Loving Lampposts Review: Not Just for Those With Autistic Children

As autism has exploded into the public consciousness over the last 20 years, two opposing questions have been asked about the condition fueling the debate: is it a devastating sickness to be cured or is it a variation of the human brain – just a different way to be human? LOVING LAMPPOSTS: LIVING AUTISTIC takes a look at two movements: the “recovery movement,” which views autism as a tragic epidemic brought on by environmental toxins, and the “neurodiversity movement,” which argues that autism should be accepted and that autistic people should be supported. After his son’s diagnosis, filmmaker Todd Drezner visits the front lines of the autism wars to learn more about the debate and provide information about a condition that is still difficult to comprehend.

I was sent information on a DVD that was being released just in time for Autism Awareness Month.

(It was April, but I really think that more needs to be done to bring more attention to Autism all the time.)

I thought about it and although I wanted to share it with you, my readers...

I wanted to share in the best way possible.

I contacted a friend of mine, Amanda, who has an Autistic child.

I wanted to see if she would like to watch it and in turn tell me her thoughts..

She of course said "yes" as she is always trying to learn more about it...

So, that being said, the DVD was on its way!

Fast forward a few weeks and this is what I see on her facebook wall:

Watching 'Loving Lampposts' a must see for parents of autistic children.

Let me correct that, it is a must see for anyone who knows anyone with autism...

Then, I received the email with her thoughts on the DVD:

Loving Lampposts, Living Autistic:

After I could put away my little box of tissues, I sat back and smiled at the bittersweet feeling I had about this film. My son is living autistic, so is my entire family. He was diagnosed at the age of three, and he is about to turn six. This has been our growing philosophy in regards to our sons autism and it took a long time to come to terms with him, how he is, and to rid our family of the hate we all had for autism. We hated autism for a long time for “taking away” our son, then we despaired, how will he function in a world that is judgmental and cruel, then we decided that he is who he is. Take him, love him, or leave him. He is Brody.

He is the sweetest, most loving little child I have ever had the pleasure to spend time with and love. He could teach the world a thing or two about acceptance. He has no preconceived notions about anyone or anything. There is no back and forth, wishy-washy, or backhanded anything with Brody. It is all or nothing, and sometimes I am jealous of him. He gets speech therapy three times a week and our hope is that one day he will be able to talk to us. Our goals and dreams for Brody change daily, weekly, monthly. We call them Brody steps and are thrilled when he takes one. This film is about acceptance, coming to terms with autism and that it is not something that needs to be cured, but understood.

Every parent of an autistic child yearns for that magic cure all. That one concoction that will take away the autism, makes everything right, and make their child “normal.” This film touches on the different medical and not so medical things that desperate parents try on their children in the hopes that it will make them all better. This movement is called the “recovery movement,” but there is no magic serum, no magic pill that is a cure all. Parents spend hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on treatments that are not medically tested or proven in the hopes of taking away the autism. We went through this for a time as well. Although we did not nor could we try something on our son that was not proven as safe, we researched everything, had tests done for allergies and heavy metal toxins. Nothing… all this information out there as to what may cause autism and our son had none of those things going on with him. So, medically there was nothing to “fix” with him. That is when we changed our outlook on autism.

The other movement, “neurodiversity movement,” believes that autism is just another way to be, another way of thinking and processing information. This movement is about the support, the awareness, and the acceptance of autistic people. To date, one out of every 110 children are affected by autism spectrum disorders and the numbers are growing. These children, who all too quickly become adults, need support and therapies to function in a society that is not made for them. Above all though, they need love, encouragement, and acceptance and so do the families.

Autism is not pretty, it can be heart wrenching, dirty, messy, nasty, neat, orderly, and obsessive, oh, I could go on and on. Nevertheless, autism can also be beautiful… maybe we all need to stop for a moment and try to see the world through the eyes of an autistic child. Maybe, just maybe if we all stopped for just a second, we could learn a little something about the world. I know I have learned more from my son, my little 6 year old, than I ever could from a book. I believe that is what this film was all about, finding acceptance.

Now that she has shared that, I really think that I want to see it.
I hate to say it, but I really do not know much about Autism.
But, like I told her...
God knew she was strong enough to deal with all that would be thrown her way.
I am happy that she is my friend...
I know that she is a wonderful mother.
I am also lucky that she wanted to learn more and by doing so, was able to share this review with us.
Maybe if everyone were to watch this, not only would there be more knowledge from those that are unfamiliar, but as Amanda said, more acceptance.

FTC Compliant Review Policy: The product(s) featured in this review were provided free of cost to me by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation.