get a job interview.  After six months an old friend of her father decides to offer her an opportunity.  She does display a number of annoying habits, but with her unbelievable memory is able to uncover some otherwise overlooked legal strategies. Sometimes identifies with clients, even against law firm strategy.  She over reacts to loud noises by covering her ears and shaking.

The series depicts mostly odd cases.  She is disruptive, but the team she is on is mostly (not totally) supportive.  For one case she is summoned because the accused is another autistic.  However this young man is quite different and she doesn't relate any better than the others.  This prompts her to discuss with her father and we get a perspective on his attitude.  The father feels he does not get an appreciation of his efforts.  We appreciate that autistics are diverse, some being highly functional and others far down in functionality.  She does solve the communication problem and we learn it is easy to misunderstand one another.

Autistics are supposed to be unable to lie or detect a lie and for a lawyer that can be fatal.  Woo gets some coaching from a colleague and a close friend.  It is humorous, but also reflective.

Another interesting case, more because it hits close to home is a sexual assault on a mentally disabled woman.  Is she being taken advantage of or does she have the right to find love however it comes? 

Other of society's problems such as pressure on teenagers and younger children receive coverage.

Legal details can become boring after awhile, but the series really focuses on the people.  Another theme was that legal expertise is a commodity that some can afford better than others and thus subvert justice.  We see this element in lots of courtroom films, but this time viewing from the perspective of a relatively naive lawyer. 

Her closest friend is a school mate who beat up some of her tormentors, but at first did not want to be friends.  In some of the episodes she gives critical advice, but with lots of humor. 

Her father is very supportive, but feels a lack of affection from her.  She in reality owes her very life to him.  At one point she embarrasses him with a complaining customer in his restaurant and he disowns her (for the moment).  He is very protective and is unsure if he made all the right decisions.

Almost everyone feels they need a way to contain Woo's enthusiasm.  She is apt to interrupt conversations when she gets a flash of insight, but very often she advances understanding.

Her hiring at first causes some resentment which is gradually overcome.  She has the ability to remember large amounts of information and is able to recall important details that help direct a defense.  Still one colleague is especially upset and uncovers that she was hired through nepotism.  In reality despite having the top ranking from legal education, no one would even interview her until her father's friend, a law firm CEO decided for her own reasons to take a chance .

The plot has some clever twists which I am reluctant to give away.  Just before half we learn that the head of a rival law firm is Woo's mother.  And Woo admits that she admired her before she learns the connection. 

There is a romance and like many series it has very deep psychological barriers.  How does an autistic person who does not like to be touched, or to hold hands develop a relation with a "neuro typical"?   Gradually and requiring a lot of patience on the other side and there will be lots of disapproval and a setback.  A hug is used to reduce stress to Woo when dealing with loud noises.

One heart wrenching scene is when Woo realizes she is too self centered and her partner would end up being lonely--she heard from people who were lonely because their partner was too self absorbed elsewhere.  Two lines I remember but don't want to put in context   "unrequited love for a cat"  and a little later in the same conversation "but cats love their owners."  

Jejeu Island is the location for two episodes which is like a working vacation that also illustrates that although the law firm can be almost ruthless on behalf of their clients they also like to do work that benefits the greater community.   

Something this enjoyable series has a lot of capable people.   Here are a few.

Director Yu In-sik has been involved with tv. series since 2005.

Writer Ji-Won Moon with his first series.  Previously he scripted a feature film that focused on an autistic witness for a crime.

Eun-bin Park plays the lead, a very challenging task.  She could opt to make her a comic figure or perhaps to attract sympathy, but the role is both funny  (at times) and realistic.  It was decided not to model any specific person.  She had appeared in "The King's Affection" (2021) where she was a woman masquerading as a man in order to be the king (and stay alive).  Check:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/12/the-kings-affection.html

Tae-on Kang plays the lead male.  He found himself in a delicate position, falling for a woman with odd and sometimes disruptive behavior.  He realized early that he couldn't start an intimate relationship without a long term commitment.  Recently he had a cameo role in "Thirty-nine" (2022).

Jeon Bae-soo plays the father.  At first it seems strange that we learn he has law books at home and graduated from law school, but now runs a restaurant.  He is protective of his daughter who shows him virtually no affection.  His credits include "Masquerade" (2012) and "The Wailing" (2016)

Kang Ki-young  played the supervisor of Woo who mostly appears calm, however he gets to display a wider range of emotions.  He has been in numerous films and tv series since 2014, mostly in supporting roles.

Joo Jong-Hyuk played a male legal colleague who tried to undercut Woo.  This is his third series.

Yoon-kyesong Ha plays Choi Soo Yeon, Woo's colleague who had gone to school with her.  This is her third series.

Jin Kyung plays Tae Soo Mi,  head of a rival major law firm,  You may dislike her, but she is very smooth and is not the most devious.  She has been in films and series since 2014, including "Assassination" (2015).

In one episode, Lee-Bong-Ryu played an opposing lawyer who instead of working for a big firm preferred to work for her own firm where she could represent female causes.  I knew I had seen her elsewhere, but in fact had got her name mixed up with the wrong actress.  She trained to be a photographer and got into a musical and from there into regular theatre where she was discovered by recent Oscar winner Bong Joon Ho who cast her in "Okja" (2017), a joint Korean American film.  She later appeared in "Burning" (2018) and the tv. series "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha" (2021).  She still does musical and regular theatre.  Check http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/10/hometown-cha-cha-cha-another-delightful.html 

For me this has been the most engaging series for this year.  It shows a deeper dimension of autism than I have seen elsewhere.  Inevitably there are lots of comedic scenes and the legal cases seem selected to highlight the autistic lead.   Romance plays a role, but again illustrative of autism.  An intricate plot seems to point in a direction, but at the end there is a twist.  There is a theme that large firms represent their clients while other law firms are more apt to be concerned about causes.  In short it is entertaining and thought provoking.

A second season is being negotiated for 2024.  What actors and crew would be retained or what new ones hired?  What story lines to follow up and new ones to be developed?  I have confidence it will be worth the wait.

An excellent book that explains what it is like to be autistic from an inside view check:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/04/funny-you-dont-look-autistic.html

An earlier Korean series with with a leading character with autism:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/09/move-to-heaven-wow.html

Move to Heaven---WOW!

Some of you must be wondering how a supposedly sane person of the English speaking persuasion could get so wrapped up in Korean mini-series.  Maybe you are right, but it is such an enjoyable delusion.  This series, "Move to Heaven" had an unusually high rating from IMDB (8.7), but I do realize that can be misleading.  Netflix has a number of Korean series worth watching. 

Nothing is original in this world, but the Koreans sure have a way of twisting ideas that seems original.  Another one with an autistic character.  Autism comes in various shades, but generally they take things literally, do not like to be touched, some of them are extremely clever and all them seem to have prodigious memories.  With "It's Okay To Not Be Okay" an autistic is one of the main characters that others like.  Check out:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/03/its-okay-not-to-be-okay.html

  In "Move to Heaven" Geu-Ru  (Asperger's Syndrome) picks up minute details and is very obsessive. Trauma cleaning is what Geu-Ru and his father do for a living.  Basically it requires a cleanup of the mess left behind after a death which can include bodily fluids and also a housekeeping mess.  Taught by his father he learns you can tell a lot about a person by what they leave behind.  The two collect some meaningful artifacts and pass on to suitable relations.  Trauma cleaning has perhaps been covered in other films, but this one seems more real.  The deaths selected for an episode are dramatic in different ways. Each episode is unique

Misunderstandings are the basis for many a story  We meet his father in the first episode and can see he has taught his son reverence for the dead and how to pick up details that affect the living who didn't know or understand the details.  Plot reveal:  the father dies on the first episode, (although his lessons are brought out in future episodes).   What seems strange coming from such a kindly man is he had named an unknown half brother as a guardian and we soon learn the guardian has just been released from prison and presents an arrogant and somewhat violent demeanor.  Finding out his true situation is very interesting. So much that Ge-ru who quick deciphers all sorts of very trivial details to learn the most important details that would be appreciated by the the apparently disinterested acquaintances is apparently blind to the true character of his uncle.  A friendly female neighbor gets involved, but also misunderstands the uncle.

We gradually learn the back story.  It contains unexpected disasters, broken promises, an unfortunate life path on one side and at bottom, a big misunderstanding.  The details which are well presented make for a riveting story.

The story is set in Seoul, but at one point we learn that the story really begins in Busan.

Almost none of the names are familiar to me, but I feel confident I will see more of those who put together such a great series.

Kim Sung Ho, the director. has done ten films before this one.  One of them "How To Steal A Dog" was an enjoyable one based on an American children's book which Sung Ho helped to adapt.

Yoon Ji-Ryun, wrote the script and this is his only listed credit to date.

Tang Joon-sang played Geu-Ru, the autistic young adult.  He had a supporting role in all the episodes of "Crash Landing on You," my favorite Korean series.  Check:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/02/crash-landing-on-you-very-addicting.html 

Lee Jahoon played the uncle, Cho Sang Guwho had spent time in jail and was a fighter.  He has won numerous awards.

Hong Seung Hee plays the attractive neighbor who is protective of Geu-Ru.  This was only her second film, however she went on to do "Navillera" (2021).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/11/navillera.html

The series does well despite no real romance with maybe only a hint.  

The high ranking is deserved and most of you will find it very absorbing.   

Here is another view of autism from an unusual angle (a standup comic):  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/04/funny-you-dont-look-autistic.html

The Lighthouse of the Orcas

During the Pandemic, movies have provided me with enjoyment and solace.  Streaming services and the library offer a lot of treasures and one can be selective.  My tastes are likely not exactly the same as yours, but there are as likely also commonalities.  "Lighthouse of the Orcas," available on Netflix is very moving.  Based on a true story means it has some relevance.  With a real natural theme it will resonate with most humans.

The movie offers a closer more intimate view of killer whales.  The protagonist based on the life of Roberto "Beto" Bubus who physically contacted and played with the whales.  The killing part is brief and perhaps brutal, but also natural when the whales come on shore and kill a sea lion.  Beto loves the seals and sea lions and rides a horse.

The movie starts with a mother bringing her 11 year old autistic son from Spain to the Patagonia region of Argentina based on a nature video that stirred her son.  The lighthouse keeper who is under pressure not to have physical contact with the whales is not very co-operative with the mother's desire to help her son and quickly dismisses her.  He decides to look up autism and changes his mind.  Nonetheless his boss is adamant that he would not allow any physical contact between the boy and any whale.  Firing is threatened.

He sets out to win the boy over and it is very small steps that move in the right direction.  There are feelings developing between the mother and Beto, but she resists because she fears being abandoned as her husband had done.  While progress is being made with the boy and the relationships, the father back in Spain is making legal demands that cannot be denied.

Autism is portrayed realistically.  The boy mostly has a vacant stare, except is disturbed by noise and other children.  When he is happy he wiggles his fingers.  The whales get his attention and he responds by following how Beto gets the whale's attention by pounding on the water.  He later shows interest in grooming a horse.  In reality Beto did go on to work with other autistic children showing that nature therapy often helps autistic children. 

Gerardo Olivares, the writer and director born in Spain had done a lot of traveling doing documentaries involving wildlife and later began working with fictional features.  He has also been a cinematographer and editor.

Pascal Gaigne, wrote the music.  He was born in France, but now lives and works in Spain.  The award winning composer has worked with directors from Spain, France, Cuba and Finland.

Oscar Duran handled the cinematography.  One of the outstanding features of this movie is the whales which are mesmerizing.  Filmed mostly in a remote part of Argentina.

The actual subject of the film, Roberto "Beto" Bubas wrote the book of his experiences that is the basis on the film and took part with a stunt role. 

Maribel Verdu, plays the mother coming from Spain in hopes that her autistic son might benefit from meeting a man known to work with whales.   She was born in Spain and has acted in Spain, Mexico and Argentina.  She did television commercials before getting into films at the age of 13.  The award winner has appeared in such films as "Belle Epoch" (1992), "Y Tu Mama Tambien" (2001) "Pan's Labyrinthe" (2006), and "Biancanieves" (2012).  After two years without a role she had given up on acting until Guillermo del Toro approached her for "Pan's Labyrinthe."

Joaquin Furriel played what might be called a whale whisperer who lives by himself.  Born in Argentina he started acting in television series in 1998 and did his first feature in 2011, but still spends most of his efforts on television.  

Joaquin Rapalini plays the 11 year old  autistic child so well that some assumed he was hired because he was autistic.  From Argentina he performed in a few films before this one and has done a few since. 

A trip to Nova Scotia and a few hours on a whale watching cruise are very fond memories.   It is wondrous watching such creatures in their natural environment.

The idea of animals helping treat autism and other conditions was explored in two earlier blogs regarding equine therapy.  Check out:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/05/the-power-of-horses-to-heal-riding-home.html and http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/11/horses-in-modern-world-psychotherapy.html

FUNNY YOU DON'T LOOK AUTISTIC

According to author Michael McCreary us neurotypicals have probably met more ASD people than we realize.  ASD stands for Autism Spectrum Disorder and includes a wide range of functioning and not so functioning people.  He also warns that reading his book may make us think that as we share some characteristics of Autistic people and be on the spectrum ourselves.  He reassures us that all people share overlapping characteristics and we need not fear.  By the way neurotypicals are what "they" call us "normal" people.

For me the value of the book lies in trying to understand a significant number of my fellow humans.  From what seems like an unusual perspective, that of a stand up comedian Michael does a good job.

Earlier this year we were steered to watch three full seasons of "Atypical" which in one sense provided a lot of laughs, but also hit deeper more than a few times.  It attempts to explain how and why the main character responds to the world as he finds it.  Also it boosted my understanding of the people who live with Autistics including family, the general public, work and school mates.

Michael was the middle child and was not diagnosed until after his younger brother with a less functioning disorder had been diagnosed.   His parents were supportive.  He went to school in Orangeville where he was given opportunity to be involved with school plays.  At one time participated in a program at Theatre Orangeville Young Company.

While a student Michael mentioned he once wanted to put a display in the middle of the main street in Orangeville and acknowledged that there was something already impressive in the middle of the street.  Many years ago when traveling as a salesman I was struck by this display to the left which Michael described. 




At age 13 he took part in a program run by a standup comedian, Dave Granirer called "Stand up for Mental Health."  His parents encouraged these type of opportunities and Michael sparked.  Over time he gained more opportunities and I suspect he was identified as someone who could represent what Autistics could achieve if given a chance.  He took a course at Second City Training Centre.  At first he was given opportunities to perform in front of those involved with autistics, who might be assumed to be sympathetic, but eventually he was given a chance to perform in mainstream audiences, including Toronto's Massey Hall.

As he writes this book he is 22 and recognizes that might seem a bit arrogant.  I would add that he does everyone a service not only by making us laugh, but also to understand a little bit better.  A few years ago (2014) I read "The Spark" about a child who for many years was non communicative, but later turned out to be a genius.  Read more:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/01/the-spark.html

Michael was careful to point out that it is a common myth that autistics are math whizzes, but many are like him and not good at math at all.  Another myth was that autistics are incapable of lying.  While it is true they are very literal in their thinking and that lands them in awkward situations, when they are unable to explain what they are thinking a lie sometimes seems the only way.

Autistics seem to attract those who make fun of them and bullies.  Michael did not know when he was being made fun of for a long time, but gradually understood.  He also is able to observe how autistics can annoy neurotypicals and has advice to us on how to handle it.  We also can benefit from understanding some of their habits such as what he calls "stimming."  Stimming is often expressed as repetitive actions such as rocking, spinning objects or flapping hands.  Often it is their way of handling over stimulation while conversely sometimes it is used to get stimulated.  The action is not the problem, but may indicate an underlying concern.

As he became more involved in performing he encountered some interesting people.  As a 7 year old helping his mother at a trade show booth he demonstrated for Temple Grandin who ended up buying some items.  Ten years later, again at the Toronto Convention Centre he performed before Temple made her presentation and his mother arranged for a photo of the two together.  Still three years later in Whitehorse, Yukon he was again set up as an opening act for Temple and this time he inter acted.  For the morning performance he was criticized by Temple for his sloppy clothes, but in the evening he changed to something else and commented it was because of her.  She liked his choice and they had a more serious conversation where she gave him some friendly advice, critiqued a Batman movie and sang the song from the tv series.  Temple Grandin is a big deal to me, but I only heard of her when I sold an ad to a feed store (not too far from Orangeville) that was sponsoring her at a show.  Out of curiosity I watched the movie,  "Temple Grandin" (2010) that is also recommended by Michael and saw that Temple is still another example of an autistic that has contributed significantly to neurotypical society.

From one of his performances Michael attracted the attention of Chris Hadfield's son who organized another project.  Through this experience Michael met Chris Hadfield, the astronaut and through him met author Neil Gaiman.

The book is very easy to read.  I got it through an e book process at my local library.  Your understanding of another slice of mankind will grow.

Near the title page the book is dedicated to Matty and I wondered who he was.  It was his younger brother who had a much more difficult time.  Michael in fact did not relate to him very well until after hearing a comment that if you want to get along with an autistic you should seek common ground.  For Michael it turned out to be trampolining that was the breakthrough.  Michael suffered a gran mal seizure and drowned as Michael was writing his memoir.

To end this review the last words from the Acknowledgements:  "Finally thanks to anyone I've ever had an awkward exchange with.  Without you I would not have had enough material to meet the quota."

Guilty Pleasure: Lisa Salander and Mikael Blomkvist

On principle I didn't want to tackle this book--I thoroughly enjoyed the three Stieg Larsson's books and felt his common law wife, Eva Gabrielsson deserved a chance to carry on his legacy (which she was already a part of).  When Larsson died at age 50 his triology had not been published, but has since gone on to sell over 80 million copies worldwide.  Unfortunately despite a 32 year relationship there was no will and all rights were claimed by his father and brother.  There must have been some hard feelings in the family, but rather than recognizing her rights (having contributed to the three books and having custody of notes for future books) they ended up hiring another writer.

David Lagercrantz was an established crime reporter, but his main claim to fame was as the ghost writer for soccer player Zlatan Ibrahimovic.  There was some sniping about his qualifications and the sequel, "The Girl in the Spider's Web" was written under a great deal of secrecy with concern that hacker's might get a preview.

"The Girl in the Spider's Web" kept showing up on displays at the library and I recalled the enjoyment of reading about Lisa Salander and Mikael Blomkvist.  The books were complex and also covered into motivations of multiple characters.  Mostly I have been reading non fiction, but approaching my retirement I resolved to read more fiction books, but now that I am retired have made little headway

A year or so ago  "The Hypnotist" showed up in a pickup bin at work and got my attention as I had been intrigued by a movie trailer of the book.   The movie got a bad review, but the topic seemed interesting and the book turned out to be a page turner.  Scandinavian mystery writers have been prominent in my fiction reading lists including Henning Markell and Jo Nesbo.

All that is my rationale.  It was like being tempted by ice cream, a weakness of mine. If Eva Gabrielson does come up with either a novel or non fiction account I will be eager to read it.

Like the earlier editions, this book is at first difficult to get into as a lot of snippets start off innocently, but interest picks up as they start to link and/or suggest there will be more links  Conspiracies involve most of the world, but mostly Scandinavian countries, Russia and United States.

There is an interesting discussion on autism.  We tend to focus on the genius side and the quirky side without dealing with the social mismatch.  But the book is more interesting because the autistic character is also a unique savant which plays a key role in the plot. 

Another topic that is central is artificial intelligence.  Extreme research is the key secret that various factions are manoeuvring to uncover or protect.  The author with scant reference to Isaac Asimov's, "I, Robot" contends a great danger is that the machine will inevitably be able to out think humans.

The main characters are extended in a consistent pattern with what we already know.  We do learn more family history of Lisa Salander.  Most lovers of the series will find themselves adjusting fairly easily.

I have relieved myself of a small portion of guilt.  Ideas are fragile and it is slippery to retain ownership over a period of time although there are legal efforts to do so.  Eva Gabrielsson deserved better and I still feel like I have let her down.  I hope she gets something out so I can relieve more of my guilt feelings.

The Power of Horses to Heal; Riding Home

For many modern people, horses are a thing of the past.  They were once useful, but now they are just pets for the rich and not thought much of anymore.

This book was brought to my attention at a trade show and has a powerful message for today's population that is increasingly urbanizing and detached from nature.  The author has an interesting background for this book.  We learn that his childhood was disturbed by fighting parents and that he was 47 when he  first rode a horse in 1992.  He learned a lot since then and has watched how horses have transformed the lives of many troubled people.

Humans have evolved from being at the mercy of the environment to dominating the rest of living beings.  Horses have survived as prey creatures in a world that is taking them for granted and relics of the past.  Tim Hayes uncovers for us what horses have to offer mankind.

Humans reached our dominant position by being superior animals of predation.  Horses are prey animals and have survived by being able to avoid being eaten.  Eyes and ears are independent and can cover wide range.   Each eye has bi lateral monocular vision.  Their ears can rotate.  They can feel a fly.  As herd animals they must learn to get along.  They are also very sensitive to interpreting the intentions of other creatures they are confronted with.  Although humans may mask their emotions horses can detect inconsistencies with our actions.  Trust is vital to a horse.

Tim gives an example extreme of sensitivity in describing his experience with a cutting horse.  Although Tim had had little experience he found that the horse knew almost instantly what cow he had identified as a target.  This was attributed to proprioceptive abilities, meaning they could detect very slight changes in the rider such as tilting their head.  If you have ever seen a top cutting horse it is a thing of beauty with the best needing little direction from the rider.
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Wild Horse Inmate Program (WHIP) in Colorado was developed to use cheap labour to tame wild horses.  Long term prisoners who were mostly city people with no experience of horses were selected for this experiment.  The prisoners were asked to approach horses on the ground and found the horses often uncooperative.  Gradually they were taught to train the horses in a natural way so they could be ridden.  A strange thing happened.  In the process of trying to understand what motivated the horse they came to better understand human relations.  One of the results was that the recidivism rate became half of the national average.

Tim wrote next about a returning Marine suffering from PTSD who had been given various forms of therapy and had given up when it was suggested she try equine therapy.  Equine therapy has proven to be quicker, cheaper.  This idea has spread to Canada.

Tim also got involved with Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOA) and found that many of them also suffered from a form of PTSD.  Abused as children they found difficulties in forming relationships as adults.  Often small things would trigger reactions.

Autism is a behavior with many variations and a only beginning of understanding.  Tim doesn't claim that all autistic people can benefit from equine therapy, but has found that the process can be very helpful.  I am reminded of http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/11/horses-in-modern-world-psychotherapy.html 

After giving examples of how horses have helped many troubled people Tim makes a number of generalized  observations.  We tend to deal with horses and young children in a similar manner.  We adults tend to belittle their fears.  Tom feels it is better to acknowledge a fear and work through it.

He describes most horse training as traditional and admits that it is quicker and more economical than natural horsemanship.  Many great men have advanced beyond traditional training.  He gives examples of Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan and Napoleon who all had a close relationship with a horse. Unfortunately armies often are forced to use traditional methods and that is what has mostly been passed on.

Reference was made to studies that on one way see a link between ADHD (attention deficit, Hyperactive disorder) and how much tv and indoor electronic activity is indulged in.  In another way it is suggested that contact with nature reduces ADHD.

Tim gives good reasons why horses have more than ever, to contribute to our human culture.  Hopefully more people will become aware of what horses offer before it is too late.  You can read more about Tim's very interesting life and how horses can make us better humans at:  http://www.hayesisforhorses.com/bio.htm  One group who is helping was also at the same trade show as Tim can be read about at:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/05/where-horses-bring-learning-to-life.html

HORSES IN THE MODERN WORLD: PSYCHOTHERAPY

Is there still a place for horses in the modern world?  Do they add value to humans?  Some say horses have had their day and no longer fit into modern life.  They used to conquer and discover land for us and worked it.  They used to transport people and goods.  Of course rich people still amuse themselves with horses.  Some people have discovered horses can help other people in the strangest ways.

A book that has stuck in my memory, "The Taos of Equus" by Linda Kohanov was my first awareness that horses were being used for psychotherapy.   Criticisms of her included that she had far out ideas of psychic connections.  As an outsider  some of her writing did seem far fetched, but a strong core stuck with me.

 "The Power of the Herd" is a later book written by Linda and it affirms much of her earlier thinking and goes into matters more deeply.  From studying horses and horse people (George Washington and Alexander the Great) she feels humans can learn a great deal about relations from horses.  She offers human-development sessions using horses.  Her book is like a human relations guidebook except she starts with horses.  A key difference is that horses are non predators, while humans are predators.

Horses are flight animals and very sensitive to determining the intentions of any creature approaching them.  Linda discovered that a horse is very difficult to fool.  It can tell if you are confident or if you are hiding some insecurity.  Two groups that got involved with equine assisted psychotherapy were troubled teenagers and battered women.

You can read more of Linda's work with horses helping people at:   eponaquest.com

Handling a horse can develop confidence.  Grooming a horse can be calming. as can just walking a horse, etc

Watching "The Horse Boy" directed and produced by Rupert Isaacson I learned that autism can be helped with horses.  Rupert's son had autism and he and his wife despaired of ever finding a way to reach inside their son.  We saw instances of  their son having fits and heard talk of his incontinence.  The father searched for a solution and with his horse background he stumbled on the fact that his son related better to a horse than to people.  Combined with an interest in shamanism (from earlier experience in Africa) he researched and found a culture that combined horses and shamanism--the Mongolians.  There were a lot of tense moments and disappointments along the way.  The change was dramatic.

Recently the RCMP concerned that more officers are dying from suicide than from on duty shootings have offered a program for officers suffering from PTSD that includes their wives.  Horses were a key component.

Other conditions that respond to equestrian therapy include eating disorders, alcohol and drug recovery, wounded warriors, Alzheimers

Another website for more information.www.equineassistedassets.com

As humans we think we are superior to animals.  Maybe we take too much for granted and maybe we don't make the effort to discover the many hidden wonders of the world.  People who enjoy horses seem to enjoy life.

The Spark

You may have noticed my "reviews" are not really critical.  Lots of books are read that didn't quite catch my fancy or even in some cases left a poor impression.  The idea is to only blog about books or movies that at least some of you might enjoy or find something worthwhile.

"The Spark" is a true story that may be unique, but should be inspiring to all us.  We take a lot for granted.  Autism is a term I have only a distant relationship to, but am aware that it is a big concern.  My understanding of autism boils down to a communication and social breakdown.  Autistic people don't relate to the rest of us in a way we are comfortable with (to our mutual disadvantage).  Although by definition they have much in common, they also are individuals.

This book is just as much about the author, Kristine Barnett as about her now famous son, Jake.  Her background is unique and contributed to her understanding.  She comes from an Amish family (modern) and an inventive Grandfather, a very understanding mother and a talented sister that all play a role.  She met her husband, Michael under very unusual circumstances manipulated by her sister.  Michael's background was from a rougher part of Chicago and they married very soon after first meeting.

Another contributing factor in Kristine"e background was the fact that she ran a daycare center.  She was exposed to a wide variety of youngsters and helped develop her sensitivity to individuals.

Jake, her first child was born after a difficult pregnancy, but for the first year or so seemed pretty normal, but then started to regress to the point he was diagnosed as autistic.  Kristine was told that he would likely never read or even be able to tie his shoelaces.  He was put into some programs to deal with his disabilities.  A while later Kristine rebelled against the therapy that was totally dealing with disabilities and not responding to what interested her child. She pulled Jake out of the program without the support of her husband.

Kristine really at this point was looking for something to set a "spark" that would let her reclaim her son.  Eventually she did discover a spark that revealed Jake has a super memory and high level thinking.  One incident was how he arranged colored crayons in the spectral sequence that we know from the rainbow. As time went on his abilities and even more his drive to learn was given opportunities to express itself.   At age three Kristine took Jake to an astronomy lecture and at one point Jake asked a question (using more words than his mother had heard him speak before) and then with the answer was able to provide an answer to an even earlier question that no one else was able to provide.

He is now well known for being in the super genius class and we can now get better insight into the autistic mind.  In his case while being non communicative he was absorbing information and trying to make sense of it.

Kristine was really motivated by wanting Jake to be able to relate to other people.  Back when he was about three she tried to prepare Jake for kindergarten.  A key thing was for him to sit still long enough and not to disrupt the class.  With every youngster there is some interest that needs to have an outlet and we all are happy and willing to co-operate.

As the story unfolds, Kristine has two other children.  Her second childbirth was also very difficult and Wes has severe health concerns threatening death.  She and her husband stretched themselves and Wes overcame his difficulties.  A bit later a third child, Ethan was born and was normal.  The three children became supportive of one another.

Kristine was concerned that other autistic children were being shunted to the side.  She knew they were not all hidden geniuses, but they all had something that just needed a spark.  She offered evening get to-gethers (partly to allow regular daytime therapies).  She did not charge for this service, but found that parents were so grateful they wanted to contribute in different ways.  She eventually built a sports centre for autistic children to help develop their social skills.

All this activity kept her and Mike busy and she learned she had some serious health issues herselt. Lupus was underlying other problems, one of which was a stroke.  In 2008, the financial breakdown hurt them and their Indiana community.  Her husband lost a job and was awhile getting back on his feet.  Their neighbors and daycare customers were also stressed.

They got through all this stress with Jake and his brothers prospering.

What I got out of the book, was not just an interesting story about an autistic child becoming a child prodigy, but that there is hidden potential in many people (in a sense everyone).  Kristine tried to emphasize what a youngster was interested in, rather than their limitations and the burden of accommodating them.

In Jake's case his contributions have already been significant and promise to be game changers. When I say that I am not just referring to scientific breakthroughs, but also his efforts to help others overcome "math phobia."  Other contributions from people we currently ignore may not be as spectacular, but will enrich human knowledge and just as important human relations.

For another perspective check:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/04/funny-you-dont-look-autistic.html