I'm not a Disney princesses fan and the Disney corporation

[Skidmore]

aggravates me to no end with its pervasive marketing, but, after reading this article, I have more respect for the work they do in crafting stories and characters. It is a longish read but well worth it. Disney as a tool for some very special learning.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/09/magazine/reaching-my-autistic-son-through-disney.html?rref=world&module=ArrowsNav&contentCollection=Magazine&action=swipe&region=FixedRight&pgtype=article

[Laelth]

1. I think Trey Parker nailed Disney.

Here:

http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s13e01-the-ring

That says it all.

-Laelth

[Skidmore]

2. Did you read the article at all?

[Laelth]

5. Nope, and I have no desire to do so.

It's easy for me to believe that Disney does some "good work." They spend a lot of money doing it. It had better be good.

That said, I still think Disney sux, and I wanted to share Trey Parker's critique.

Have you seen that episode?



-Laelth

[Skidmore]

14. Too bad because an important take away

from the article was the devlopment of a strategy to communicate eith autistic kids which was literally stumbled upon by parents trying to find a way into the world of an uncommunicative child. It is less about Disney than understanding how a scaffolding for knowledge acquisition can be used based on a small child's fascination and the absence of the skills to communicate with others.

[Laelth]

15. Awesome. I am happy to hear about that.

And I mean that quite seriously.

Disney still sux.

ymmv.

-Laelth

[Lex]

3. Read the OP's article?

[Laelth]

6. Nope, and I have no desire to do so.

It's easy for me to believe that Disney does some "good work." They spend a lot of money doing it. It had better be good.

That said, I still think Disney sux, and I wanted to share Trey Parker's critique.

Have you seen that episode?



-Laelth

[Lex]

8. Your reply is non-sensical

as it relates to the OP. Just thought you should know.

[Laelth]

10. Cool. Glad we have that cleared up.

I'd still recommend that you (and others) watch the South Park episode to which I linked. It's brilliant.

Cheers!

-Laelth

[Lex]

11. Maybe you should start your own OP

and see who wants to discuss South Park's viewpoints of Disney with you.

[Laelth]

13. Hey, I kicked the thread.

Why the defensiveness?



-Laelth

[Blue_Adept]

19. Simple

Because you came into a positive thread, threw around a few Disney Sux statements, told people to go see something else to see why, all while what you were going on about had zero to do with the actual story at hand.

[Laelth]

20. Hmm ... I accept the "disruptor" accusation for this thread.

True and admitted. That said, I would have posted nothing more than my initial post had not others (like you) invited me to say more.

So, please own your complicity in this little drama. If you don't like what I had to add, the better strategy would have been to ignore it. No?



-Laelth

[Blue_Adept]

21. I said nothing till after multiple other posts when you just asked why people were defensive

in your point of view. You asked a question, so obviously someone would answer. Guess that makes me complicit.

[Laelth]

24. Fair enough. n/t

-Laelth

[Raine1967]

25. I think if you read the article you might find that what you are saying

is ignorant of the real and wonderful story the OP shared.

Separate the politics of Walt Disney studios from what happened to a family and the wonderful changes that happened.

It's far less about Disney studios than you think.

[Raine1967]

28. I don't think Owen or his brother Walt cares about South Park or Trey Parker.

I really hope you decide to read the article at the link, Laelth.

[Gothmog]

32. Agreed

[Gothmog]

4. This a great story

I really love this story

[Lex]

9. It was a great story

and touching how they used the one thing that the kid connected to, for whatever reason, in order to communicate with him and reach him.

[liberal N proud]

7. A family friend with an Autistic son uses Disney

I knew he had autism, but was amazed at how well he spoke and in different languages. It was partly due to Disney movies.

He will sit and watch the same movie over and over until he has it all soaked in.

[packman]

12. Regressive Autism

Never heard of it. Interesting article which points out that , I believe, the value of ingraining early impressions on the developing child. The old theory of Tabula rasa (The Blank Tablet) that one is born with a blank slate and all is written on it as one develops seems to apply here. Without those impressions, memories, and sense impressions, how far into that pit would he have fallen? Disney gave him a lifeline. Good story.

[Skidmore]

17. That family's experience left me wondering which

other cultural touchstones could be used to effect the same sort of learning. Disney works make sense in the US because they are ubiquitous and among the earliest forms of media a child sees.

[cbdo2007]

16. My daughter is obsessed with Disney princesses and Disney movies....

they aren't as bad and evil as everyone makes them out to be.

[Blue_Adept]

18. Heretic

Disney is evil. It's a corporation. All entertainment is mind numbing. People should just read books. Movies and TV are what's wrong with this country.

Seriously, every company has its issues and yes, Disney exists to make money, which in turn employs a lot of people that do a lot of good themselves through the general ethos of the company itself. There's crap in every company and there's gold as well. I've been leery of Disney with how they were as a business for awhile, but seeing how they've re-managed themselves this past decade with the acquisitions of Lucasfilm, Marvel and Pixar has me thinking they definitely have it right in order to manage such large and diverse brands.

They're one of those that's pretty much close to having something for everyone. My kids love the Disney princess stuff. They love the stuff that kicks the Princess concept to the curb. Both girls grew up on Disney movies but also love the Marvel stuff, romantic comedies, dramas, historicals, science fiction, etc etc.

[Raine1967]

27. The article isn't about the Disney corporation.

It's about how the movies allowed a family connect and helped nurture their son/brother.

EDIT TO ADD: +1

[Blue_Adept]

29. Right, but...

I was recently involved in a series of posts where basically all entertainment (including Disney) is just the evil that rots the mind of mankind, so a little sarcasm was all.

[Raine1967]

33. Gotcha!

(so glad I made the edit.)

I'm too old (not that old, btw: 46) to say that everything in entertainment is evil. It's just not.

Personally I can declare issues with the Disney Corp and still say I think these movies are fun.

I sometimes wonder if our desire for a more liberal society is being overtaken by intolerance.

I mean WTH? This young boy, now a young man, has a connection with his parents and his brother. That's beautiful.

[Blue_Adept]

39. Yup

There's a purism strain that runs through the liberal side as much as the conservative. And unfortunately, because it has a kind of intensity to it that's similar, it pushes a lot of varying liberals of all stripes away from participation. When you have a strain that's constantly beating you up for things, you're more inclined to just say the hell with it.

43 myself

[Demo_Chris]

36. Of course they aren't. Neither, believe it pr not, is WalMart...

And Ironically, the organization that truly is that twisted and evil, the Roman Catholic Church, is enthusiastically defended by many here. Makes no sense, but there it is.

[tavalon]

22. I will get around to reading this story, but my personal story with my autistic son,

is that all things Disney and all things Muppet have dominated his whole life. That and Star Wars. Now, I have always been a huge fan of Disney (even knowing the dark underbelly, it's always had the magic for me) and when the soon to be ex and I met, we realized that was a shared passion. So, it isn't like we discouraged our kiddo.

He has a secret language that includes many Disney phrases. His three parents are tapped into it. Unfortunately, now that he's hit 18, we have to pretend not to get it because we need him to prepare for a future without mindreaders. But while very severely disabled, the young man is no idiot. He's already getting on board with the new way, though he says things in the funniest way. For instance - he wants lemonade so he says, "Terri, please, glass, please, lemon, please, sugar, please, water, please, ice, please". We are molding him out of that, but it's another fun memory I will carry about him.

People say I'm a saint for having taken on such a disabled child, but you see, he's Josh and for all the difficulty, he is as magical as Disney and I wouldn't have missed this ride for anything. I'd say it's been an E ticket ride. Do I wish this joyous boy were not hampered by this disability? Hell yeah, but he is and that's that. He's loved by many and he charms most who spend much time with him. I'm no saint, just one of two loving mothers and a loving father he has. I could walk anytime, but I never will (short of when they bury me).

[Skidmore]

23. Your story and perserverance is equally encouraging.

It sounds very similar to the journey of the parents in the article with their son who is now 20 years old. I think you will like the article and it will resonate with you since you appear to be equally in tune with tapping the skills underneath the disorder and preparing your child for life in the greater world. All the best to you and your child as you continue on your journey.

[Raine1967]

26. I'm in tears.

What a wonderful and heartfelt story.

I didn't realize who the author was until about 1/3 of the way in.

You know, little ones have always loved to watch and rewatch, and rewatch, and rewatch, rinse repeat. there was a paragraph in there that helped to explain such a fascination. Seeing these movies used to help a person find his way in the world is amazing.

Reading this article just, wow.

Thank you, Skidmore.

[Gothmog]

31. I had a similar reaction

My son forwarded me this article yesterday. We have a close family friend with a daughter who was on the extreme end of the autism spectrum (self injurious behavior and total lack of language skills). This child was lucky enough to participate in a study at the University of Houston with some extensive therapy. Today, this young lady is classified as having mild asperger's syndrome but is otherwise indistinguishable from her classmates. Given my understanding of what our friend's daughter went through, I was really moved by this article and story.

The fact that this young man was able to use Disney movies and stories to help him find a way to communicate with his parents was amazing. Autism is not a disease in the classic sense but a condition where the brain is wired differently. The extensive therapy received by our friend's daughter is just one way to reach these children and help them rewire their brains so as to cope with life. The young man in this OP and his parents found a different way that worked for them.

I really loved the fact that this young man started a Disney night at his school and a number of other children suffering from forms of autism found the Disney film nights to be helpful.

[Raine1967]

34. Very happy for your friend's daughter.

What I am learning is that is really hope with autistic kids.

It's just a matter for people (not just parents of autistic children) to start thinking differently.

[Shrike47]

30. This is a very nice and heartwarming article. These parents have made an enormous effort.

[Historic NY]

35. An interesting story about getting through the wall...

to the other side.

[ChazII]

37. Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame

is what my son looks like. Just like Quasimodo, my son heard, "Halloween is over, take off the mask." Or like in the movie, "Great mask" only with the speaker's voice trailing off. The work mask became masss as they realized it was his real face and not a mask.

Disney movies work wonders in many ways and Hunchback is (was?) one of my son's favorites. He is now 29. His is learning disabled and the Disney films helped convey concepts to him when he was in the pre-school and elementary years.

[riderinthestorm]

38. What a wonderful story. Big K&R! nt