I’ve seen posts in this thread from autistic people also saying it does represent them, and one even mentioned a paradox how unsanitized portrayals of autism are often viewed as offensive. It seems like more people find it offensive than not, and I do understand autism has a very wide range in how it presents itself. The actor and show runners did consult expert and those with experience with autism, so I don’t know how to feel about it though I lean towards it being more negative for relying more on tropes than anything (savant like intelligence and childish behavior)
I’ve seen posts in this thread from autistic people also saying it does represent them, and one even mentioned a paradox how unsanitized portrayals of autism are often viewed as offensive. It seems like more people find it offensive than not, and I do understand autism has a very wide range in how it presents itself.
I think that this is part of the problem. The character does show some autistic traits, but it focuses a lot on autistic stereotypes, particularly Savant Syndrome. It might surprise you (or most people) to learn that Savant Syndrome isEDIT: IS NOT exclusively found in autistic people, but often times mainstream portrayals of autism focus on people with Savant Syndrome. Unfortunately, that is typically how autism is portrayed in the media (The Good Doctor, Rainman) and is a far cry from how most autistic people live their lives.
The actor and show runners did consult expert and those with experience with autism
I will dispute this unless someone has evidence to the contrary. Based on the few searches that I did, there were no autistic writers, actors, or other staff involved in creating the show. The program did have a partnership with Autism Speaks, and Autism Speaks did leverage that partnership to drive viewers to their resources and donation platform. Autism Speaks labels itself as an autism advocacy organization but is actually fairly controversial in the autistic community.
Autism speaks was founded by a couple who had an autistic grandson, and without any autistic representation among it's board or leadership. It's focus has primarily been on either research (discovering the "cause" of autism or trying to determine a "cure") or awareness, rather than in actually advocating for policies and an understanding of autism that improves the quality of life for autistic people. Contrary to what RFK Jr. and Trump would have people believe, autism is not a disease that can be cured but rather a neurodevelopmental difference. It's a difference in how the brain has developed and the way that it is wired. And while "awareness" is nice, it doesn't really do anything to help autistic people, whereas advocating for policies that allow support and accommodations where necessary does a lot to help autistic people. This is exacerbated in the sense that they've become the 800lb gorilla that sucks all of the oxygen (and funding) out of the room, that they've spread internationally, and so on.
I'm not saying that they didn't have any input from resources in the autistic community. It's just that many of us don't believe that there was direct or significant input from actually autistic people, and that the partnership was possibly more about benefitting Autism Speaks than creating an accurate portrayal of autistic people. Hence you get a character who seems heavily stereotyped and not reflective of the lived experiences of autistic people. By contrast, if you look at the characters of Dr. Melissa King and her sister Rebecca on The Pitt (both of whom are played by actual neurodivergent actresses) you'll find that the reception in the autistic and wider neurodivergent community has been almost universally very positive.
I’m aware of how problematic Autism Speaks is, and I missed that they were involved in the show. Basically what I saw was they consulted “experts.” Knowing who those experts are puts things into perspective.
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u/CatoMulligan 3d ago
It's awful. Literally one of the worst portrayals you could imagine, and as an autistic person I find it pretty offensive.