Published April 1, 2022 | Version v1
Book chapter Open

Hercules: Bearer of Hope for Autistic Children?

  • 1. University of Roehampton, London, UK

Contributors

  • 1. Faculty of "Artes Liberales", University of Warsaw, Poland

Description

Where hope is brought up in relation to autism, it is often linked to its absence or loss, with the life of an autistic child regarded as one of suffering and hardship. This chapter introduces a programme of lessons for autistic children that move beyond such a deficit model to one grounded in a perception of autism as a way of being. I set out how the lessons are based on the character of Hercules, and in particular the choice he is tasked to make between two very different paths in life. I discuss how the lessons utilize Hercules as a “gateway” for autistic children to identify and contextualize themselves and others, and a “gateway” for neurotypical people into autistic ways of being and experiencing. Hercules, I conclude, is a “hope bearer” – for autistic children, and for all.

Notes

Book chapter in the volume: Katarzyna Marciniak, ed., Our Mythical Hope: The Ancient Myths as Medicine for Hardships of Life in Children's and Young Adults' Culture, in the series "Our Mythical Childhood", Warsaw: University of Warsaw Press, 2021, 836 pp. Open Access https://www.wuw.pl/product-eng-16830-Our-Mythical-Hope-The-Ancient-Myths-as-Medicine-for-the-Hardships-of-Life-in-Childrens-and-Young-Adults-Culture-PDF.html This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No 681202 (2016–2022), Our Mythical Childhood... The Reception of Classical Antiquity in Children's and Young Adults' Culture in Response to Regional and Global Challenges, ERC Consolidator Grant led by Katarzyna Marciniak. Project's Website: www.omc.obta.al.uw.edu.pl. The publication is licensed under (CC BY 3.0 PL) (full license available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/pl/legalcode).

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Susan Deacy HERCULES BEARER OF HOPE FOR AUTISTIC CHILDREN.pdf

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Funding

OurMythicalChildhood – Our Mythical Childhood... The Reception of Classical Antiquity in Children’s and Young Adults’ Culture in Response to Regional and Global Challenges 681202
European Commission