Showing an #autistic meltdown on TV as a ham-fisted attempt to raise awareness is vile. You don't need to show someone in such a vulnerable state to raise awareness, unless you believe them to not be worthy of privacy.

And that speaks volumes.

Meltdowns can be a source of extreme shame for #autistic people. They are so huge, so emotionally draining and so embarrassing. I can guarantee many autistic people will remember avidly that time they melted down for the first time in front of friends. We don't need it broadcast.

We shouldn't feel shame - we shouldn't really have meltdowns - as it's just a product of trying to live by others' rules. But we live in this neurotypical-led system so there is sadly a huge risk that we will be mocked or ostracised for them.

Showing a kid melting down on TV isn't brave or honest television, any more as showing a child doing any other deeply private thing is brave or honest. It's exploitative and shameful in its own right.