Portrayal of autistic people in films/TV

[AutisticHouseMove]

I was diagnosed as autistic in my early 40s.

When I was younger, the only real portrayal of autism I was aware of was Rainman.

I also know there has been criticism of that because it portrayed an autistic man as a 'low functioning' savant.

Over recent years, I've noticed a prevalence of a different type of autistic person. Usually working in some kind of solitary role requiring a high level of intelligence (eg scientist), who is brilliant/the best at their job but completely lacking in empathy or social skills and getting it all wrong when they have to interact with colleagues or friends.

They're rarely identified as 'autistic' but there are hints along the way, comments from other characters about how 'weird' or 'difficult' or 'awkward' they are or how curious it is watching them trying to interact with or behave like 'the humans/earthlings'. Or other characters have to brace themselves against the tone deaf comments. Basically, either endearingly odd, a bit of a dick or both.

I don't know. It just makes me feel uncomfortable and embarrassed even when I realise this character (and they're recognisable because they're all portrayed in the same way) is supposed to represent me. Or is this really how NT people perceive many of us to be?

YABU - the portrayal of people with autism in films and TV shows is pretty much how I experience autistic people in real life

YANBU - you have a point.

Nope

I already have all the validation I need for a lifetime of intense struggle - my diagnosis, as assessed by actual experts. In that context, the validation of the uneducated is neither required nor relevant.

What I do require is for those others to stop seeking to invalidate my diagnosis, and others', through their ignorance.

Being able to speak, read and write but not communicate? Speaking, reading and writing are modes of communication by definition.

This!

But not part of the diagnosis process. You may have the skills but be unable to use them to communicate.

This is getting tedious and I have no intention of going round in circles all night.

I'm glad youre validated and don't need others to do that for you.

Unfortunately you can't dictate that others meet your needs by not describing their situation.

Profound autism doesnt invalidate your diagnosis, it clarifies theirs.

Being ignorant of others also includes those who perpetuate that others can't be impacted more by their autism than somebody else. The fact that some people are profoundly impacted doesnt invalidate your dx at all it just means your not as impacted as an non communicative adult, who can't do anything for themselves, likely has sibs, vocalises etc especially when you're able to argue on sm.

By having those skills they're already not as severly impacted.

Let me guess, diagnosed privately in 30’s, have a relationship and children, hold down a job and don’t need any outside support from another adult? Well lucky you.

Meanwhile, those who have children who can’t read, write or follow 2 step instructions (so need an EHCP) and are likely to need adult support forever (due to the severity of their disability because they can’t do anything for themselves
and will never be independent) should see it all as equal needs? The spectrum is so vast that it may as well have different names to distinguish between the two ends of it because they are absolutely like night and day.

I beg your pardon. Those diagnosed in their 30s will have had a lifetime of struggle alone! My family is fortunate enough to be NHS diagnosed but can feel empathy for those unable to access the ridiculous long lists. Ditto EHCPs. Anybody with an autism diagnosis will have a severely impacted life and are in no way lucky.

Then they should try describing their situation without implying (or outright stating) that folk who are able to communicate and/or survive after a fashion aren't autistic.

These are the people I'm talking about:

• "I always say this and I cannot understand how they can all have ‘autism/are autistic’" (note that "cannot" usually means "will not")
• "There is a such a huge difference between the two ends of the spectrum that I don’t think it should have the same name."

That's not "describing their situation". That's redefining mine in order to validate their own (or, much more commonly, their child's).

Incorrect on almost all your points, but thanks for playing.

I was going to say this. You might not like it but it is genuinely written by an autistic woman.

I’m autistic. The idea that my autism is in anyway comparable to that of someone with profound autism is ridiculous.

Yes, support needs can fluctuate but not to the extent that I’m suddenly going to require 24/7 care.

It doesn’t invalidate my struggles to acknowledge that others have it harder.

I dont say the first point but I do say a version of the second.

The second isnt invalidating your dx it's stating something really obvious. Autism presentations are vastly different and it would be incredibly helpful to be able to say "my ds has whatever dx" and the person I'm talking to know how he presents. I'm a big advocate for using profound autism, it keeps you dx the same but changes my son's.

In terms of having to speak for my son there is an obvious reason for this.

Just to add I've never said that people who communicate don't have autism (i don't use autistic).

Your posts have aimed at fair bit of anger at me which I don't think is appropriate.

Yea, I’m sure I’m wrong…..

Why are you so keen to be seem to have the same level of need as a child who can’t speak for example or an adult who needs 1:1 support?

Why do you seem to get outraged at the thought some people with say level 3 autism have more severe needs that those with level 1?

Why does that upset you? It’s obviously true or there wouldn’t be a further classification described as levels….. the difference is significant so what’s the big kick off saying no no it’s the same when clearly it’s absolutely not.

I suspect the names will be altered at some point to distinguish the difference.

Some of the posts on here are just bizarre, I don’t understand what people are trying to achieve.
They seem to be saying that they are being told they aren’t autistic, when no one is saying that.
i absolutely think that there needs to be different categories within the autism diagnosis.

Oh I saw a lot of notifications for his thread and thought it would be about TV etc. Instead it is people arguing about the spectrum. Can that be another thread?

Well said

Getting back to TV - I actually really enjoy The Big Bang Theory, and Young Sheldon. I watch it regularly. I think Sheldon’s character develops over the 10 seasons, I find him relatable, I also think his friends must like him else they wouldn’t stay together.

You've completely missed the point of everything I've said. Here you go, in the simplest possible terms:

I have no problem with the fact that some people are unfortunate enough to have permanently high support needs (although they're a minority of autistic folk - studies tend to agree it's somewhere around 10-15%, as I recall). What I have a problem with is people - usually the parents of those people - telling me that I can't possibly be autistic and it's not the same condition, as though they're somehow more educated on the subject than the entire psychiatric profession, through their experience with one autistic person. If they had even a passing familiarity with the diagnostic criteria, they'd know how absurd their position is.

The lack of understanding is shown in stark relief when they say that they cannot possibly see how one condition can express itself so very differently, but - critically - they refuse to believe the actual experts on the subject when they say it does.

Even worse is when they deliberately mischaracterise my position as somehow being upset that other people have higher support needs than I do. I'm not the one treating it like a competition.

Then you get to the variability of the condition over time- in terms of the level system (which was, irritatingly, only created by the Americans so that autistic people could be categorised for the convenience of the medical insurance industry), on a good day I'm level 1. On a bad day, I'm somewhere between 2 and 3...unable to communicate, unable to regulate and on occasion I even pose a risk to myself and those around me if I'm in the wrong circumstances; if two people were to describe me on those different days, they wouldn't recognise the other as the same person.

I can count the number of bad days up to 20yrs old on one hand. In my 20s, there were maybe one or two per year. 30s, twice that. 40s, even more. As I get older, the bad days are becoming more frequent. They don't outnumber the good days, yet, but I can see a time coming when they do. This is the same experience as a lot of autistic people who get written off by people as "not autistic enough" and "should have a different diagnosis".

This will, undoubtedly, become extremely relevant should I ever end up in a care home - and so yes, the diagnosis of that same condition is hugely important to me because it will determine my quality of life and the care I get in that context. Nobody even really knows how to deal with it at the moment, because there's almost zero data on autistic presentation in the elderly.

Now, I appreciate that wasn't exactly a short summary (brevity is not one of my talents), but...do you understand now?

@ntmdino

I really like the way you have described yourself here.
It's exactly right.

One day it's a level 1
The next few could be a 2 depending on energy spent at other times. Thank you.

Yes, this is how I feel about my daughter. At our lowest, she has been unable to function, lying in bed unable to dress, leave the house, go to school. We know how desperate that feels, to be at the end of our rope with no idea what to do to help her and tearing ourselves apart, family relationships failing etc. But we emerged from it. She is functioning well again, has occasional blips but is generally much easier to be around. Her anxiety is well managed, and she has a much improved awareness of her own needs.

We've sat in workshops alongside parents of children who cannot speak, are still in nappies at 5 or older, are clearly extremely disabled by their profound autism, all day and every single day. It is clear that our daughter is absolutely nothing like them. To admit this doesn't negate the trauma we endured, or our own experience.

One thing I do take issue with though is people describing masking as a 'privilege'. For a 6yo to mask so heavily that she ended up lying naked in bed not eating, clawing at her hair and screaming it's annoying her, unable to leave the house, unable to dress etc - this is a privilege she could have done without. Masking leads young women in particular to severe mental health problems, and ultimately potential suicide. To describe this as a privilege is perverse and I object to it in the strongest terms.

Yes I agree with you on the masking and my child doesn't have the capacity to mask but it must be very hard to mask all day it isn't a privilege

A very measured response.

The eloquent posters arguing their struggles are as bad as this is almost comical if it wasnt so offensive.