ARW – Project France

ShareThe French daily newspaper Libération published on February 28, 2012 a letter of Magali Pignard, a mom of an autistic son and an active member of Collectif Soutenons Le Mur. This article published in the paper version of the newspaper explains why exhausted parents consider exile as a solution. The translation was first published on Magali’s blog. We copy it here for our readers: I am writing to you because I am extremely shocked by the bias you show on [...]

ShareThe week of January 30th 2012 to February 5th 2012 was marked by a large response in France and abroad following the court decision censoring the film of Sophie Robert. “Support The Wall – Autism” and its sister organization “Collectif Soutenons Le Mur” received many support statements. On the international side, most statements came from scholars in top universities. On the French side, the largest French autism organizations (Autisme France, Autistes Sans Frontières, Agir & Vivre l’Autisme) and some belgian [...]

ShareThe week of January 23rd to January 29th 2012 can be regarded as a landmark week for “Support the Wall – Autism”. Following the articles published in the New York Times and in the International Herald Tribune, this week confirmed the interest of the global autism community for the story of the film “The Wall” and more largely the issues faced by autism in France. Jan. 24, 2012 “Support The Wall – Autism” and “Collectif Soutenons Le Mur” release funny [...]

ShareDuring the week of January 16th to 22nd 2012, the campaign took a really international turn. International reactions January 17th, 2012 The autism community website, Wrongplanet, publishes a statement of David Heurtevent, co-founder of “Support the Wall: Autism”. The article goes somewhat viral. Within hours, it reaches 7000 views. In English: http://www.supportthewall.org/2012/01/interview-of-david-heurtevent-on-wrongplanet-autism-in-france-psychoanalysis-packing-and-other-travesties-why-it-matters/ January 19th, 2012 The global edition of the New York Times publishes a landmark article titled “A French Film Takes Issue With the Psychoanalytic Approach to Autism”. In [...]

ShareUpdated: Jan 23, 2012 January 9th 2012 A new video surfaces on the russian website Rutube. This video made in 1998 by CNAM is used apparently for teaching purposes in France. It shows Bernard Golse, one of the psychiatrists interviewed in “The Wall” putting blame on the parents for the autism of a child. It goes contrary to what Bernard Golse declared previously regarding the fact the Sophie Robert would have manipulated his real opinions on the origins of autism. [...]

ShareThis article on packing was published originally in French on the “Soutenons Le Mur” website on January 11th 2012. Translation: Karen Wilshin This Q&A article attempts to explain the practice of “Packing”, the technique for wrapping children with autism in cold, wet sheets, why it’s a problem, what’s being done to stop it and what’s blocking progress. Written by Olivier Bousquet and David Heurtevent, it gives an introduction to the practice. For more detail, you can read the full article [...]

ShareThe acclaimed american-canadian website “Autism Today” awarded yesterday the “Autism Expert Lecture Series” first prize to Magali Pignard, a very active member of the “Collectif Soutenons Le Mur et Défendons les Droits de la Personne Autiste en France”. This prize goes to her very creative video on the situation of autism in France. The video is subtitled in English and is available on Youtube. Magali has asperger syndrome and is the mother of a non-verbal child with autism. Congrats Magali [...]

Share Jan 1st 2012 The year of National Attention to Autism, organized by the French Government starts with a TV report on TF1, the main French TV Channel. The TV reports depicts the story of a family who pushed to school to accept their child with autism 2h30 per week ! In French: http://www.soutenonslemur.org/2012/01/01/tf1-journal-tlvis-de-20h-autisme-grande-cause-nationale/ The “Collectif Soutenons Le Mur” publishes its wishes: to end the use of psychoanalysis in Autism in France and to ban invasive care sur as packing. [...]