Why classical myth and autism?

Why classical myth and autism?

The idea for this project started to take shape at a meeting in 2008 with a special needs teacher, who mentioned that, in her experience and those of her colleagues, autistic children often enjoy classical myth. I began to wonder why this might be the case, and whether – as a classicist who researches, and loves, classical myth – there was anything I could contribute. I started this blog to report on my progress which was often sporadic until the launch of the Warsaw-based European Research Council-funded project Our Mythical Childhood (2016-22) to trace the role of classics in children’s culture.

My key contribution to the project is an exploration of classics in autistic children’s culture, above all by producing myth-themed activities for autistic children. This blog shares my progress, often along Herculean paths, including to a book of lessons for autistic children focusing on the Choice of Hercules between two very different paths in life. The image above, illustrating the homepage of this blog, is one of the drawings by Steve K. Simons, the book's illustrator, of a chimneypiece panel in a neoclassical villa at Roehampton in South West London. The lessons centre on this panel.

Wednesday 28 February 2018

Choice Activity 6: HERCULES ENCOUNTERS PLEASURE

Background

Just as activities 4 and 5 complement one another, so to do activities 6 and 7. In the previous pair of activities, Hercules encountered two distinct sets of objects. Here he encounters two distinct women, each of which is linked with one of the sets of objects. There can be flexibility over the order in which Hercules encounters the women. In the version of the choice in Prodicus, it is the figure on our right who first addresses Hercules. So, let us start here as well.

I did briefly consider introducing the woman before the objects – so that first these women say who and what they are and then they offer the gifts to seek to persuade the hero to choose the path in life that is commensurate with themselves. In keeping with the flexibility I have kept stressing for these activities, the facilitator can organise the activities the other way around if this will be more suitable with their students. However, because one of the particular challenges that autistic people often experience is around communicating with others, not least in new, unexpected scenarios,[1] it seems more appropriate to build up the encounters with actual people.

‘Pleasure,’ the name I have adopted for the woman is one of the names given to her, not least in the eighteenth century, when the artwork on which these activities centre was produced. The facilitator could, instead, opt for one of the other names given to the woman, such as ‘Vice’, especially the facilitator would like to open up a moral dimension that would be suitable for the cohort with which they are working: how to effect this is something that I plan to discuss when I consult with teachers and other professionals.

The Activity

The facilitator should direct the users to a new addition to the right half of the scene. This is a woman – or perhaps a goddess (this might be something to discuss with those students interested in classical deities and personifications and what their relation is to mortal mythological figures). She is sitting down – on the big flat rock which now serves as an ideal seat for her she is also under the canopy. The baskets of fruit are now at her feet.

The facilitator then asks the children to colour the woman in, getting them to pick colours that are suitable to this side of the landscape – so ideally they would pick bright colours, and though the children could be free to choose if the facilitator prefers. As with other colouring in activities, this can be a team activity, or each child could each be given their own copy of the picture of the woman. If the revealed breast of the woman is an issue, then the drawing can be modified – this issue of nudity is something that I intend to address when I seek feedback on this current initial draft).

Next, the facilitator encourages the children to copy the woman’s pose. They should sit like she is sitting and try to copy her gaze. The facilitator next gets the children to copy the stature and the gestures of Hercules.

Then, to help deal with the challenge often experienced by autistic people of relating appropriately to other people, a follow-up task could be to divide the children into pairs of Hercules and Pleasure. The children could be encouraged to pay particular attention to the body language of each figure: How is the woman responding to Hercules? What is she doing with her arms, and with her body, her face, and her eyes? Meanwhile, as for Hercules, what is he doing with his body (away from the woman). Encourage the children to consider where his gaze is directed.

After this, the facilitator asks: how is Hercules feeling? As previously, the children could be asked to name relevant words, or the facilitator could provide a prepared set from which they pick. Or, as previously, emojis can be used, not least for students who are non-verbal.

Then, in order to help deal with the challenge often experienced by autistic people of recognising the potential for different perspectives on a given issue, the students should the same activity but for the woman, by considering how she is feeling about her surroundings and about Hercules.

For those who will be able to engage with it, the facilitator might – now – introduce the relevant stage of the story where Hercules encounters Pleasure. The story could be summarised, or read out from one of the existing versions, ancient or modern. This will introduce the students to what it is that the woman says to Hercules and what gifts she offers him. I am planning a worksheet that will contain this material, along with notes for how to use it.

After this, to encourage flexible thinking, the children could be asked again to talk about how Hercules might be feeling – again with emojis or a prepared set of words as appropriate. Perhaps the feelings that are listed will be different from those given earlier.

This could be followed up with further activities involving Hercules and Pleasure. For example, Pleasure might offer Hercules a flower, or a piece of fruit – even a whole basket. The facilitator should note what, according to the children, Hercules does in response– or what the children do if they are playing with the various objects in the classroom? Does he accept the gift? Does he eat it? Does he refuse it?

Then the students will likely need a break before turning to the next activity, where Hercules encounters another, very different, woman. This encounter will form the subject of the next, penultimate, activity. This will be the subject of my next posting.



[1] Difficulties in all aspects of communication, is one of the “triad of impairments” identified by Lorna Wing (the others being: difficulties in social and emotional understanding, and a lack of flexibility in thinking and behaviour). See, esp., Lorna Wing, “Autistic Spectrum Disorders,”  312.7027 ( The Autistic Spectrum: a Guide for Parents and Professionals (London: Robinson 2002, updated edn.). In the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5), one of the categories of autism spectrum disorders is, likewise “communication problems.” Another category, to which this activity also responds, is “difficulty relating to people, things and events” (a further one is “repetitive body movements or behaviors”), American Psychiatric Association, Diagnosticand Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5) (2013) (last accessed 31.07.17).

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