Assignment - Unit 11 - Exploration of specialist study and context.

Is Autism portrayed accurately in the Film and TV industry?

Neurodivergent definition by the Cleveland Clinic – “The term “neurodivergent” describes people whose brain differences affect how their brain works. That means they have different strengths and challenges from people whose brains don’t have those differences.” (Clinic, 2022)

Autism definition by the Cleveland Clinic – “Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disease typically diagnosed during childhood. The former name of ASD is autism, and many people still use the term. But ASD includes several conditions within the spectrum. ASD changes the way your child interacts and communicates.” (Clinic, 2023)

Neurotypical definition by the Cleveland Clinic – “The word for people who aren’t neurodivergent is “neurotypical.” That means their strengths and challenges aren't affected by any kind of difference that changes how their brains work.” (Clinic, 2022)

Portrayals of autism in the film and TV industry, are they doing it correctly? This topic is a surprisingly big discussion that has been going on for years. Which makes you wonder, how are we not moving forward with the situation? 

Taking a look at television and film through the ages it is possible to observe some improvements of the representation or portrayal of people with autism. Rain Man, a film released in 1988 starring award winning actor Dustin Hoffman gave many viewers their first understanding of autism and the depiction of the disorder has been stuck in the public’s mind ever since. Hoffman’s role in the film is Raymond Babbitt an institutionalised man who has savant math abilities, and is unable to function well in society. Whether this film was helpful to the autistic community or harmful due to the stereotypes has been argued by professionals in both film and psychology ever since. Jay McCarthy argues in his article on 13 Dec 2018 that the representation should be seen as an overall positive but is also understanding of the opposite view, he states:

Thirty years on, as the parent of a child with autism, I view the film very differently. I found watching it again unexpectedly moving, as I identified with Charlie’s journey from frustration and bewilderment to understanding. How, I wondered, does the autism community view the movie? “Many say that Rain Man is now damaging to autism awareness, and I see their point”. (McCarthy, 2018)

In another article from the Guardian titled ‘Rain Man made autistic people visible. But it also entrenched a myth’ Karl Knights writes about the stereotypes created from the film which the autistic community still struggles to combat and shows some of the frustration felt by many and their advocates, they believe that due to the spectrum nature of this disorder such a high-profile portrayal that focuses solely on one story has had a major impact on the public’s perception of how autism impacts those who have it, he writes:

As a beginning for autism on screen, Rain Man deserves applause. It gave autistic people a visibility that had previously been denied them. In one fell swoop Rain Man achieved almost overnight the kind of representation that parent advocacy groups had been working towards for decades. But as the dominant depiction of autism on screen, it also deserves derision. The autistic community is more than Raymond Babbitt. (Knights, 2018)

This is still the most common portrayal of autism we see on television which is someone who is incredibly smart at one main thing – commonly known as Savant syndrome, not good in social situations and finds it difficult to form relationships or read social cues and while these traits may be true for some of the autistic community, it is a spectrum disorder meaning that it is not always so severe for others who also have this disorder. The NHS website agrees as it states: “Autism is a spectrum. This means everybody with autism is different. Some autistic people need little or no support. Others may need help from a parent or carer every day.” (NHS, 2022). As Knights said in 2018 this type of representation was a giant step forward for the industry at the time as it helped others learn how to interact with someone who has severe autism but has now affected their views and interactions with someone who has the disorder and does not require support but are now being treated the same way which can be belittling and frustrating.

However, you could argue, as McCarthy did in The Guardian, 2018, that there are no wrong depictions of autism as it is on a spectrum and they are just showing one perspective of the disability. And yes, he may be correct, you may be showing one perspective but shouldn’t we ask why can’t we be showing others too? 

In a modern TV series, The Good Doctor which began in 2017 Freddie Highmore brings to the screen the autistic character of Shaun Murphy. This character could be argued as being a new perspective on the disorder as he is more independent but unfortunately the character is still very much based on the stereotypes we can’t seem to break out of. Shaun is a surgeon who is incredibly smart and very good in his field of work but struggles to talk to his patients and form relationships with his colleagues. Some people believe that this portrayal was accurate to a certain extent whereas some believe that the character was almost robotic. Marisa Lati writes in The Washington Post:

Some said the character of Murphy, played by Freddie Highmore, is depicted as an unfortunate assemblage of stereotypical behaviours, rather than as a full human. Others felt the protagonist fairly represents some autistic adults but offers no insight into the experiences of many others. (Lati, 2023)

The character of Shaun is different from the first screen depiction of autism by Dustin Hoffman in 1988, but only slightly. Shaun is not living in an institution but he does rely heavily on others around him for support, and needs help when interacting with the public. His mannerisms and blunt conversation style are misunderstood or reacted badly to by other characters in the show and this is often depicted as a circumstance that is entirely connected to his autism. This may be the case, but we should also consider that a blunt or unfriendly manner is not always the result of autism or any other disorder. Some people are just unfriendly or have an awkward personality.

It could also be argued that almost all adults need support even in day to day life. A lack of social support is often given as a reason for a growing mental health crisis in the UK. Research from the charity Mind found that 1 in 3 Brits say they don’t have the support or tools to deal with the ‘ups and downs of life’. So how can we expect someone who views the world differently to us cope on their own when even we need a little help now and then. The research noted: 

New research from the Co-op, in partnership with Mind, SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) and Inspire, found over a third of people (37%) agreed they didn’t have the support or tools to deal with the ‘ups and downs of life’ such as stress, pressure or difficult circumstances. 4 in 5 (81%) of these said support in the community such as having spaces to talk, activities and services would help them. (Mind, 2021)

The Good Doctor TV series is not alone in its familiar portrayal of autism and almost all screen portrayals we see whether the characters are ‘officially’ autistic like Shaun Murphy in The Good Doctor. Or whether the character is just portrayed with the stereotypes. This has created an interesting dynamic with some TV series creating non-autistic characters to be interpreted as autistic.  Sheldon Cooper, a character in one of the most successful American sitcoms of all time, The Big Bang Theory has often come under scrutiny for this reason and on occasion the writers have received criticism for using these stereotypes in a ‘cute’ way whilst ignoring the difficulties people with autism can face. Although the show writers have on numerous occasions denied that Sheldon, played by Jim Parsons, is autistic the decades of stereotypes being shown have made the iconic character autistic in the perceptions of millions of viewers regardless of the writers’ denials.  In a blog called The Neurotypical Site, Lydia Netzer discusses The Problem with Sheldon Cooper and the "Cute Autism". She writes: 

Jim Parsons, who has won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Sheldon, admitted that avoiding the label takes away a certain “social responsibility” to play the character true to that diagnosis. Without the label, the writers can have their autism jokes and avoid being accused of stereotyping. They can be on trend while skipping the “very special episode” a diagnosis might have necessitated. Put a word to it, and it gets awkward. People might get mad. (Netzer, 2023)

Netzer’s view on this situation is compelling as I understand that autism isn’t something that should be seen as funny or laughable at and that directors can get away with it because they are denying the allegations. However, the main argument to me is that there is no proof that the character Sheldon Cooper was or wasn’t meant to be autistic so it makes you wonder if Netzer and other people have been fooled by these stereotypes because you can no longer have a character in a show with these traits without people questioning if they are autistic making it hard to believe if we will ever be able to break away from the standards embedded in our minds. 

Also lacking within film and TV is any sort of real representation on screen of women or girls with autism. Considering how little representation of autism on screen there is overall, it should not surprise anyone that women and girls with autism are still trying to find their own voice in the industry. It could be argued that the autistic stereotypes which are shown on our screens have harmed women and girls with autism most of all. Studies into autism show that women and girls often present in very different ways and have historically gone under-diagnosed for decades. On the website, the National Autistic Society, they write about the lack of diagnoses due to women and girls presenting with far less stereotypical behaviour particularly in social settings due to their tendencies to ‘mask’. Masking refers to an autistic person’s ability to mimic the behaviour of others, often their peers, hiding their natural behaviour or autistic traits when in public. They write: 

Autistic characteristics in women and girls may differ from those of other autistic people. They might seem to have fewer social difficulties than autistic men and boys, but this could be because they are more likely to 'mask' their autistic traits (though the stress of doing so can result in anxiety and overwhelm). At school, autistic girls may be more likely to be part of a friendship group and this could be a reason that teachers don't notice their differences. They may also be missed if their academic achievement masks difficulties they are facing in other areas. 

Some of the core characteristics of autism are having ‘repetitive behaviours’ and highly-focused interests. Stereotyped examples of these include rocking backwards and forwards, and a fascination with trains. However, in autistic women and girls these behaviours and interests may be similar to those of non-autistic women and girls, such as twirling hair and reading books, and as such may go unnoticed despite the greater intensity or focus typical for autistic people. (Society, 2024)

If the medical profession itself is still learning and beginning to understand how autism impacts women or girls, it may be years before this new information makes it way over to film and TV studios to truly reflect how autism is portrayed in women and girls on screen. 

Though our current understanding of autism and those who live with it appears to be improving, film and TV falls behind and continues to focus on the same stereotypes. Public perceptions have been shifting with regards to autism significantly over the past decade and new research published in 2020 looked into The Effects of Autistic Individuals’, Perceptions of Autism and Autism Social Identity on Their Collective Self-esteem. With the study concluding there was an improvement in the positive view of the differences that people with autism have. With the study finding:

Societal attitudes towards autism are beginning to shift from a focus on the challenges and difficulties faced by autistic individuals towards an acceptance of difference and an acknowledgement of strengths associated with the condition. (Cooper R, 2021)

Overall, I believe that the film and TV industry has come quite a long way to show how autistic people live in our world. But there is definitely a lot more that could be done. However, I believe they are running out of time to really make their mark and break out of these stereotypes before other platforms like TikTok or Instagram take over and to me it seems like they don’t really want to. Characters like Sheldon Cooper and Shaun Murphy sell, the controversies they bring – Are their views of autism accurate? Are they offensive? – draws in more views and money to the industry. And it may sound far-fetched but people want to see the high-profile portrayal because its captivating and makes them want to watch more. I do not think that there will be many portrayals of characters with autism who are more than just the stereotypes behind the name, but I hope I am wrong. I believe this is a really important topic because a lot of people obtain their opinions through watching movies or shows. Even I have caught myself questioning in my head whether or not I think someone is autistic or not just because they act a similar way to what I have seen on TV. In the future I would like to see more understanding and representation in the industry that can help teach others that autism is a spectrum and people who are autistic are more than the disorder.  

 

 

Bibliography

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Available at: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/23154-neurodivergent
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Clinic, C., 2023. Cleveland Clinic. [Online] 
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Cooper R, C. K. R. A. S. L., 2021. National Library of Medicine. [Online] 
Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7835309/#:~:text=Societal%20attitudes%20towards%20autism%20are,2016).
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Knights, K., 2018. The Guardian. [Online] 
Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/17/rain-man-myth-autistic-people-dustin-hoffman-savant
[Accessed 27 March 2024].

Lati, M., 2023. The Washington Post. [Online] 
Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/05/11/good-doctor-memes-autism/
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McCarthy, J., 2018. The Guardian. [Online] 
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[Accessed 27 March 2024].

Mind, 2021. Mind. [Online]
Available at: https://www.mind.org.uk/news-campaigns/news/1-in-3-brits-say-they-don-t-have-the-support-or-tools-to-deal-with-the-ups-and-downs-of-life/#:~:text=New%20research%20from%20the%20Co,stress%2C%20pressure%20or%20difficult%20circumstances.
[Accessed 27 March 2024].

Netzer, L., 2023. The Neurotypical Site. [Online] 
Available at: https://theneurotypical.com/autism-is-not-cute.html
[Accessed 27 March 2024].

NHS, 2022. NHS. [Online]
Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/autism/what-is-autism/
[Accessed 27 March 2024].

Society, N. A., 2024. National Autistic Society. [Online] 
Available at: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/what-is-autism/autistic-women-and-girls
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