Lack of representation of non-white people w/ autism

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I just wanted to highlight this topic to give people like a chance to discuss this. I originally wanted to include other psychiatric illnesses and other types of disorders, but the allocated subject space would not allow me to type past a certain amount of letters/space. Whether you agree or not, I still would like to hear your views.

Thank you

'The Media', as in TV shows, movies and news reports? Or literature about Autism? Because the entertainment part of the media doesn't, but the literature about Autism does seem to make a concentrated effort on that front, nearly all of the informative videos I have watched on the subject have featured children of many different ethnic backgrounds. It is made very clear that autistic spectrum disorders do not discriminate between ethnicities.

I think media representation of ethnic minorities is a bit of a contemptuous issue.

But then I suppose it should be considered that in the UK only 7.9 percent of people are from ethnic minority backgrounds, at least according to the 2001 census, 2011 census data will be released soon, so we'll get a more accurate picture then. Also we should note that it's not mentioned whether that percentage has been adjusted for the suspected amount of illegal migrants of ethnic minority backgrounds, who probably did not fill in the census.

But, then I suppose we also must consider that significantly more people of ethnic minorities live in cities than in rural villages when considering appropriate media representation. For instance I think the cast demographics of 'East Enders' are completely wrong, and that the amount of people from ethnic minorities present doesn't accurately represent London. Whereas for Emmerdale is correctly, considering the rural location.

For simplicities sake, I suppose the real question is, do you think that 8 out of every 100 faces in the UK media are from an ethnic minority.

I don't know, but there's probably been a study. For me, the problem isn't whether or not there is media representation, it's whether it's positive or negative.

If you are talking about the media, as in tv shows, then Abed from "Community" is definitly on the spectrum somewhere. And he is definitly "non-white" as you put it.

Most of the time it's not just white being represented but white males to be specific. A lot of folks still don't know what Asperger's/Autism is, so they believe it to be Rain Man, Mary & Max, Forrest Gump, Adam, Dr. Spencer Reid, Mr. Spock, Snow Cake (a woman - yay!)...Considering the recent Seattle serial killer was a loner and autistic, as was Anders Breivik, folks may even want to distance themselves from it.

Re: Anders Breivik. To wit:

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8481127

http://antonblock.wordpress.com/2011/07 ... -autistic/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... trist.html

http://dawn.com/2012/06/09/expert-says- ... tourettes/

http://www.bt.no/nyheter/innenriks/22ju ... 18350.html

http://forum.encyclopediadramatica.se/t ... gers.8545/

http://norwayaspie.blogspot.com/

besides khan i have never seem an ethnic autist ever. and even if you add the person from community thats 2 people and i dont think breivik was on the spectrum. the first article was really dodgy. apparently people with aspergers have no empathy.

Yes, and even when labeled that white male disease, not in a good light.

Marketing overrules knowledge, and minorities will be placed in ads, mostly as cute children who speak perfect English.

When the profile of the customer, in this case doner, as targeting the Autistic Market, is shooting for 1%, who do not care.

Techno Geek bias does have a White Only sign, for Pakigeeks, Chinogeeks, produce fear of the future. Islamogeeks putting down the guns and going for the Codeing Jihad, same problem.

Imagine a world where non whites do not have to learn English. White people would never know what was going on.

The purpose of media is sales, and the ads have to target the demographic that spends. Minorities are always minor customers.

Life is not fair, it imitates art, and it takes money to keep it going.

What about Moss from the IT crowd? He's non-white and I'd say he's got AS (and it's a UK-show).

Nonetheless, overall...I'd agree. But non-white representation is almost always lacking in certain parts of the world. That includes the representation of AS-people.

I don't think that the media focuses much at all on minorities with autism.

I also don't think that therapists are as likely to diagnose minorities with autism, which leads me to believe one of two things:

1. Autistic wiring was more common in Europe than Africa or Asia [or autistic wiring is very common in those places but socially acceptable]
2. The minorities who have autism are given different labels for whatever reason. [Maybe they get pegged with generic developmental disorders instead of autism.]

I do personally know people with autism who are other races, but most of the people with autism diagnoses that I've met are white or half white.