We're starting to reach the point where TV shows about autism are reaching the mainstream. My mom's friend watches The Good Doctor. My coworker saw Atypical. And now, I decided to check it all out.
It's a comedy/drama about an autistic high school student's quest for love. And I'm pretty impressed with the show's portrayal of autism.
Vitally, it shows why Sam does the things he does. So many stories just show the weird behaviors of autistics, but here, all of Sam's actions are shown to make sense, even if they're not a good idea. For example, the show emphasizes how a woman in a crowd unknowingly swishing her ponytail in his face aggravates him tremendously, but rather than ask her to shop, he instead grabs her ponytail.
Second, Sam's narration explains what can't be easily shown. For example, he mentions that autistics do feel empathy very strongly, that is, once they realize that they did something wrong, as they may not know. This even helps deal with the "accidental jerk" stereotype. Yes, Sam was an "accidental jerk", but he tries (and succeeds!) to make things as right as he can in one major instance.
Which ties into the third thing it does well - dispel some misconceptions. Yes, autistics feel empathy. Furthermore, Sam is also not a savant, just a generally good student who has an obsession with arctic wildlife.
And the show portrays how autistics can creating disastrous situations with their social skills problems, like how Sam develops a crush on his therapist and later confesses his crush to her. Or telling a girl that if they dated, she'd merely be his "practice girlfriend".
We even see how Sam has a sense of identity. When told to wear a leather jacket by his pickup artist friend because it will make him look cool, Sam insists, "That's not me."
This may be a comedy/drama, but if portraying autism symptoms for comedy (then later showing the drama) results in more people understanding and accepting autism, then I'm all for it.
Sam does actually get a girlfriend other than his therapist, a girl named Paige who may have ADHD. If she does, I think it's very appropriate; I've read that people with autism and ADHD sometimes connect surprisingly well. Paige tries to understand Sam's disability and really make an effort to get to know him. And he learns many things from his relationship with her.
The show also focuses on other characters, and they're okay. The nice guy dad trying to make up for his crappy past, the teenage jock sister who punches a bully, the frazzled mom who cheats on the dad, and the therapist. Sam has a family of course, and they affect the story too, but I just didn't get too into their stories when Sam or Paige wasn't around. Interestingly, they make major mistakes with their own misunderstandings and communications issues at times, despite not having autism. Hmm...
With this promising beginning and the Drama Bomb finale, I'm already invested in season 2.
Possibly the best autism show out right now
We're starting to reach the point where TV shows about autism are reaching the mainstream. My mom's friend watches The Good Doctor. My coworker saw Atypical. And now, I decided to check it all out.
It's a comedy/drama about an autistic high school student's quest for love. And I'm pretty impressed with the show's portrayal of autism.
Vitally, it shows why Sam does the things he does. So many stories just show the weird behaviors of autistics, but here, all of Sam's actions are shown to make sense, even if they're not a good idea. For example, the show emphasizes how a woman in a crowd unknowingly swishing her ponytail in his face aggravates him tremendously, but rather than ask her to shop, he instead grabs her ponytail.
Second, Sam's narration explains what can't be easily shown. For example, he mentions that autistics do feel empathy very strongly, that is, once they realize that they did something wrong, as they may not know. This even helps deal with the "accidental jerk" stereotype. Yes, Sam was an "accidental jerk", but he tries (and succeeds!) to make things as right as he can in one major instance.
Which ties into the third thing it does well - dispel some misconceptions. Yes, autistics feel empathy. Furthermore, Sam is also not a savant, just a generally good student who has an obsession with arctic wildlife.
And the show portrays how autistics can creating disastrous situations with their social skills problems, like how Sam develops a crush on his therapist and later confesses his crush to her. Or telling a girl that if they dated, she'd merely be his "practice girlfriend".
We even see how Sam has a sense of identity. When told to wear a leather jacket by his pickup artist friend because it will make him look cool, Sam insists, "That's not me."
This may be a comedy/drama, but if portraying autism symptoms for comedy (then later showing the drama) results in more people understanding and accepting autism, then I'm all for it.
Sam does actually get a girlfriend other than his therapist, a girl named Paige who may have ADHD. If she does, I think it's very appropriate; I've read that people with autism and ADHD sometimes connect surprisingly well. Paige tries to understand Sam's disability and really make an effort to get to know him. And he learns many things from his relationship with her.
The show also focuses on other characters, and they're okay. The nice guy dad trying to make up for his crappy past, the teenage jock sister who punches a bully, the frazzled mom who cheats on the dad, and the therapist. Sam has a family of course, and they affect the story too, but I just didn't get too into their stories when Sam or Paige wasn't around. Interestingly, they make major mistakes with their own misunderstandings and communications issues at times, despite not having autism. Hmm...
With this promising beginning and the Drama Bomb finale, I'm already invested in season 2.