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A Kind of Spark - Season 1
A Kind of Spark is a charming children's series that presents a nuanced picture of autism.
When the movie Rain Man was released in 1988, it was a nightmare for many parents to learn that their child had autism. When you received that news, you were presented with the image that your child would grow into an emotionless math prodigy who would have panic attacks if he missed an episode of his favorite television quiz. That image has now been considerably adjusted and the more positive sides of autism are also being highlighted. Autism is not something that is good or bad. It's just different, and living with autism has different obstacles than living without it. A series like Atypical already shows this. The next step in changing this image is to actually include people with autism in the creative process.
And that's what A Kind of Spark does. This children's series is based on the book of the same name by Elle McNicoll, who is also autistic. Here we see how eleven-year-old autistic Addie (Lola Blue) has difficulty settling in at her new high school and is often excluded. During an excursion she discovers that witch burnings took place in her hometown in the sixteenth century and she is very concerned about this. These women were condemned for being different. She decides to commit herself to erecting a memorial for these women, but that is not without problems.
What helps is the leading role of Lola Blue, who is also autistic. She is engaging and knows exactly what to do with her role. She plays someone who is herself and what you see is a pure character. Her sisters Keedie and Nina (Georgia de Gidlow and Cait Hamilton) are also doing well. Keedie also has autism and her storyline clearly shows how diverse autism can express itself. No two people with autism are the same, and it is sometimes difficult to see whether certain behavior is due to autism or the environment. Although this all sounds heavy, it is and remains a youth series and it is light enough and the message is hopeful.
A Kind of Spark is a nice and hopeful series about living with autism. Although no negative image of autism is depicted, the series does not avoid the problems and difficulties of autistic people. The first season consists of ten episodes of approximately 25 minutes and can be seen on NPO Plus. The second season was broadcast on the BBC last spring, and I hope we can see it in the Netherlands soon.
Follow A Kind of SparkWhen the movie Rain Man was released in 1988, it was a nightmare for many parents to learn that their child had autism. When you received that news, you were presented with the image that your child would grow into an emotionless math prodigy who would have panic attacks if he missed an episode of his favorite television quiz. That image has now been considerably adjusted and the more positive sides of autism are also being highlighted. Autism is not something that is good or bad. It's just different, and living with autism has different obstacles than living without it. A series like Atypical already shows this. The next step in changing this image is to actually include people with autism in the creative process.
And that's what A Kind of Spark does. This children's series is based on the book of the same name by Elle McNicoll, who is also autistic. Here we see how eleven-year-old autistic Addie (Lola Blue) has difficulty settling in at her new high school and is often excluded. During an excursion she discovers that witch burnings took place in her hometown in the sixteenth century and she is very concerned about this. These women were condemned for being different. She decides to commit herself to erecting a memorial for these women, but that is not without problems.
A Kind of Spark creates a lot of nuance about autism. Autism is not a good or bad trait. It just makes you different, and sometimes that's okay. Yet autism also brings problems. For example, people with autism have difficulty adhering to social norms and this can sometimes lead to unpleasant situations. This series is absolutely not afraid to show this as well. This is strongly reflected in the dilemmas that Addie's parents in particular struggle with, for example when a teacher advises to send her to special education after she has had a panic attack.A Kind of Spark shows a nuanced picture of autism
What helps is the leading role of Lola Blue, who is also autistic. She is engaging and knows exactly what to do with her role. She plays someone who is herself and what you see is a pure character. Her sisters Keedie and Nina (Georgia de Gidlow and Cait Hamilton) are also doing well. Keedie also has autism and her storyline clearly shows how diverse autism can express itself. No two people with autism are the same, and it is sometimes difficult to see whether certain behavior is due to autism or the environment. Although this all sounds heavy, it is and remains a youth series and it is light enough and the message is hopeful.
Addie's research into witch persecutions in Juniper also reveals a second storyline about the actual witch persecutions in the sixteenth century. As Addie learns more about a woman accused of witchcraft, we see her life story. Although this storyline is sometimes woven into the story in a somewhat clumsy way, it is fascinating. In this way, the two forms of falling outside social norms are effectively linked. Ben Willibond (Ghosts) also has a nice role in this.This series draws sharp parallels between witch burnings and autism
A Kind of Spark is a nice and hopeful series about living with autism. Although no negative image of autism is depicted, the series does not avoid the problems and difficulties of autistic people. The first season consists of ten episodes of approximately 25 minutes and can be seen on NPO Plus. The second season was broadcast on the BBC last spring, and I hope we can see it in the Netherlands soon.
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