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.

Great example.

Presumably there could be many characters on TV who are autistic, you just don't spot it because outwardly they appear the same as others, and it is only inwardly they are struggling?

Or undiagnosed people?

I liked it, to be honest.

I hadn't told my daughter about my diagnosis when we watched it but she turned to me whilst we were watching it and told me that I was also an "odd duck". So I suppose I have to accept that one.

@Viot

Absolutely

I feel we need more types

My dd is audhd
And although she presents totally NT she has so many internal struggles it's definitely a disability. But now one sees here true struggles except her close family so she is judged everyday.

I love the program love on the spectrum. But even those are higher support needs and are very obvious to me.

I'd like to see more people like my dd.
Those that it's the tiniest detail you might pick up on. It's the internal struggles the tv need to highlight in those people.

The quiet creatives
The wall flowers that are brilliant with animals
The boys that crack witty jokes but can't chat about the weather.
Then go home and worry all night about what they did or didn't say or do.

totally agree with you @AutisticHouseMove

I "started" to watch Extraordinary Attorney Woo but I found the depiction so disheartening.

Yes I think there are actually a lot of characters who are autistic but not always labeled. Another one is Elsa, she’s also clearly autistic if you properly listen to the song lyrics and story in both films. I also quite like BBT, I like how Sheldon does so well in his job and that he has a close circle of friends and lives life just fine in his own way. Autism is a spectrum and I think different characters are needed to represent it and that includes characters like Sheldon and also the more severe end too. I do wish the ‘higher functioning’ (sorry don’t know how else to put it) characters that are clearly autistic but aren’t labeled as such were owned as autistic though. I have ASD and I love seeing characters like this but would like it to be known to everyone that they are.

I think Rainman waa based on a real person ?
It's not meant to represent everybody with a diagnosis of autism
That's the the thing with programmes/ films featuring somone who autistic its just one perspective.

I was diagnosed in my early 40’s and I see no representation of what my autism is like on TV. I also find the portrayal of autistic people on shows really reductive as it just perpetuates the myth that we are all awkward/cold/highly intelligent/can’t have relations/don’t understand others. It’s hard enough trying to get my wider family to understand how my autism affects me and that it is actually real (even with a formal diagnosis they still don’t quite believe me) and programmes that paint autistic people in this light dosn’t help.

and if one more person says to me ‘well we are all a bit on the spectrum’ I may loose my mind. It is so rude! You wouldn’t tell someone with cancer ‘well we all have a little bit of cancer’. It just completely minimises everything I deal with on a daily basis and how exhausting the world can be for me.

And people come on those threads to explain what you’re saying and awareness rises. The conversations are happening way more than they were, on here, elsewhere online, in schools, and so on. I’m not saying it’s sorted, not by a long way, but it’s more part of the conversation now, esp compared to many disabilities that barely get seen on screen.

They exaggerated Alan Turings behaviour, to make the character fit the ASD stereotype.

If you read what his friends say, he was perfectly sociable:

”While researchers have tried to assign a retrospective diagnosis of Autism to Turing, the stereotypical traits portrayed in the film, such as social awkwardness, difficulty working with others, and tendency to take things over-literally, bear little relationship to accounts given of Turing's personality, even if he did have other qualities worthy of an informal autism diagnosis. Despite enjoying working alone, Turing was sociable and had friends, was also viewed as having a sense of humour, and had good working relationships with colleagues”

More ASD theatrical bullshit.

I was watching an episode of BBT last night that I’d overlooked before.

Sheldon describes modelling himself on Mr Spock. He exaggerated his innate tendency towards rationality over emotion.

So that really helps with the extremity of his behaviour, imo.

I appreciate the various characters portrayed- none as the archetype autistic person, but each adding to the catalogue, if you like.

I would think each of these quirky characters is modelled on someone’s experience. DH certainly recognises himself on occasion.

I thought “A kind of spark” was good (CBBC drama based on a book, written by an autistic author)

I recognise traits of myself / my DS in characters like Ludwig, Mr Darcy, characters in the musical Dear Evan Hansen.

The Vanish autism advert so accurately portrayed one of my kids, that it made me cry, we were struggling for a diagnosis at the time. We also have not one but two Sheldons in the family (father and son), so the portrayals are accurate for some.

Never understood this type of argument. They are films/tv shows that are for entertainment purposes. They generally don’t portray any characters realistically, because realism
generally equates to boring. Even the NT people don’t talk and act like real humans. The autistic person will be the savant type because it serves the story to have someone with some exceptional skill, that’s the whole point to make it exciting & hold your interest. If you want accurate representation watch a documentary.

Elsa as in Frozen? I don't think DD has thought about that. I must ask her. I do know that DD has always thought Elsa was gay and it's been mentioned online a lot.

I had to Google who Belle and Hermione were as I'm afraid my Disney knowledge is non existent. I've not seen Beauty and the beast.

Great shout about Mr Darcy from a PP. I wonder how I've not put two and two together on thay one before.

i cannot believe I forgot Elsa @Overthebow . Thank you for putting her in the list! I also really like the sibling aspect of it.

I'm glad I asked now because, yes, I agree that there are characters who obviously are but also aren't obviously. If that makes sense? And I had forgotten about them.

I get that it can be annoying that autism is consequently misunderstood by many people because of how they see it portrayed.

I think this is my biggest frustration because it becomes a characature and then other people think we're 'all like that'.

I have people telling me that I can't be autistic and I know others experience the same because they think they know what autism is having seen it on TV.

I met my exh at school. His nickname for me was Spock. He would often say, "OK, Sheldon!" in an affectionate way rather than an insult but it still felt like one. We didn't really know about autism at school but I was diagnosed after we divorced and, when I told him, he just smiled and said he knew.
Presumably there could be many characters on TV who are autistic, you just don't spot it because outwardly they appear the same as others, and it is only inwardly they are struggling?Or undiagnosed people?But they're fictional characters. They could be anything. We could say they have any disease or condition and just don't see it. They would have to be explicitly identified as autistic to be viewed as such.

I love seeing characters like this but would like it to be known to everyone that they are.

Yes!

I have Asperger’s but you probably wouldn’t know. In my everyday life I am sociable and confident. It tends to be my view points and the way I think about things that people start to realise maybe I’m slightly different. But unless you know me well, you’d not have a clue. I’d go as far as to say you would be shocked to find out I have an Asperger’s diagnosis.

People without much awareness of it probably feel they need to tick some boxes for a character to qualify. This ends up making it more of a caricature of an autistic person than a realistic portrayal.

But I think some of them, like Belle, were written without the diagnosis in mind. The writers were great observers of a certain coherent type without maybe diagnosing that's as autism at the time.

In 1991 did female screenwriters know much about female autism? Mm. But they could coherently type a hyperlexic distractible girl with an autistic scatterbrained inventor father, kind but clueless, happily refusing the CLEARLY most eligible bachelor in town, preferring a recluse rude other guy that she had a big difference with with a lot of books.

Yes, I agree.

There is an autistic man recently come into Emmerdale as a cafe owner.

I really liked Extraordinary Attorney Woo, and so did both my autistic children.

My kids also love Orla from Derry Girls, who isn't confirmed autistic, but is certainly written as if she is.

The BBT never talks about autism or confirms that Sheldon is meant to have it- lots of people assuming based on their own stereotypes and biases which is kind of ironic isnt it? TV shows and films are full of exaggerated and unrealistic stereotypes, I think its actually more regressive when shows mention it or use it as a storyline for the sake of it rather than just have people existing as individuals.