TV/Movie Portrayals of Autism/Asperger's

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What about the movie "Adam" from 2009?

Why didn't I think of that one? I have not watched Big Bang Theory, but I will when I get the chance to do so!

Sorry for the delayed response, but I agree with you! The thing that angered me the most was her total disregard for the family who just lost their daughter in a car accident. I don't know anyone who would want to be faced with the technical details in such an in your face and matter of fact manner.

I'm sure that any of the other characters in the show would have the decency to pull the family out of the hospital room and express their condolences. I am sure real doctors are trained with specific techniques as to how they should interact with the patient's family in a variety of situations, including death after an unsuccessful emergency surgery.

Jenine wrote:

I just read your blog. The media is always putting out stereotypes about Autistics and people with some sort of Asperger's Syndrome. But, the only way to know what it's like to have a disability is to be born with it. Now that I'm older, I don't expect NT's to understand everything, but to at least see where we're coming from (e.g. knowing our strengths and weaknesses, sensitivities and what not to say). Grey's Anatomy was never my favorite show, but I'm not surprised they misrepresented someone with Asperger's. You see this ignorance with a lot of movies about Autistics. There was one movie OnDemand where a man with Autism got out of his "sheltered" life to go find a job and from the previews his family members kept giving him a hard time. I forgot the name of the movie, but after I saw the trailer, I was pretty upset.

Was it The Story of Luke? That was a pretty good movie about a guy with AS. It actually had two guys with AS in it.

The thing about the media is that of course they are going to overdo anything in a show or movie. Unless it's just something that isn't a focal point about a character, they are going to overplay it to make the character and show interesting. If movies and tv and the characters were actually like real life and real people then they wouldn't be interesting at all. Movies are made to entertain, not to educate. Documentaries are made to educate although sometimes they are just made to push a particular point of view, but overall they would be more realistic than tv and movies.

Of course many documentaries are going to use more extreme examples rather than middle of the road stuff. Autistics are a good example of that. They really aren't going to make a documentary about somebody with AS whose life isn't greatly effected (affected? I can never tell which to use and I'm too lazy to look it up) by it. They are going to show nonverbal kids or poop smearing kids or kids who meltdown a lot. They are going to show adults who either need constant care or group homes. They aren't going to show people who you wouldn't really know have anything. They aren't going to show people who have mild symptoms or who used to have severe social difficulties and who struggled to learn and do differently and now you couldn't tell anything is wrong with them. They aren't going to show people who have succeeded and who fit in. It's not interesting. They do the same with mental health documentaries. They show people who won't take their meds or who have such severe problems that the meds don't do much to help. They show people who hear voices and talk back to the voices or who can't function at all, etc. Things like that are interesting to most people because it's not something they encounter, the same as autistic kids who don't talk or who melt down all the time or autistic adults who are violent or who can't take care of themselves. While it's not the the way autism is for the majority of autistics, it's still the one that will get viewers.

Dixon on Grey's Anatomy would have never been able to finish medical school because of the pressure and would never be able to work in that life or death environment with a lot of the s**t she would have had to take and the stuff she would have had to do that would have been so very uncomfortable to her to the point that it would have been something she literally could not stand or do. It's not possible that somebody who was that bad off from their autism would have been able to do that. Sure, lots could who weren't that bad off from it, but the way she was shown, she couldn't have. It was just an interesting plot device and not meant to show anyone anything or to offend somebody, which I'm sure it did.

I'm sure you know that was a direct reference to Dr. Temple Grandin. I don't know any person on the spectrum who talks about her as much as the writers claim they do.

d057 wrote:

Sorry for the delayed response, but I agree with you! The thing that angered me the most was her total disregard for the family who just lost their daughter in a car accident. I don't know anyone who would want to be faced with the technical details in such an in your face and matter of fact manner.

I'm sure that any of the other characters in the show would have the decency to pull the family out of the hospital room and express their condolences. I am sure real doctors are trained with specific techniques as to how they should interact with the patient's family in a variety of situations, including death after an unsuccessful emergency surgery.

OliveOilMom wrote:

Jenine wrote:

I just read your blog. The media is always putting out stereotypes about Autistics and people with some sort of Asperger's Syndrome. But, the only way to know what it's like to have a disability is to be born with it. Now that I'm older, I don't expect NT's to understand everything, but to at least see where we're coming from (e.g. knowing our strengths and weaknesses, sensitivities and what not to say). Grey's Anatomy was never my favorite show, but I'm not surprised they misrepresented someone with Asperger's. You see this ignorance with a lot of movies about Autistics. There was one movie OnDemand where a man with Autism got out of his "sheltered" life to go find a job and from the previews his family members kept giving him a hard time. I forgot the name of the movie, but after I saw the trailer, I was pretty upset.

Was it The Story of Luke? That was a pretty good movie about a guy with AS. It actually had two guys with AS in it.

The thing about the media is that of course they are going to overdo anything in a show or movie. Unless it's just something that isn't a focal point about a character, they are going to overplay it to make the character and show interesting. If movies and tv and the characters were actually like real life and real people then they wouldn't be interesting at all. Movies are made to entertain, not to educate. Documentaries are made to educate although sometimes they are just made to push a particular point of view, but overall they would be more realistic than tv and movies.

Of course many documentaries are going to use more extreme examples rather than middle of the road stuff. Autistics are a good example of that. They really aren't going to make a documentary about somebody with AS whose life isn't greatly effected (affected? I can never tell which to use and I'm too lazy to look it up) by it. They are going to show nonverbal kids or poop smearing kids or kids who meltdown a lot. They are going to show adults who either need constant care or group homes. They aren't going to show people who you wouldn't really know have anything. They aren't going to show people who have mild symptoms or who used to have severe social difficulties and who struggled to learn and do differently and now you couldn't tell anything is wrong with them. They aren't going to show people who have succeeded and who fit in. It's not interesting. They do the same with mental health documentaries. They show people who won't take their meds or who have such severe problems that the meds don't do much to help. They show people who hear voices and talk back to the voices or who can't function at all, etc. Things like that are interesting to most people because it's not something they encounter, the same as autistic kids who don't talk or who melt down all the time or autistic adults who are violent or who can't take care of themselves. While it's not the the way autism is for the majority of autistics, it's still the one that will get viewers.

Dixon on Grey's Anatomy would have never been able to finish medical school because of the pressure and would never be able to work in that life or death environment with a lot of the s**t she would have had to take and the stuff she would have had to do that would have been so very uncomfortable to her to the point that it would have been something she literally could not stand or do. It's not possible that somebody who was that bad off from their autism would have been able to do that. Sure, lots could who weren't that bad off from it, but the way she was shown, she couldn't have. It was just an interesting plot device and not meant to show anyone anything or to offend somebody, which I'm sure it did.

Yep, they have to practice telling family members that someone died. There is a certain way they go about it. You let them know that they were very sick or injured when they got there and that you used everything available to you to keep them alive and that they were just so sick/injured that you couldn't save them and you make sure to say they died, not passed away or anything like that, you use the word dead or died.

I also don't think she would have been able to get through school without tons of meltdowns after the way she was on the show, making them hug her and all.

I can't even remember the name of this movie but it was about this young pitching phenom who had Aspergers. When he is first introduced to his team, he just hangs his head and looks to the floor and doesn't even address someone who specifically asks him a question. I was thinking to myself "what a f###$$# crock", what an unrealistic portrayal of Aspergers. Needless to say, I didn't watch anymore.

It's always easy for me to assume someone is mild if they were able to get through school and keep a professional job. then I see their textbook traits and feel they are over exaggerated because how can they keep a job and get through school if they are that bad in social skills? I also find it interesting how they lack sensory issues. I notice they easily portray aspies as being social awkward and very smart and that gives out a false thing about Asperger's because AS is more than that. I understand that everyone with it is different and you don't need to have every symptom. I wonder if it is possible to have severe AS and not have sensory issues or have very little or have any that are not impairing?

...Relatively recently , I saw Rain Man for the first time ~ Since it affects so many people's picture of us (Though I know the character Hoffman plays isn't meant to be an Aspie , right ? A " savant " , though I guess that term's not used anymore??) It was on the San Francisco PBS station which often shows " classic "/older (Even as recent as the two Tim Burton-directed Batman films , say) on Saturday nights .

In the UK we have had on TV the original Danish / Swedish version of The Bridge (with subtitles).

The main character in it is called Saga Noren, and the actress's portrayal of someone undiagnosed but probably on the scale is nothing short of masterful, imho.

The actress herself is NT, and mysteriously looks like a completely different person to me when interviewed out of character.

If any of you happen across this version of The Bridge, don't be surprised if you watch the first episode and can't stand the Saga Noren character, which is a common reaction. The portrayal of possible aspie ness is very cleverly done and comes in unexpected ways, which I find a good antidote to the Rainman thing.

Another thing to note is that this original version is pointedly Scandinavian and can be very bleak, even grim - if you only like people on your television who have recently washed their hair you're better off avoiding it. It does not portray the world according to Hollywood.

I wrote a follow up to this post here. I hope you like it!

https://dwarren57.wordpress.com/2015/07 ... ortrayals/