Does anyone think we should maybe address "Hollywood Aspergers" or how portrayals of higher-functioning varieties of autism follow certain patterns in the media? It's becoming increasingly more common to show people who are on the autism spectrum who can lead normal lives, but there are still some common misconceptions about it. It follows some of the same patterns as the issues here (usually white, always male, always straight or asexual) but there are some distinct stereotypes of Aspergers as well: like, a nerd in some technical field who is successful due to an absorption in minutia. There are other issues with Aspergers, like some of the issues with executive functioning and sound-sensitivity, that are almost never addressed (particularly with executive functioning - Aspies in popular culture are often shown as extremely organized and on-top-of things).
Edited by EmmaWoodhouse18 Hide / Show Replies
Ya almost had me until "Aspie"
Yowie Wowee. LET ME IN! #Try Again Hurt #Heal
Just removed two examples. Since I accidentally didn't say why, I'll do so here;
- There is a visiting heart surgeon who is stated to have Asperger's syndrome in an episode of Grey's Anatomy.
This just says that one episode features an autistic character without talking about how the portrayal is or isn't accurate, or even going into any further detail.- Caleb on Big Mouth is a downplayed example. He does speak in monotone and is explicitly stated to not understand social cues. However, he is actually fine with being around his (often crazy) classmates and attends regular classes rather than special ed. Caleb also has eclectic personal interests. He is a member of Jazz Club and the A/V Club (serving as cameraman for the in-school news program), is an excellent comic book artist and knows how to write a smartphone app due attending coding camp over the summer. A lot of his quirks seem more personal, rather than being symptoms, and he is actually more well-adjusted than some of his classmates.
As far as I can tell, this character has never been explicitly referred to as autistic, whether in the show or through Word of God. Ambiguous Disorder is even listed among the tropes in his section on the show's character sheet. Though feel free to correct me if I'm in any way wrong.