Long time since I watched that. I'll keep it in mind - maybe watch it soon now you've got me thinking. I've always been keen on his acting though - an impressive actor all round in my book.
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Are series and movies representation of autism realistic?
- Thread starter CharmedSky
- Start date
In terms of a realistic portrayal of autism, not really.
Shaun is a savant, which is not true for all people on the spectrum.
Sheldon is confirmed to actually be NT by the writers.
Christian somehow never gets overwhelmed by loud gunfights (I have nothing against guns, I love them), which is what he is doing for at least half of the film.
Shaun is a savant, which is not true for all people on the spectrum.
Sheldon is confirmed to actually be NT by the writers.
Christian somehow never gets overwhelmed by loud gunfights (I have nothing against guns, I love them), which is what he is doing for at least half of the film.
"Rain Man" was based on the life of megasavant Kim Peek. Who while originally was diagnosed with autism, was later known to have FG Syndrome.
TempeFan
Well-Known Member
Movies and TV are about as accurate in portraying autism or Aspergers as they are at representing Native American culture - Not at all!
The first time I ever heard the word Aspergers was on Boston Legal. Christian Clemenson played a brilliant lawyer with no social skills named Jerry Espenson. They kept him in a backroom doing research and wouldn't let him go to court because of he could not tell a lie. He displayed classic Tourette's with lots of involuntary tics and vocalizations and often the compulsive utterance of obscenities -not autistic.
Of course, my favorite character of all time is Temperance Brennan on Bones which is based on real life forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs. Supposedly this series is based on true stories. ... where Bones loosely rips stories from real-life crimes. People tell me Bones is so much like me it's uncanny. Though this character is as close to real life as can be, the rest of the cast is not. No where on the planet does there exist a group of NTs that accepting and supportive of neurodiversity.
The first time I ever heard the word Aspergers was on Boston Legal. Christian Clemenson played a brilliant lawyer with no social skills named Jerry Espenson. They kept him in a backroom doing research and wouldn't let him go to court because of he could not tell a lie. He displayed classic Tourette's with lots of involuntary tics and vocalizations and often the compulsive utterance of obscenities -not autistic.
Of course, my favorite character of all time is Temperance Brennan on Bones which is based on real life forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs. Supposedly this series is based on true stories. ... where Bones loosely rips stories from real-life crimes. People tell me Bones is so much like me it's uncanny. Though this character is as close to real life as can be, the rest of the cast is not. No where on the planet does there exist a group of NTs that accepting and supportive of neurodiversity.
What ABOUT Aspies who don't want sex, who just want companionship, or are asexual? Did you want the character to be all of those? Is it because you are? I've had sex with multiple people (and I'm asexual) and hundreds of times, one time meeting two people in the same week. If something doesn't reflect your exact reality, that doesn't make it unrealistic. The actor is adorable, there's no reason to believe he should be alone or asexual or both just because he's autistic or just because you are.
I'm not saying the show is absolutely realistic, I just don't agree that it's unrealistic for the reasons you stated.
And I agree with the person who said the show is cute!
The Reaver of Darkness
Active Member
I had quite the crush on River Tam from Firefly despite her being primarily a Rain Man stereotype. I think it's a fun character archetype to play with in film. I'd love to see more realism in depictions of characters with autism, though I won't mind if they only show the attractive side of it--in fact I'd prefer it. It is unfortunate that people will develop their view of the world from films and fiction, but it is also a fact that they will ignore said fiction if its world is unattractive. Therefore the best compromise is to keep the palatable realism and ditch the ugly truth. That being said, I think there's a lot of room for artists (storytellers and actors) to make elements of reality look good, and often the films I like best are those that show the hidden beauty of the real world.
Has anyone seen the movie "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen"? The lead character in that movie is a good example of an Aspie who might have one of two quirks, difficulty with humour perhaps, but otherwise is able to blend in. It's one of the few movies I've seen featuring autistic characters who are not exaggerated or stereotyped.
CharmedSky
Well-Known Member
Thanks for all the responses guys, as being someone who is not on the spectrum, I am 100% clueless.
patrick183
Member
I am watching this show now... and in the process of being diagnosed as self-testing and screening by a psychologist has indicated I do very likely have HFA. I keep getting hung up on the idea that my personality is too functional or without enough quirks to truly internalize and accept the idea that I am autistic. But I really have no baseline as I don't know anyone who I know has HFA, and watching all these TV shows and characters is distorting everything as I know a lot of things are probably exaggerated.
Does Shaun being a "savant" differ from HFA/Aspergers? I hadn't heard that term before and just looked it up. It looks to be more exceptional, in the sense that you're really insanely good at something, but otherwise autistic and not necessarily high functioning?
Very much so. He has thought processes most of us simply don't have or cannot process at the speeds and complexity his character performs. Which admittedly creates yet another unwanted stereotype. Interesting at times, yet IMO distracting from his classic autism.
However...to me what makes this show interesting, is how it goes out of the way at times to show how NTs make mistakes in interacting with an autistic person. And on occasion the reciprocal as well.
Social dynamics I personally find more important than making autistic characters larger than life, whether as genius doctors or superheroes who routinely save the planet. But would an audience of predominantly Neurotypicals and corporate sponsors want to observe autistic people who lead less exciting lives?
-Probably not.
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Spencer Reid is actually played pretty well as autistic. It was even acknowledged in-universe, when the team cracks some jokes about an autistic suspect and Jennifer later apologizes to Reid, who doesn't understand what she's talking about. But other than that, it is rarely played up.
And The Accountant is "good for its time", or about as fair a representation as you'll get in this day and age.
Sheldon is a caricature. The actor has said he plays him as autistic, but the writers claim they do not write him as autistic. (Same thing happened with Jack Sparrow, who was "completely straight" in the script according to Keira Knightley, and I don't think she was talking about his sexuality.)
Never seen The Good Doctor.
Atypical is just a pile of stereotypes. It's really Casey's story, I feel. Or the father's. They're the ones with agency. Sam's girlfriend is more realistically autistic than he is, since unlike him she is not just an empty shell on autopilot.
And The Accountant is "good for its time", or about as fair a representation as you'll get in this day and age.
Sheldon is a caricature. The actor has said he plays him as autistic, but the writers claim they do not write him as autistic. (Same thing happened with Jack Sparrow, who was "completely straight" in the script according to Keira Knightley, and I don't think she was talking about his sexuality.)
Never seen The Good Doctor.
Atypical is just a pile of stereotypes. It's really Casey's story, I feel. Or the father's. They're the ones with agency. Sam's girlfriend is more realistically autistic than he is, since unlike him she is not just an empty shell on autopilot.
Yes, savant syndrome is an entirely different diagnosis than autism spectrum disorders.
It's probably really hard to portray an autistic character without making it obvious by using the classic, stereotypical actions associated with the condition. HFA characters would be hard to identify unless the story followed the character's life in a way that uncovered their traits as they play out in daily routines, coupled with anxiety, conflict, and frustration. I'm still not sure if NTs would pick up on the characteristics or even learn anything about Autism.
The real core of Autism is inside us. We feel normal, but can't understand our social and behavioral quirks that the NT world focuses on to label us as peculiar. It's hard to grasp Autism if you don't feel it yourself. It's still a hurdle for us to connect the dots because our "normal" is unlike the other normal, and we don't know what it is like to be the other normal.
We have to let Hollywood and related film gurus find a way to develop an autistic character that might be off the commonly understood recognizable stereotype. Not easy to do. Most NTs would dismiss autistic behaviors, no matter how subtle, as correctable behaviors. People need to know a lot about Autism to be able to make sense out of any aspect of it. It is the quirks that drive the stories where ASD is present. Without the quirks, the characters are just dull or annoying.
The real core of Autism is inside us. We feel normal, but can't understand our social and behavioral quirks that the NT world focuses on to label us as peculiar. It's hard to grasp Autism if you don't feel it yourself. It's still a hurdle for us to connect the dots because our "normal" is unlike the other normal, and we don't know what it is like to be the other normal.
We have to let Hollywood and related film gurus find a way to develop an autistic character that might be off the commonly understood recognizable stereotype. Not easy to do. Most NTs would dismiss autistic behaviors, no matter how subtle, as correctable behaviors. People need to know a lot about Autism to be able to make sense out of any aspect of it. It is the quirks that drive the stories where ASD is present. Without the quirks, the characters are just dull or annoying.
The mighty Boosh
Well-Known Member
Gonna have to go with
Bolletje - You often have to fit the character into the story and that's fine most of the time.
otherwise like Rex said about hackers making programs you'd have to explain what's happening or sit watching someone write a wall of text without knowing what's going on.
Even if you had an actor with AS they'd use a social mask to fit the character.
Depends on how old the film is as stereotypes change.
Only films I've seen with an Rain man (been awhile but think ?) and Big bang alot of people tell me Sheldon is but It's very vague.
Don't knock films too mutch I'd struggle to make a character with something like bipolar without using stereotypes.
Bolletje - You often have to fit the character into the story and that's fine most of the time.
otherwise like Rex said about hackers making programs you'd have to explain what's happening or sit watching someone write a wall of text without knowing what's going on.
Even if you had an actor with AS they'd use a social mask to fit the character.
Depends on how old the film is as stereotypes change.
Only films I've seen with an Rain man (been awhile but think ?) and Big bang alot of people tell me Sheldon is but It's very vague.
Don't knock films too mutch I'd struggle to make a character with something like bipolar without using stereotypes.
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