The pervasive image of autism in popular media is a socially quirky young male with eccentric habits who has a savant-level skill. Of course, there are definitely exceptions, but the stereotype remains at the forefront. From Ray Babbitt in Rain Man, to more current depictions such as prodigy surgeons Dr. Shaun Murphy in The Good Doctor and Dr. Isidore Latham in Chicago Med. And then there’s your brainiacs such as theoretical physicist Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory or college student Abed Nadir on Community. The list goes on. There are people on the spectrum who do resonate with these characters, which is completely valid! They aren’t explicitly harmful representations. But it only represents such a small portion of the spectrum and neglects to explore just how individual autism is.
And then, the issue of whether an actor playing an autistic character should themselves be on the spectrum. I don’t have the answer to that, but on the whole it is true that the loudest voices for life with autism should be coming from individuals diagnosed with ASD. Realistically, however, there are certain roles that may prove challenging for those on the spectrum, such as long work days in studios with bright lights and endless chattering. This is not to say that all individuals would find this environment overwhelming! But it may be difficult for productions to find someone who is able to handle the intense demand of a particular role, since most of us with ASD are affected by sensory issues. Nevertheless, if casting an individual with ASD isn’t possible, the next best thing is bringing in a variety of autistic individuals who can work with the actor to help them create as much of a genuine representation as possible. No representation will be perfect given that autism exists on a spectrum, and there isn’t one singular person who can represent our entire community. There are a lot of ways the pop culture world needs to go when it comes to representing individuals with ASD, but the conversation has been opened. We just have to keep it going.
~Anonymous Writer
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