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Autistic TV characters

  • 19-01-2013 3:57pm
    #1
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 5,172 ✭✭✭


    Has anyone else noticed the proliferation of border line autistic or aspergers TV characters at the moment?
    We have the new Sherlock on BBC, Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory, Bones Brennan from Bones and then the fully fledged autistic Gary in Alphas.

    Do you think this is helpfull in awareness of such conditions or will it spread misconceptions about ASD's (Autism Spectrum Disorders)
    or
    is this just telly and i should stop thinking about it and enjoy it:)


Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 10,076 ✭✭✭✭Czarcasm


    I think television is a great medium for raising awareness and normalising things we wouldn't ordinarily come across in our daily lives. I'm not too familiar with Sherlock and BBT but Bones and Gary in Alphas are well done representations of those with ASDs. I would also add to that list Dustin Hoffman in "Rain Man", Russell Crowe in "A Beautiful Mind" and Jerry in Boston Legal.

    What I hate though are the likes of an article I read in the Irish Independent Weekend supplement that was something along the lines of "My aspie family", the whole family apparently (two adults, three children) had aspergers. That just struck me as attention seeking nonsense, and the whole article just stank of shmaltzy "aren't I great?" nonsense.

    Found the article-

    http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/our-three-kids-all-have-aspergers-just-like-me-and-my-husband-3341506.html


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 653 ✭✭✭girl in the striped socks


    You're readin too much into OP.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,766 ✭✭✭juan.kerr


    No, OP, I haven't noticed this phenomenon.


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 93,552 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    unless accurately portrayed it will reinforce incorrect stereotypes

    look at schizophrenia or amnesia caused by blows to the head or dementia


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20,585 ✭✭✭✭kneemos


    I agree with Czarcasm it normalises the condition plus they make for great characters,strong women are something which is badly lacking in TV.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,910 ✭✭✭OneArt


    Lisbeth Salander.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 18,966 ✭✭✭✭syklops


    kneemos wrote: »
    I agree with Czarcasm it normalises the condition plus they make for great characters,strong women are something which is badly lacking in TV.

    It only normalises the condition if the portrayal is accurate. If the portrayal is inaccurate then it dilutes the publics perception of the condition.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20,585 ✭✭✭✭kneemos


    syklops wrote: »
    It only normalises the condition if the portrayal is accurate. If the portrayal is inaccurate then it dilutes the publics perception of the condition.

    Autism covers a vast range of conditions as far as I know so it's harder to have an inaccurate portrayal I'd imagine.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 18,966 ✭✭✭✭syklops


    kneemos wrote: »
    Autism covers a vast range of conditions as far as I know so it's harder to have an inaccurate portrayal I'd imagine.

    I would assume the opposite, that it is easier to have an inaccurate portrayal because it covers such a wide range of characteristics. Having non-specific symptoms makes it harder for the actor and/or writers to nail down the character.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 208 ✭✭Staff Infection


    Depends how well the actor can portray the condition accurately. For example this bloke in Fair City was in my opinion an example of how not to do it.

    Now maybe it was just the way Fair City is done in general, but me and the sister could never figure out if he was meant to be portraying someone on the autistic spectrum, whether he himself was on the autistic spectrum or just couldn't act and was uncomfortable.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,854 ✭✭✭Sinfonia


    I read a blog thing or article or something written by a person with Asperger's who blasted The Big Bang Theory's portrayal, but praised highly the character of Abed in Community.

    Ergo Community is great.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,071 ✭✭✭✭wp_rathead


    Sinfonia wrote: »
    I read a blog thing or article or something written by a person with Asperger's who blasted The Big Bang Theory's portrayal, but praised highly the character of Abed in Community.

    Ergo Community is great.

    This. In Big Bang Theory alot of the jokes are AT Sheldon, about how weird and awkawd he is-
    In Community the jokes are about Abed's take of different scenarios, he isn't the joke.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,836 ✭✭✭Sir Gallagher


    Lets just all agree the Big Bang Theory is sh!te.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,048 ✭✭✭Da Shins Kelly


    Sinfonia wrote: »
    I read a blog thing or article or something written by a person with Asperger's who blasted The Big Bang Theory's portrayal, but praised highly the character of Abed in Community.

    Ergo Community is great.

    In fairness, I read an interview with the creator of The Big Bang Theory who said that Sheldon is not intended to be an autistic character. The point is that nobody understands what he is. He's just an anomaly. It's other people watching the show who maybe have a certain idea in their heads of how autistic people behave that have decided that Sheldon is autistic.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,368 ✭✭✭allym



    In fairness, I read an interview with the creator of The Big Bang Theory who said that Sheldon is not intended to be an autistic character. The point is that nobody understands what he is. He's just an anomaly. It's other people watching the show who maybe have a certain idea in their heads of how autistic people behave that have decided that Sheldon is autistic.


    This. Just because someone is portrayed as quirky, with some strong likes and dislikes, does not mean that they are meant to be someone with ASD.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,906 ✭✭✭✭PhlegmyMoses


    Mr. Bean was probably autistic.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,097 ✭✭✭kiffer


    Mr. Bean was probably autistic.

    No, just very awkward.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,219 ✭✭✭woodoo


    Roy from Coronation street must be a bit autistic.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,766 ✭✭✭juan.kerr


    Brick from The Middle.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,919 ✭✭✭✭Gummy Panda


    Mr. Bean was probably autistic.

    He was as an alien


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  • Posts: 26,052 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    kneemos wrote: »
    I agree with Czarcasm it normalises the condition plus they make for great characters,

    I wouldn't agree they portray persons living with Aspergers/Autism accurately.

    If you were to rely on TV characters being accurate you'd be forgiven for thinking that all or most affected persons are 'savants' i.e. Have one or two areas of overwhelming talent, like Dustins Hoffman's characters mathematical ability, or Sherlocks uncanny deductive powers. Beautiful autistic minds do exist, but not nearly with the prevalence that fiction would have us believe.

    People with Autistic spectrum disorders are no more likely to possess brilliance than the rest of us, although when they do it appears to shine comparatively more brightly.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,420 ✭✭✭Lollipops23


    In fairness, I read an interview with the creator of The Big Bang Theory who said that Sheldon is not intended to be an autistic character. The point is that nobody understands what he is. He's just an anomaly. It's other people watching the show who maybe have a certain idea in their heads of how autistic people behave that have decided that Sheldon is autistic.

    +1, it's been bandied about that Sheldon is autistic, but they've gone on record as saying he wasn't written as such.

    And Sherlock is meant to be a high-functioning sociopath, not autistic. Having said that, he certainly embodies many of the traits of autism (such as not understanding social cues, empathy etc and a photographic memory). He is, however, able to vocalise his frustration at how other people's brains work, which would be unusual for an autistic person.

    I think it's great that they have these types of characters on tv-even if they merely serve to induce more discussion of these types of behavioural disorders. It's a direction I'm happy to see society go in.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,854 ✭✭✭Sinfonia


    In fairness, I read an interview with the creator of The Big Bang Theory who said that Sheldon is not intended to be an autistic character. The point is that nobody understands what he is. He's just an anomaly. It's other people watching the show who maybe have a certain idea in their heads of how autistic people behave that have decided that Sheldon is autistic.

    I've never seen The Big Bang Theory, just wanted to take the opportunity to big-up Community : P


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20,585 ✭✭✭✭kneemos


    Sinfonia wrote: »
    I've never seen The Big Bang Theory, just wanted to take the opportunity to big-up Community : P

    Don't know how you missed it,it's on somewhere practicly all day every day.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,071 ✭✭✭✭wp_rathead


    Sinfonia wrote: »
    I've never seen The Big Bang Theory, just wanted to take the opportunity to big-up Community : P

    Cherish that fact!!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,168 ✭✭✭franktheplank


    Candie wrote: »
    I wouldn't agree they portray persons living with Aspergers/Autism accurately.

    If you were to rely on TV characters being accurate you'd be forgiven for thinking that all or most affected persons are 'savants' i.e. Have one or two areas of overwhelming talent, like Dustins Hoffman's characters mathematical ability, or Sherlocks uncanny deductive powers. Beautiful autistic minds do exist, but not nearly with the prevalence that fiction would have us believe.

    People with Autistic spectrum disorders are no more likely to possess brilliance than the rest of us, although when they do it appears to shine comparatively more brightly.

    I'm in agreement with Candie, I think these portrayal's glamorize the condition and also to a certain extent simplify or ignore the difficulties many people with ASD live with.

    For example, most people with autism (75% to 90% depending on source) (as opposed to Asperger's syndrome, or the wider ASD term) will have a mild or more severe intellectual disability. Other studies say that about 50% of those with autism will have an IQ below 50.Yet this is something we rarely see portrayed in the media.

    Also, a lot of people with ASD will have some form of 'challenging behavior'. Again, the exact figures are difficult to quantify and the term 'challenging behavior' is problematic especially at the milder end of the scale where one person's 'challenging behavior' might be another's personality traits.

    I worked for a number of years in Autism residential services and I have to say the difficulties I saw many people experience there was shocking. People with severe self-injury who required round-the-clock supervision and very regular medical attention really opened my eyes to the kind of suffering that can come with this condition. Sadly, the quality of care in these services vary greatly, from those who genuinely are trying their best in difficult situations, to others on the disability meal ticket in what is a completely unregulated sector of our healthcare.

    Of course this is not representive of all people with autism. But the suffering that comes with it, in some cases, is something I have never seen in the mainstream media and even very rarely in documentaries on autism etc.


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