Are shows like The Good Doctor and Love on the Spectrum helping or hurting autism awareness?

If you follow of Netflix Love on the spectrum, you were probably mesmerized by Abby and David's kiss atop an African safari hill, or it showed Tanner and a timid Kate sharing a broken umbrella in the rain. Early viewers of the showLike Michelle Ivey, she said the dating series had the potential to foster genuine empathy with its stars and spark interest in more love-centered stories on the spectrum.

“I really enjoyed seeing an autistic person going through the normal things of life, going on dates and trying to find someone, but with the element of having different social perspectives,” says Ivey, a professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Houston. Rolling rock.

One researcher with autism, however, felt that the series looked like something completely different.

“There is this positioning of autistic people [on the show] they're very cute, they're very sweet, 'Look at these unusual people,' they're like, 'Look at the meerkats,'” says University of Wollongong professor Sandra Thom-Jones. Rolling rock.

Television adaptations depicting people on the spectrum are on the rise — and with it, some viewers support the representation, while others feel uncomfortable with their portrayals. ABC's seventh and final season The good doctorwhich follows a gifted surgeon with autism and savant syndrome, premiered Tuesday, while the second season of Netflix Love on the spectrum has spent several weeks on Netflix's global top 10 list. And Netflix Heartbreak High, where an unruly class of high school students prepare for their second term, returns in April. Researchers tell Rolling Stone that since shows like The Good Doctor still focus on white male leads, only part of the story of neurodivergence is being told. And while Love on the spectrum has a diverse cast, some experts say the show's focus on family heartbreak may be peddling the cast. Despite the recent increase in awareness, they hope for a wider range of neurodifference imaging down the line.

Neurodiversity, a term coined by Australian sociologist Judy Singer in the 1990s, describes differences in brain functions and behavioral characteristics. The term often refers to people with autism spectrum disorder or other neurological or developmental conditions, such as ADHD or learning disabilities. Many neurodiverse people have above average abilitieslike Dr. Freddie Highmore's Shaun Murphy The good doctor, a skilled surgeon using 3D graphics to visualize his knowledge.

The medical series ranked as the top entertainment show last season in the Monday 10pm slot. for ages 18 to 49, according to ABC. Around the announcement of the final season, Disney Television Group president Craig Erwich said Variety that the show has “fascinated the audience, who have connected deeply with Dr. Sean Murphy and the staff at San Jose St. Bonaventure”. University of Wollongong professor Thom-Jones says the series expands awareness of the diverse work roles people on the spectrum can hold beyond the stereotypes of computer programmer and bookkeeper.

“One thing we've seen a big change in – and this is the only career where we've seen a change – is an increase over time in the number of people who believe that autistic people can be doctors,” says Thom-Jones, who has authored numerous studies on portrayals of autism in entertainment media. “I'm not saying it's the only contributing factor, but we strongly believe this performance was part of it.”

During the season six finale, Shaun becomes a father, and in the show's farewell season, he navigates the trials of parenthood, procedurally changing diapers and putting his newborn to sleep while facing challenges with his surgical team. One of his first hurdles: Two newborns need life-saving heart transplants when only one heart is available. While the final season features mature storylines, Thom-Jones notes that since The Good Doctor focuses on the experience of a white male with autism, it excludes other identities within the community. He also points out that the character is also played by a non-autistic person when there are many actors on the spectrum who could have played the part. (ABC representatives declined requests for comment.)

“I can be pretty sure that every female character I see on TV is played by a female actor, if I'm concerned with the portrayal of children on TV, I can be pretty sure that most of the child characters are played by child actors. says Thom-Jones. “That's where some of these controversies will remain, where we're always going to be uncomfortable with how we're portrayed in the media, and the people who are portraying us aren't us.”

Since 2010, following NBC Parenthood and the discovery of Max (Max Burkholder) Asperger's diagnosis, depictions of autism have become more common, although the characters have not been particularly diverse. of Netflix Atypicalreleased in 2017, it followed Keir Gilchrist's Sam, an autistic teenager with a penchant for penguins who wants to start dating. The Big Bang theory it was also No. 1 in the US. that year, and many believed that the sitcom's protagonist Sheldon (Jim Parsons) was stereotyping autism. And the show's spinoff, Young Sheldoncontinued the white male lead trope.

“So many depictions of autistic people are white, teenage, young adult males, usually from middle-class families,” says Thom-Jones. “Where are the autistic women? Where are the autistic people of color? Where are the autistic people with different presentations? That is starting to change, but very slowly.”

In years gone by, shows like Freeform Everything will be fine, of Amazon As we see it, and Love on the spectrum are trying to change that by casting people with autism. The Emmy-winning reality series Love on the Spectrum focuses on the realities of dating for neurodiverse people from a huge variety of backgrounds. Producers set up first dates and meet with coaches to prepare for the intimate interaction. Series co-creators Cian O'Clery and Karina Holden narrate Rolling rock aim to present a myriad of voices in the autism community.

“Representation is important, and we believe that by telling real people's stories, in their own voices, we introduce audiences to people who have been underrepresented for far too long,” the co-creators wrote in a statement to Rolling rock. “We're thrilled that millions are watching this show and loving people sharing their stories.”

The latest season features new singles and regulars like Abbey and David, whose nearly two-year romantic partnership and shared passion for wildlife have created a growing fandom on TikTok and other platforms. Ivey, a communication sciences and disorders researcher, said she was a fan of the show's first season as it highlighted hit singles by neurodiverse people looking for love.

“Previously, there was less awareness of the potential for autistic people to succeed, and that was because of the expectation that they had language and communication deficits that hindered their ability to understand and do cognitive tasks,” says Ivey. who recently authored an article on autistic depictions in performances for adults and children at Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

Although the series is one of the first to feature dating on the spectrum, some researchers believe that the series portrays aspiring lovers as younger than they actually are. For one, the show's upbeat, bubbly song selection differed from other niche dating shows like Indian matchstick and Love is blind, adds Ivey.

“This is not the music for an adult dating show based on the other two,” says Ivey. “A lot of these contestants are looking at early relationships, which is something more people experienced in their teenage years – maybe not childhood, but rather teenage.”

Thom-Jones adds that interviewing cast members in their bedrooms felt invasive, and the show's exposure of exhausted parents and siblings adds to the infancy of the subjects.

“I worry that people who watch it have a very preconceived, stereotypical view of what autistic people are like,” shares Thom-Jones. “And there's a lot of this sense that this show is engaging and entertaining, but it's more at the expense of autistic people than it is in support of them.”

Ariel Simms, president and CEO of disability-led nonprofit RespectAbility, says people with disabilities are often stereotyped as charity cases or following “porn-inspired” stories, a term coined by the late disability rights activist. Stella Young that she defined as “images [that] objectification of disabled people for the benefit of non-disabled people'.

“There's often an emphasis on stories about someone overcoming their disability or succeeding despite their disability, and it really fits that inspiration, as opposed to just highlighting a more authentic lived experience of disability and the ups and downs that actually come. that,” says Simms rolling rock, referring generally to televised depictions.

There are positive portrayals by and for people with learning and physical disabilities, Simms adds, such as Netflix's cartoon series Engineer Cadets and Apple TV+ best forward, both of which feature a young man mutilated. And Netflix Heartbreak High Chloe Hayden, who was diagnosed with autism and ADHD, starred as Quinni, the autistic Hartley High teenager.

But ultimately, people with disabilities are still underrepresented on television, according to a study conducted by Nielsen, making up just 6.6 percent of TV show characters, despite the fact that one in four Americans has a disability. Researchers and activists are pushing for screen portrayals that include deaf actors, performers who stutter, autistic people and others in the title role.

“Are we featuring disabled people because we think people will think they're cute and funny, or are they going back to this trope of charity or pity?” Sims said. “Or, on the other hand, is it that they are inspired? I think motives are very important in storytelling.”