Autism and Classical Myth: Going the distance: a Herculean journey with Harry Rao via Disney and Michael Bolton

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.

Tuesday, 27 June 2023

Going the distance: a Herculean journey with Harry Rao via Disney and Michael Bolton

I've mentioned a few times on this blog what's happened on several occasions when I have explained to other autistic people why I am basing a set of lessons for autistic children on Hercules.

When I give my reason for why, as I see it, Hercules can resonate with being autistic, responses have been in line with what the autistic academic Damian Milton said, namely: "that sounds like being autistic".*

Something different happened a couple of years ago when talking about Hercules with another autistic person. I found out that I myself didn't need to suggest possible links between Hercules and being autistic. For they had already made the connection independently of myself.

Hercules 'goes the distance'** - Jan Baptist Borrekens (1611-1675),
The Apotheosis of Hercules after Peter Paul Reubens (1577-1640). In the public domain.

The person in question was Harry Rao.*** At the time of the conversation, Harry had recently begun his degree in classical studies at Roehampton University. A year or so after that, Harry did work experience during the summer of 2022 with the Acclaim Network.

Harry Rao during his mythical childhood

As part of this role, Harry wrote a piece for the Acclaim website. Here he reflected on how Hercules has resonated with him as an autistic person since he first watched Disney's Hercules, and as he has faced, and dealt with, successive challenges in life. However - and in keeping with my own sense of why Hercules can speak to dimensions of autism - it's not just about Herculean hardships as Harry sees it. For Harry also reports on how Hercules' "journey to greatness and fame" can serve as a source of autistic hope.

Here is the link to Harry's piece.

I'm currently working with Harry again, for a further period of work experience, this time based around another mythological figure... on which, more soon...

* I reflect on what Damian Milton said in my forthcoming book. For now, the most detailed explanation of how Damian came to be in a position to hear my 'why Hercules?' explanation can be found here, in a piece I wrote for the Institute of Classical Studies blog in 2019.

** On going the distance with Hercules - c/o Michael Bolton - click the link in Harry's piece :)

*** Here's the link to Harry's Acclaim bio.