SV on Television
ASD v. ITV and BBC (Page 1)
Contents:
Introduction
The average Joe Doe's definition of watching too much television often includes 'lack of social skills', the 'couch potato' imagery and the violence having an effect on one's development.
Some of us learnt our first steps into language through television, whether it is programmes like 'Sesame Street' or from advertising jingles. Though some of my language may have came from the letters 'D' and 'H' and the number '2', it is equally likely that the 'Carling Black Label' advert may have held some sway.
This article not only covers my language development but also makes reference to programmes I enjoyed from 1985 - 2008. These include programmes I saw years after original transmission dates which I have discovered on DVD or on archive channels such as Gold, the late great Granada Plus, and reruns on terrestrial channels.
Daybreak (1982 - 1985)
A Panasonic colour television and video monitor. Image by D76, Milwaukee (Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 2.0 Generic license)
In my formative years, I spent half a day at my local playgroup, with the rest of the day at my late Nana's house nearby. This was whilst my Mum and Dad were (briefly) part of that minority group during the Thatcher Years: the fully employed. Whilst at Nana's, it was there when I 'discovered' Rainbow, Mooncat and Mr and Mrs.
Though I didn't understand any of the plots with meaning, it was the overall pattern of each programme, the music and each ITV region's idents (even if the ATV one used to scare me each time). As children's programmes followed a set pattern, I found similar ground with quiz shows. As a consequence of this, I was able to understand quiz shows more than soap opera storylines.
For me, quiz shows followed a set pattern each time. The logic was simple: a few contestants, some questions and the winners getting a star prize (be it a crystal bowl or a foreign holiday).
Then came breakfast television, a Godsend for me as at 3 years old I was a poor sleeper. In the pre breakfast era, I used to watch the Open University programme, albeit without understanding. Then came Breakfast Time and TV-am. It seemed amazing for me to wake up at 0630 hours to watch pre-Roland Rat era TV-am. Again, I didn't understand what Angela Rippon or Robert Kee was saying at the time. I was hypotised by the then state of the art graphics and David Dundas' theme tune for its 'Daybreak' slot.
Saturday mornings used to be good. For my fix of popular music and 1980s Quantel Paintbox effects came 'Data Run'. With the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 gaining popularity among UK households, TV-am thought it would be a good idea to base a programme on a computer theme. As well as its bias to pop videos, I also enjoyed the Tron style graphics.
Though it was a good 15 years before being able to listen to recorded music with meaning, music also played an integral part into my development. I found joy in wondering why Boy George would repeat Karma Chameleon, or mishear the lyrics of 'The Safety Dance' by Men Without Hats. The decade I grew up in was also that of the music video, which were my favourite parts of any Saturday morning programme from 'Freeze Frame' to 'Going Live'.
Half watching some of the family programmes, I later graduated to echoing programme titles or asking my Mum and Dad 'What She Off?'. Nine times out of ten it was always Su Pollard or Ruth Madoc on 'Hi-De-Hi'. The programme also led me to one unusual episode at a medical.
Assessed by an audiologist at Guide Lane Clinic, Audenshaw, the clinician was testing my ears and played three notes on a glockenspiel. Immediately I replied 'Hello Campers', associating this with Gladys Pugh's announcements in the Perry and Croft written sitcom.
The year 1984 saw great change, almost a permanent revolution at Chez Vallantine. With my sister newly born, and my parents two of Thatcher's 3.5 million unemployed, I was months away from starting school full time. Gone were the days of returning from nursery school to 'Crown Court', 'Mr and Mrs' or 'A Country Practice'. By the end of 1984 came the first programme I was able to follow easily.
The Tank Engine Cometh (1985 - 1987)
In most sources, the adventures of 'Thomas the Tank Engine' is a popular programme among children on the autism spectrum. For me, this meant trains (well fictitious ones, but trains all the same). The Gestalt of trains and buses to me followed some sort of rhythm: they left stations, picked up passengers, left the stop and carried on till reaching their destination.
In this respect I was able to follow the stories very well. It was a semi familiar environment (though my trains didn't have faces and were diesel or electric) - it involved public transport, like a typical bus journey to the next town. Even before 1985 I would borrow and read countless picture books of trains - and I coloured my trains in the full BR Blue livery including yellow ends.
Instead, television graduated from being a media to echo the odd phrase to one I watched with meaning. Grimaces and smiles were something I learned from Gordon the Blue Engine and the Fat Controller. Quiz shows were something to try and answer questions to at home. News bulletins provided me with pictorial reference to that days events - and an interest in current affairs which hasn't left me to this day.
In most cases, I would (and still now) watch television for entertainment purposes (though without meaning till the late 1980s). Examples of such programming would include the slapstick humour in 'Chucklevision', 'The Pink Windmill' (featuring Rod Hull and Emu) and 'Your Mother Wouldn't Like It'.
Favourite Programmes (1985):
- Connections (Quiz show, Granada);
- Masterteam (Quiz show, BBC One);
- Thomas the Tank Engine (Children's programme, Britt Allcroft/HIT Entertainment);
- The Pink Windmill (Children's programme, Central);
- Rainbow (Children's programme, Thames);
- Stop, Look and Listen (Schools' programme, Central);
- How We Used To Live (Schools' programme, Yorkshire);
- Bullseye (Quiz show, Central);
- You and Me (Children's programme, BBC Two);
- Busman's Holiday (Quiz show, Granada).
Next page: 'For Those of You Watching at Home, Here's The Dreaded 'Stinger'...'
