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Chris Packham's BBC show Inside Our Autistic Minds wins huge praise

chris packham, inside our autistic minds
Chris Packham's autism documentary wins big praiseBBC

Springwatch presenter Chris Packham's new documentary Inside Our Autistic Minds has received high praise for furthering understanding of the condition and giving people with autism the chance to share their stories in their own words.

Packham revealed that he was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome back in 2005, and has fronted multiple shows about autism since then.

This new documentary aired its first episode last week, and ahead of its second and final part airing tonight (February 21), the National Autistic Society has issued a statement commending him.

chris packham, inside our autistic minds
BBC

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"We would like to congratulate our Ambassador, Chris Packham, on his brilliant and deeply moving BBC documentary Inside Our Autistic Minds, which shares the stories of four autistic people, Flo, Murray, Anton, Ethan and their families," the statement reads.

"We’ve received an overwhelming response on our social media channels from autistic people and their families who saw their experiences reflected in the programme, but also from viewers who have learned more about autism through watching it.

"This is why autistic representation on our TV screens is so important to increase understanding of autism.

"Almost everyone has heard of autism now, but too few people appreciate what it’s like to be autistic, both the different perspectives, passions and skills autistic people can have, and how hard life can be without the right support.

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"This is slowly changing as more people in the public eye, and from a range of backgrounds, talk openly about being autistic and as representation continues to improve, including through documentaries like Inside Our Autistic Minds.

"Better public understanding of autism across society could transform hundreds of thousands of autistic people's lives."

Viewers were also full of praise for the first episode, which featured Ken Bruce's son Murray as one of the people whose stories we followed:

The second episode of Inside Our Autistic Minds, which will explore the topic of sensory overload, airs tonight on BBC Two at 9pm.

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