How Film & TV Misrepresented Neurodiversity
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
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Film and TV have long failed to depict neurodiverse characters with accuracy - often framing them as the "odd one out" or as autistic savants, like in Rain Man (1988). But lately, as our society learns more about neurodiversity, we have begun to see a change. Nuanced portrayals of neurodiverse characters aim to put us in their shoes and give us a window into how they experience the world differently. Audiences have rallied behind characters such as Abed (Danny Pudi) in Community, and Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) in Sherlock, reclaiming and celebrating them for providing authenticity to neurodiverse stories.
Here’s our take on our evolving understanding of the neurodivergent character, and why film and TV have a responsibility to show us that thinking and behaving differently are not problems that need to be fixed.
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I understand that this video speaks about autistic characters and their trope. However, since the title includes "neurodiversity" I'd like to add that ADHDers also can hyperfocus. We usually hyperfocus in things that are not the thing we're to supposed to do, though.
Hyperfocus is actually in the ADHD diagnostic questions, while it is not for autism, so every time this was brought up as an autistic trait (which it absolutely can be!!) But ADHD WAS NEVER MENTIONED it made my blood boil
@@kateblase9436 Hyperfocus is not in the diagnostic criteria for ADHD in either the most recent or previous edition of the DSM. It’s a commonly reported symptom but not part of the criteria. Also whilst the same word is used within both disorders there’s differences in its presentation and the underlying neural network activations that cause it...in autism it is more ‘hyperfixation on detail’, where the focus is on burying down into minute task details and activates seritonergic functions in the brain (well from what we know of anyway lol) whereas is adhd is often ‘hyperengagement’ and is more to do with dopamine flooding and results in lots of tasks being focused on in quick succession, like a video game or other tasks that doesn’t involve the original objective lol.
This Video is acting as if Films and Shows were the only thing to present or mispresent Autism:
Why is this video not showing a second of Cartoons, Anime or Manga?!
It jumps into the Eye;
especially thanks to ‚Marcy’ from ‚Amphibia’ being the most recent
And in-peoples-head-right-now Example of a very Healthy Autism-Representation.
@@loturzelrestaurant I think the channel is about an analysis of visual representations in mostly popular western movies and television. Although you raise a really interesting point 😊! Anime and manga are becoming increasingly more and more popular throughout the world and it would be awesome to see an analysis of how neurodiversity is portrayed in basically one of the popular forms of storytelling. Personally, and whilst my knowledge is obviously limited to the content I’ve viewed (which I’m assuming for any true fan would be barely scratching the surface lol...after all I prefer dubbed to subbed 😹😹😹), I do have a strong preference to how it is portrayed in that media format, in comparison to how it’s portrayed in popular western media. Mostly because I can’t register any virtue signalling in it, and neuro diversity is simply presented as just another facet of a character, rather than being the core defining feature or the sole storyline as we see in popular western media. This is just my interpretation but I would love to hear your thoughts 😊🌸😊
@@lunar686 Of course?
Why do you say this like ist not common knowledge though and your wise for knowing it?
Anime is already popular thoughout the world.
Its already everywhere.
Especially worth pointing out is the one literally just now making News in the Autism-Community: Marcy; a Cartoon-Character.
While we can all acknowledge that Sia's "Music" was a complete disaster, my sympathy goes out to Maddie Ziegler. She was just 14 during filming, yet she broke down on set because she was worried that the autistic community would think that she was making fun of them. Sia should never have forced Maddie into an uncomfortable position, and really should have known better.
I don't have any friends because they are ashamed of the videos I upload. Are they really that bad, dear sia
I really feel for Maddie, especially since a lot of Sia's and her relationship has some...pretty troubling undertones of grooming (not sexual grooming necessarily, but manipulative nonetheless).
As a musician on the spectrum, I was absolutely appalled when I saw the film, if blame should be assigned to anyone for that flying dumpster fire of a film it should be on Sia, not Maddie Ziegler.
He had all the right instincts and I’m so pissed that Sia gaslit her into doing the film
I know I watched the trailer for it, and I don't personally have autism. But the movie was super stigmatizing and really cruel. I wonder why Sia thought her movie spread a good message 😬😬🤦♀️🤦♀️
"i have autism, my dad regrets vaccinating me, thats a joke" is great because not only is it really funny but it lets an autistic character make a joke and not BE the joke
Yeah I agree, that's a great joke, in more ways than one.
Much-needed credit to Dan Harmon - fellow Aspie and creator of Community + Abed. '6 seasons and a movie.'
Wow, had no idea he was on the spectrum too.
@@teenkitsune Apparently when he was looking into the ASD to research Abed's character, that he began to notice similarities with himself and went to get a diagnosis.
Still waiting for the movie
i'm still shook that harmon figured out that he's autistic after researching asd *after* the first season of community came out where abed was coded as autistic.
@@NobodyC13 there's a great interview where harmon mentions that he began writing community as identifying with jeff winger as the version of himself that he wanted to be, but after looking into asd, the autistic community, and why the autistic community embraced abed, then wrote for the rest of the series identifying with abed as some form of who he currently is/was.
I was so excited to watch this video as a woman with ADHD, which is under the umbrella of neurodiversity. I learned a lot about the autism spectrum watching this, but if that’s the only diagnosis discussed meaningfully in the video, maybe you should change the title. There’s already so much misrepresentation of ADHD, I think this video may create *more* misconceptions about neurodiversity by exclusively focusing on the autism spectrum.
The ultimate irony of a video about the misrepresentation of neurodiveristy that then misrepresents neurodiversity.
It’s like calling for greater representation of BIPOC and then only focusing on black people and their experiences.
@@daniellehenderson907 Same, as a person with bipolar, there's plenty of films that portray bipolar, but often focus on the manic side of bipolar, rather than the neurodiverse bipolar mind. A good example of bipolar is in Homeland.
If they had called the video how film and tv misrepresent autism it would have been fine but with this name the take shows their own ignorance about the broad definition of neurodiversity as a woman with adhd this is very disappointing
Felt the exact same way! "neurodivergent" is not the polite new way of saying "autistic". "Autism" is not a dirty word! If you mean that, just say that.
The neurodivergent community is, funnily enough, diverse. It'd be cool to actually see that accurately represented sometime. Not in this video though, i guess.
Saaame. I would love to see some representation of ADHD that’s primarily inattentive. So sick of the ADHD = running around like a 6 year old / being loud and disruptive trope.
I think this video is great, but neurodiversity is SO much more than just autism. I don’t like how this video uses the blanket term “neurodiverse”, but only really discusses ASD. I have ADHD and never see characters in media with ADHD, unless they’re self centred men with short attention spans.
Exactly!!!
Yes I agree :) Great vid, but I just wish they touched on more forms of neurodiversity. I had no idea my dyslexia was a part of neurodiversity until recently. I’d like all forms of neurodiversity to be touched on more
They not only mention autism as neurodiversity, it's just the main focus of the video
Because there's only one good ADHD character in media and that's Maria from "Sound of Music" and she was written before it was in the DSM. The media won't even try to represent us.
They show A Beautiful Mind, and that character had schizophrenia
Recently I saw the movie Luca, and there's one character in it that has one arm. the character simply explains that he was just born like this, and then the fact that he's missing an arm isn't really brought up again afterwards. It got me thinking about how people with physical disabilities are normally portrayed in the media and I'd love it if the Take would make a video on that.
My aunt was born without a hand. Before I met her, my mom told me about it and let me ask a bunch of questions so I wouldn't embarrass her, since she was uncomfortable with it. I learned young that some people were disabled/different and I should just treat them like people. It's okay to have curiosity, but it can be uncomfortable if you're not close, so just look at them like anyone else. I'm really lucky to have had that experience and I think it's sweet that a film can do that for others!!! It makes me happy
I wish more had been said about ADHD. It's such a misunderstood disease and shares many of the traits in this video assigned to ASD.
Tiger is what textbooks say young boys with ADHD look like. That's not how it presents in adults or women.
Yes! I was thinking this the whole time. I NEVER see myself represented in media. And if I do see characters I really identify with, they never outright say they have ADHD. I thought adhd was like characters like Tigger and Bart Simpson as a kid. I think this is part of the reason I was diagnosed at 20. I was never a hyperactive kid
And whenever it is mentioned, you only hear about ADHD, not ADD. Of course people with ADHD have more more to deal with than those of us with ADD, but the later seemed to vanish in discussions. And, yeah, both needed more representation in this video.
I think Tony Stark would be a great representation of adult adhd, there’s even a book published by marvel that states he might be adhd....we’re sooooo close to it being canon
yes! I don't personally have ADHD but I do have OCD which is I think similarly or at least close to as misunderstood as ADHD
@@Mibbitmaker I think the last time ADD was used was in 1987 when the name simply changed to ADHD and a few years later the new DSM came out...the weird thing I find is that it is clearly a spectrum disorder but they don’t want to let go of the dichotomous categories lol
I got to agree with the sentiment of a lot of my fellow ADHD people here. As a woman with ADHD I was excited that my condition would get the spotlight for once! Especially women with ADHD are gravely underrepresented and it needs to be called out! I don't think the video did that. It felt like the video was almost entirely about ASD, which is important to talk about too, but it sometimes feels like it the only "neurodiversity" people recognize.
ADHD is so stigmatized in media. ADHD traits are almost always used to code characters as "unlikable" "difficult" "annoying"
There has also been a worrying trend where a character saying "I've got self diagnosed ADHD" has become shorthand for "I'm going to be a dick, you won't like me!"
Now this is regarding men. For women with ADHD? It's like we don't actually exist. I saw myself represented in "the manic pixie dreamgirl" being quirky, impulsive, hyper-focused but constantly daydreaming and having many special interests that seemed to change every week.
Yes we are bubbly, sociable, funny, quirky, creative. I love that side of me. But what they never show is Executive Disfunction, Time Blindness, Lack of Object Permanence, the Anxiety we USE to mask our ADHD symptoms, the hoops we have to jump through to be accepted. The intensity of our emotions, which seem "too much" to neurotypical people.
I'm tired of seeing ADHD ONLY portrait as hyperactivity. I'm hardly ever outwardly hyperactive. My brain goes at 100 miles per hour. I ALWAYS feel restless unless I'm 100% comfortable and no one acknowledges how TIRING it is to have ADHD. I'm exhausted all the time, I spend so much of my day lying in bed just trying to recover from living in a world that wasn't built for me.
For a long time I had no idea why I felt this way. I hadn't had the slightest clue, because I never saw it put on screen. It felt taboo to be the way I am. It wasn't till my mid 20s that a doctor recognized my debilitating symptoms as what they are. All I had known about ADHD at that point was from media. A small hyperactive loud white boy who could not sit still in class and who would be heavily medicated till he "grows out of it"
When I went back home that day after my doctor told me about it I found resources online that described the symptoms in women. I cried for 3 days straight. It was like seeing all my pain collected on one page and it FINALLY made sense. It all clicked.
It also comes with the realization that the many times I've been "rejected"... often times I've been a victim of discrimination.
Fired from jobs, kicked out of flatshares, ridiculed by teachers.
They all feel justified because in a society where the value of a person is decided by how "productive" we are, having a disability that makes us unable to produce at times is the ultimate sin. It's invisible, so everyone looks at us and sees a personal failing. The amount of times people have told me "Just do it!" "I don't see how it could be this hard?" "Try harder!"
There is a line in the video that talks about how neurodiversity is stepping away from the idea that we're "disabled" and I have to disagree. As long as our world only accommodates and rewards Neurotypicals and punishes and challenges Neurodivergent people we're being disabled by society. I don't feel "able" when I spend 6 hours procrastinating going to the bathroom, when I really have to pee. I don't feel able when accessing "disability services" take 10 different steps that are complicated and require me to complete tasks that I struggle with. It's not empowering when Neurotypical people tell you that being different is "a gift" when they never even acknowledge what we really go through.
ADHD deserves to be talked about more!
yup this! I totally understand u. It's rlly hard having ADHD. especially if u arent hyperactive. I call my day successful if I get out of bed.
but it feels rlly shit when my mother comes home and asks me why am I so lazy? what have I been doing the whole day? how can u feel tired? u did notting the whole day! meanwhile I feel like I have been at war and didn't get any rest at all :(
my sis is hyperactive as well as my mom and they don't seem to have so many problems with interacting and energy I watch them and always ask myself from where is it coming I am more combined leaning heavily on inatentive some days I don't even feel like speaking cuz it requires so much energy let not talk about keeping a job or friendships.
My god
I am a girl with ADD and until I just read what you wrote, I hade no clue of the extant of the effect this disorder had on me.
Honestly, thank you so much for sharing
I diagnosed at age 21 even though I have a long history with psychiatry they have never looked for neurodivergence for me before.
I have extreme rejection sensitivity and I still am afraid of socializing. I like myself for who I am but being bubbly and talkative woman is still considered unlikeable and I hate people can't accept me with my neurodivergence just because they think it isn't ladylike.
I agree with other comments: Your title is misleading. A quick Google search told me there are at least 9 recognized types of neurodiversity. You only focus on autism and shortly - very shortly and not at all sufficiently - mention ADHD, OCD, TS.
How about the other 4 kinds?
aspergers isn’t a diagnosis anymore, it is just autism
@@peachqueen7133 Sorry, I forgot that. I'll edit it out of my comment
@@aalaixa ur all good! thank you:)
Hollywood-Autism is a Term
that exists.
Go figure.
I mean... its bad.
I hate watch this channel for it’s bewildering stupidity.
I didn't realize that Andy was also Austic. I'd like to see more women of color, hell even women who are Austic. Its the same when it comes to the LGBTQ community. Media shows mostly white men, then white women every so often. Anyone who doesn't fit those groups are ignored. Or told they're not Austic orpart of the community.
Can confirm. I'm autistic, and the only WOC I can think of, on TV, is the Black female character from Stephen King's The Other (which was excellent!) played by Cynthia Erivo. Check it out. She's great!
Ok its sadly true that not only media doesn't show much sides of female autism,in real life, female autism and adhd goes undiagnosed a lot. In the past also it used to get gaslighted under the old term of female hysteria
LGBT women are overexploited, we need more non-binary people and Gay and trans men
@@lkeke35 the series is actually called "The Outsider"
The series was outstanding. I loved it
It’s really stupid that people do that because there is no evidence that Autism is just a white person thing. Or just a male thing.
Dyslexia exists and so do other disabilities. Please include everyone when talking about neurodiversity. Me and my friend's (all with adhd) were talking about how most work place initiatives for neurodiversity group everything into autism spectrum disorders, and how this can hurt people with other disabilities, because for example treating someone with dyslexia the same as someone with autism would not necessarily be helpful and can even make those people feel worse.
It's pretty obvious why savants and mad geniuses are over represented.
Hardly anyone likes the locked in people and the other extreme of mild asperger is rather easy to overlook.
Just like villains and antiheroes, these characters are free to do things others can't or wouldn't, which makes them unpredictable and entertaining.
Also, I don't think that many people of the higher end of the autistic spectrum get into acting. Thus, it's a bit like saying only elves should play elves...
I kind of agree with this. Us with aspergers tend to mask well so our symptoms are invisible to the outside world but we still struggle with mostly the same stuff, but certain things to a lesser degree and the rest we are good at hiding in public. For example not having meltdowns, but maybe getting home and sleeping the rest of the day or breaking into tears or just isolating a lot and eventually experiencing burnout. Of course we can and should still be represented as it would really help break stereotypes and also give us charactes to relate to. Like said in the video though there's many characters in tv and movies which are quite clearly aspies, but the problem is it never gets mentioned. Only time it typically gets mentioned is when they've built a character entirely based on extreme stereotypes which doesn't help anything. But yeah in media they tend to want interesting and unpredictable characters and to turn things up to extremes. It's not just a problem how they show neurodiversity tbh, this channel is pretty good at explaining how many groups of people are badly represented actually. Not that that makes it much better.
@@josefinebliss2801 thank you!
I just think that this channel goes overboard with assuming bad intentions in tropes and bend everything to their leftist world view.
They make some good points though, but I'd like to see a more neutral and rational approach to the reason tropes linger...
I think that it's often a disservice to call out minorities like they do. I prefer that e.g. An Afro-American is praised for his achievements rather than using him as an example of how few reach high positions and demand quotas...
Thank you for talking about this!
I hate how when a show has an adult neurodiverse character it is usually portrayed either as a problem or as a "not like other neuroudiverse" with almost superhero skills. It is really dehumanising.
Like we only deserve to be treated like humans if we are constantly proving that we are useful somehow.
I love this video, I just wish they had delved further into why other neurodiverse conditions are never even covered or acknowledged (they do mention Tourette's but just one off mentions of ADHD, OCD, etc)
I agree. It’s all about autism. There are so, so many other neurodiversities to talk about
It's gotten to a point where people just assume you have autism the moment you say you're nuerodivergent.
Even if they didn't have time to touch on the representations of all neurodiversities, they could've had a sentence in the introduction of the term detailing which conditions are considered neurodivergent, or just explicitly made the video about representations of autism. It feels incorrect to claim it's about all neurodiversity the way it is.
@@anglicusrose Yes, if they are going to talk autism, label it autism.
@@anglicusrose exactly!! I loved the implication with the Winnie the Pooh part that any neurological condition is neurodivergence (looking at you anxiety disorder) when it's actually just Autism, ADD/HD, OCD, and tourette's
I'm autistic and I don't care who is representing me, autism or not. What I do care about is if they're making me look like a complete spaz when I'm a regular person.
And what, in your opinion, makes someone a "complete spaz" and someone who's not a "regular person" according to your standards?
@@camelopardalis84 Well what I meant was that I don't want them to misrepresent what autism is. And I don't think the actor having autism is vital for that. And by the word "complete spaz" I was referring to the way they show us being completely non-functioning in an everyday context, while that isn't the case.
@Bunny Euphoria Yes, but my point was that you don't need to have autism to portray an autistic story, you just have to be knowledgeable about the experiences of different autistic people. It obviously helps if you have autism yourself, but I don't think that is strictly necessary.
@Bunny Euphoria I think we misinterpreted each other, I thought you were answering my point about actors not needing to have autism to portray autistic people. Yes, you are correct that my experience with autism isn't the same as everyone else, I know that. My problem is that most movies don't know it.
@Bunny Euphoria Yeah, pretty much
Though I still call my neurodiversity a disability, and I will until it’s not actively a disadvantage in life. Otherwise, I’ll be expected to not need something different to help. Also, I’m tired of media seemingly linking asexuality and neurodiversity in ways that Other both
I don’t think the word disability needs to have negative connotations. The first sentence in your comment verbalised something I’ve been thinking about for months.
The media could certainly do better in how it portrays both neurodiversity and asexuality.
But, also, as an autistic, asexual, and aromantic woman myself, I have kind of an awkward relationship with neurodivergent people not wanting to be portrayed as asexual and vice versa.
It could be done in such a way that didn't dehumanize both populations, I think. I hope to do that very thing in the novel that I'm working on.
@@messinalyle4030 I’m asexual and autistic too (though not aromantic) so I definitely get it. But what I don’t like about it is how it tends to be stereotypes of both and serves as a way to Other them both simultaneously. As in “this character doesn’t understand social cues, doesn’t want sex, acts abnormally, haha look how alien/robotic they are”
@@adammyers7383 Yeah, I know what you mean.
I have noticed a pretty large overlap between Autism and Aro and/or Ace orientations. I am Aro-Ace, and while not officially diagnosed, I recognize many autism spectrum traits in myself (my brother and dad ARE diagnosed ASD)
I was tested for Asperger's (as it was called in ye olde 2001) when I was in high school and they did not think I was neurodivergent at the time. However, back in the early 2000's, schools did not have a particularly good understanding of how Autism manifested in girls, and by the time I was tested at age 15, I was adept at masking and blending in, at least until I got home. Still, my Autistic traits are minor enough that no one seems to notice and do not affect me to the point where I need any medication or work accommodations, so I don't know whether I can claim neurodivergence.
Anyway, my complicated relationship with Autism aside, I have noticed that a lot of Asexuals are also on the Autism Spectrum, and it makes me curious as to whether there might be a genetic or biological component to the relationship, or if I am just experiencing a confirmation or self selection bias and the overlap is purely coincidental. (BTW, this is not to say that I see my Asexuality as a disability or something to be fixed, I am just nerdy enough to wonder whether the stereotype has some biological truth for people like me.) I also want the matter handled in the media respectfully and diversely, I hope to see neurotypical aro-aces, neurodiverse married couples, and also some people like me that aren't Data or Spock. (although I do love them too.)
Too bad Entrapta from the She-Ra (2018) series wasn't mentioned. She was so well written. I feel I could recognize with her (even though I haven't gotten myself checked), by the way she kept getting easily distracted, how invested and super excited she could get about her interests, and how communication can get awkward by her hyperactivity. Also, she wasn't only there to help others, which she was amazing at, but she was allowed to deal with her own struggles. She was struggling to show others that she cared, and felt like she was letting people down and thereby also feeling left behind. The others around her have to learn that and truly understand, to be better at including her in the group.
This video, while enjoyable, was mostly about austic characters. I’d love to see The Take dive deeper into other disorders, or cover how neurodivergent characters often are the villain.
I’m diagnosed with autism since I was 18 months old and this is what I’ve been waiting for. I would love to see a Disney movie with a neurodivergent lead Character or side character
That would be amazing!! I’d love to see that too!
Check out the short film Loop from Pixar! It features a nonverbal lead that is voiced by a nonverbal actress. I loved it.
I agree that I would like to see a big Disney movie that has a neurodiverse lead. However I am happy to see that recent Disney shows have neurodiverse characters, like Owl House, Amphibia & Molly McGee. If you haven't watched them I strongly suggest them.
When I first watched the BBCs adaption of Sherlock, I got really excited, because the way his autism was presented was almost exactly the same as how mine actually is, which was brilliant for me because I don't really tend to connect to characters too well. I also feel like though for me it was really good representation, there should be more types than the super-intelligent socially awkward stereotype. I think there should be a lot more variety, because everyone on the spectrum is different. :]
once my boyfriend said he is "depressing", and i told him that Eeyore was too and he was still beloved and was my favorite character in winnie the pooh. as a kid, i also could relate a lot to pigglet, since I'm shy and scared most of the time 💕
“What’s eating Gilbert Grape?” deserves its own video analysis. That movie is so beautiful and criminally underrated
If the analysis is good, it will also include the tons of problematic elements of that movie and the novel that it's based on, from a social justice perspective.
@@messinalyle4030 What problematic elements????
@@inescastellano7960
Fatphobia. Obviously.
Ableism, in that the focus is on how Arnie affects those in his life and no one ever tries to see things from his point of view, just like this video talked about.
Gilbert seeing Becky as an object that is obligated to put out and have sex with him if he puts enough "kindness tokens" in, and resenting the hell out of her for not being ready to have sex with him since she sees that he has a lot of emotional growing up to do.
Becky as a manic pixie dream girl, a trope that has some problematic elements in itself--and one that has been covered by another video on this channel.
In the book, Becky was fifteen--while Gilbert was twenty four in both the book and the movie. The movie never states her age, but it's implied there that she's close to Gilbert's age.
I watched "... Gilbert Grape" recently and was blown away by how moving it is. Those kids loved their mom so much! I'm not sure why this video is criticizing DiCaprio's portrayal of Arnie Grape so much. Did they even watch the film?
I think the shift in representation is important and crucial for the neurodivergent. BUT this video implies (1) neurodivergence is just autism/ASD, and (2) that ASD is only "high-functioning" autistics. For good or bad reasons DSM-5 categorizes autistic people in a very broad umbrella with 3 levels of severity. Representation of only high-functioning autistics and Aspergers, is still stigmatizing for the rest of the autistic community. I do agree that the representation of previous decades was through "look-at-the-weirdo" lens and shall be abandoned, but we can't and shouldn't just erase the very existence of non-verbal autistics, with repetitive self-regulating behaviours, in need of support to acquire independent living skills. Also, the experience of being neurodivergent is often something more than being different, because living in a society with complex social rules built by and for the neurotypical, make real challenges for the neurodivergent people not only focused on their communication skills, but in other areas of development (from cognitive skills to motion skills).
This. So much this. Much of the internet's 'autistic community' seems hellbent on erasing anyone for whom ASD is truly disabling. Attacking anyone who points it out. Or raging against the possibility of a cure. Create something that will help numerous low functioning people? Screw that. We're the only ones who matter.
@@mysteriiis Absolutely. I've been a support worker for people with severe ASD. ASD can be seriously debilitating and heartbreaking for parents. Railing against finding a cure completely ignores these people.
The experiences of the neurodivergent TH-camr community are a world away from those of people with severe ASD.
THANK YOU FOR THIS COMMENT. My brother has had horrible experiences interacting with both verbal autistic and neurotypical people because nonspeaking autistic people are so underrepresented and are rejected by both communities
I think it's funny that somehow Elsa from Frozen seems to find a way to fit every trope The Take talks about. ;)
But yea, I am in the camp that objects to armchair diagnoses if it wasn't explicitly the writer's intent. Because a lot of the traits people may reach for as signifiers, like hyperfocus or misreading social cues have been coded to *villains* a lot as well. So be careful.
Anyway this was interesting. I haven't seen "The Boy Who Could Fly" but there was a character named Gary from the SyFy series "Alphas," and he had the ability to "see" electromagnetic wavelengths. It was suggested it was tied to his autism, and that was the first time I'd seen a character like that given superpowers.
And in defense of There's Something About Mary, it should be noted that Warren is actually the only male in the movie who isn't a scumbag. Mary's relationship with her brother is truly one of the sweeter things about the film, and I'd like to point out that the Farrellys have gotten better about this stuff over time, and last year, The Ruderman Foundation honored them “in recognition of their advocacy for the inclusive and authentic representation of people with disabilities in the entertainment industry.”
This topic is near and dear to me, so I have a lot of thoughts about it. On that Claire Barnett quote: "an identity that can be assumed for the purpose of entertaining people."-
Yes. Also known as literally the definition of acting.
For whatever we want to say about neurodiversity, I'll never be one to say a person shouldn't play a character just because they aren't literally exactly that character, and I don't know why people keep doing this.
I completely agree 👍
I agree as well acting is a craft, yea it is important to have better representation of neurodiversity in pop culture but from a technical aspect if it's not a documentary it may be very hard to work with an actor with severe autism or OCD. And it being a wide spectrum the neurodiverse actor may not fit the character written unless again it's a documentary. I think as a global society we should approach this with a lot of empathy, level headedness and Kindness. I have an autistic younger brother and two autistic nephews.
I just want to see more autistic people like me in media; communicative and independent, but needing some help in taking care of themselves, struggling in the workplace and with sensory input.
And as other people said; Neurodivergency encompasses far more than just autism.
I love this channel, and I’m not one to typically comment on videos since I watch TH-cam on my tv, but I am here to say that I feel really let down by this video. Neurodiversity being portrayed as being 99% ASD and only a split second mention of ADHD. The are similar symptoms, but they are not the same, and each diagnosis comes with its own unique struggles that the other doesn’t.
This is the kind of topic that really needs to be done properly or not at all, because this is the kind of video that can do more harm than good.
Please do better. Do better research. Let’s not contribute to misinformation about neurodiversity. Ok? That’d be pretty great.
I really like the movie “what’s eating Gilbert Grape”, i get that it isn’t told from the perspective of Arnie and that makes him feel one dimensional but it was the first movie i had seen with a neurodiverse who wasn’t a genius or “neurotypical passing” (probably not the right word) and i could relate a lot to the family. My brother is autistic, has a lot of trouble communicating and ppl outside my parents and my sister usually try not to talk to him and it’s very disheartening and it makes me so angry bc he really wants to talk to someone other than us and i know he has very specific interests that he only wants to talk about but it shouldn’t be that hard to make a 15 min conversation with him for others, neurotypicals make meaningless small talk everyday so why do they practically ignore him i’ll never know. We have kind of a love/hate relationship but now that i moved out we get along better when i visit.
I really like it as well. I remember watching it when it came out and saw very much of myself as Arnie. It’s also how we used to be seen by other as well in a way (if that makes sense) so it’s hard to look at it through today’s standards
I'm a 36 year old woman with autism. Known it for 4 months now. I'm happy it is more recognized now. I found after the birth of my son. I just couldn't hide it anymore. But I'm glad I couldn't. Now I can be myself and not feel down because I am never the same as others.
When my family and I seen Julia on Sesame Steet we all teared up!! My little brother is Autistic and seeing her stiming where she would throw her hands up is EXACTLY what my brother does and it was just a beautiful moment to experience!!
Been waiting for this.
Cat Ladies at Ebert review: Am I a joke to you?
I want to say as someone on the spectrum, we get gaslit a lot. It's weird we are presented as savant but we get gaslighted
That's true, it's horrible to see the Autistic community get so dreadfully misrepresented on screen. Autistic characters are normally written by Neurotypical writers, who tend to exaggerate their traits.
@@trinaq Yeah...and Sheldon and Elon are not my representation
For me being neuro diverse is absolute hell. I can do the most complicated problem solving yet everyone thinks im a fucking rude or uppity because I don't understand normal society to the point I don't talk to anyone unless they talk to me first and people think that I think im better than them but in actuality I just hate every moment of my life wanna stop waking up every morning.
*poetry finger snaps*
This may be a truism, but the problem is not neurodiversity, it's the society's ignorance about it. I just hope awareness keeps growing and things get better for us, even if only slowly.
I feel you u u
that is normal human existence
I can kinda relate despite not being neuro atypical. I'm just a guy who grew up in a highly dysfunctional family and come across as rude and selfish. I really hate questions like _how are you?_ because I don't want to lie nor does anyone care if I got a bad day...
I have Autism and I am annoyed that this video is treating this like it the only way of being nerodivergent (I know I spelt it wrong). There is so many other ways that are hardly acknowledged or joked about like OCD. It was a missed opportunity to talk about all of them.
Edit: as seen in the replies I did not voiced my thoughts very well. I have a problem with the title. The title implies is going to even at the very least briefly mentioned all different versions of Neurodiversity because there are lots. It does talk about autism in a pretty good manner. Great representation only for autistic people.
Yeeesss!!! I have friends and family members with ASD and while we relate easily to each other’s symptoms, our way of viewing the world is quite different. A lot of my ASD peeps don’t have the easiest time with figurative language, hyperbole, etc., and my ADHD ass would explode without figurative language because I mostly express myself through metaphor, simile, and sarcasm (and like a million hyperboles a minute).
To be fair, my ASD friends make some of the best puns. My god, I am so jealous of the pun abilities.
Sophia I think you overreact and she did nothing wrong, tbh.
@@slevinchannel7589 I didn’t really share my thoughts super well. They did nothing wrong except for the title. It is a great representation of autism. But there are many different forms of Neurodiversity. You cannot make just one video describing Neurodiversity, it would have to be a long intensive series. My problem is with the title basically saying is representing all forms of Neurodiversity and all the individual ways they are misrepresented. I do acknowledge that I do have a hurt from being misunderstood therefore I do sometimes overreact react too scenarios like this one. Thank you for your input
Don’t forget about Bipolar Disorder
@@DragonKazooie89 That too
Speaking as someone with a nonverbal learning disability, you absolutely *can* find love :)
What also needs to happen is showing more POC nuerodiverse characters. It shouldn’t be so White. We exist.
Did you equate autism with schizophrenia? John Nash is a schizophrenic not autistic. Mixing schizophrenia and autism has been highly problematic throughout the years. Autistic are not psychotic, and this is a huge distinction in terms of functionality. Not to say that schizophrenics are lesser but they definitely have it harder. Most genius people are in fact schizotypal rather than autistic.
Always love your videos ❤️
@theTake thank you so so much for this video, it is another of your videos that lands in my favourites. I love it, it was needed and awaited. I am neurotypical, in process of educating myself and i find your creation amazing and eyes opening for those that are looking for knowledge and for those that will find themselves here by accident
Doesn't the term Aspie come from an unethical Nazi researcher? Surprised you didn't reference that. However good job not relying on "high vs low functioning".
I was looking for this comment
There are still many 1000s of people diagnosed officially with Aspergers. Many of whom are slightly older. You can’t just wipe out how they have identified for many years. It’s a work in progress and I feel people need to have more patience with this topic. Change is hard and slow.
@@CarolineATRC oh of course certainly and if that's what someone prefers, that's fine. Just surprised that wasn't mentioned in a discussion on ASD.
@@mrslvw sorry my comment sounded a little rude and wasn’t meant that way. 👍
@@CarolineATRC no worries:)
Neurotypical people stim as well. I tend to gross stim, meaning that I tend to do it in a way that would disrupt people- I bop my foot and jump up and down. Also unconsciously do the ‘excited’ sign in ASL.
I think part of the reason Abed from Community is well written is because the creator of series Dan Harmon is on the spectrum as well.
As someone with ADHD, I love it when media presents the symptoms of neurodiverse conditions as a positive thing that serve as the characters strengths, but I don't like when they just "glorify" the condition as a whole and not show the multiple challenges that come with it. Of course this varies in ND people because we all have our own opinions but I view my ADHD as a blessing and a curse.
I love Abed he feels like a perfect character for community having reality, tv, and originality all mix into a great character.
Kinda sickens me that autistic people in older movies are only “people” because they can be useful to other characters/the audience. “See, he deserves to be treated as human, he knows math!!”
Like we shouldn’t automatically feel empathy if someone’s just “stupid”.
Reminds me of those icky autism mommy posts about how wonderful and magical their autistic kid is because they think different. We’re just different, you don’t have to put us on a pedestal to deserve respect.
It would have been better to not have used the term neurodiversity as it's only about autism. Neurodiversity isn't the same as autism, it's so much more. It's an umbrella term for people who have a brain that works differently compared to most people (neurotypicals). This term is thereby also used for and by people who have Tourette's' AD(H)D, dyscalculia, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia, hyperlexia, OCD, epilepsy, developmental disorders or sensory processing disorders. And it's also used sometime by and for gifted and/or queer people. It's also very broad so every brain is different also the non-neurotypical ones.
Ok, so don’t get me wrong this video was super educational and important, but there is a lot more to Neurodiversity than Autism. ADHD, Tourettes, or learning disabilities are all examples of Neurodiversity. I am dyslexic and it made me sad to not see my disorder talked about in this video. Edit: The title was very misleading and should of been something like “ The misrepresentation of Autism in film.” Instead of neurodiversity.
Thank you the Take, that's what I was thinking literally yesterday. Rain man was on tv and I thought of searching and read an article (which literally quoted the same you did) on the Guardian about this film's conflicting legacy.
about people on the spectrum trying to find love and romance (in real life), there's this series called 'love on the spectrum' that wasn't mentioned in the video.
It's really important to acknowledge the gender bias in diagnosing autism and I was hoping this video would go into it a bit. Most girls/women on the spectrum aren't diagnosed until much later in life or not diagnosed at all instead our traits are seen as "quirky." For a really long time, people believed autism (and ADHD and OCD) was a "boys thing" and for a long time, only autism in men was studied. Therefore most movies and films portrayed male characters on the spectrum, and that's extremely limiting because without playing into gender stereotypes- women on the spectrum tend to be HIGH emotional, not always of course. Being diagnosed at 21 was difficult because the representation I saw of autism was so different from my personal experience, i genuinely believed I was misdiagnosed at first. So happy with matilda from everything's gonna be okay!
I would argue that the industry has not come to understand or portray neurodivergence any better, the change is that the industry is finally starting to include neurodivergent people in production.
Peggy from Mad Men and Beth from the Queen's Gambit also are two female characters that I read as having ASD. With Peggy, it's more subtle, she's 'masking it' for the first season or so, she studies others to see how she should act because she knows she is not like other girls and tries to awkwardly fit in, but once she finds her passion in advertising, she doesn't care what others think anymore. With Beth, it's more obvious, visualizing the board, studying her opponent and the game to an obsessive level, and of course, her social awkwardness by being pretty frank with people that can be off-putting.
You should do a video on portrayals of chronic illness. I don't personally know of any and I would really like to. I'm 22 years old. I was recently diagnosed with chronic migraine and have been dealing with the fallout for the past year: being largely housebound, unable to work or study, struggling to find helpful healthcare practitioners (I've now consulted five neurologists), struggling to accept how my healthy body has become so sick, and having traumatic hospital visits (I was recently in hospital for 3 weeks, and discharged myself after trying every possible treatment to stop my excruciating pain and symptoms without success). So many people, women especially, suffer with chronic illness in silence. The lack of understanding from other people, even my relatives and friends, makes my situation so much more painful and isolating.
This was so well researched, thank you!
Judy Singer actually supports the idea of autism being a disability, but closer to the social model of disability (rather than the more pathologising medical model). Which first believes that there is nothing wrong with the word/concept of being "disabled", and posits that the environment (physical and societal) usually poses the barrier to inclusion.
Autistic researchers and responders to autistic research tend to agree that is a difference, which can be disabling, but it is not a disorder. Outside of US journals, we prefer not to use "ASD', when "autism" will do.
Love that we're making progress and being seen :)
Damn, didn't think one of these videos could make me tear up. Really good stuff, keep it up!
What a coincidence! Just got diagnosed with ADHD.
welcome to the club! shame it didn't get any discussion in a video about neurodiversity though
out of all those movies, Rain man, and claire daines depiction of Temple Grandin, are the most accurate, rain man, for the stimming, and meltdown side, Temple Grandin for the sensitivity side, and the fact we (I am Autistic MYSELF) can go places, and have fruitful lives and carears.
I find that what's eating Gilbert grape is the most realistic .
This is truly amazing to see more and more often genuine representation of autistic characters in the media! This is needed and I hope they keep this up!
However, I'm curious how much representation are neurodivergent people getting when they aren't on the autistic spectrum. Like ADHD, OCD, TS, dyslexia, dyscalculia, hyperlexia, dyspraxia, synesthesia... well, you get the idea. There are so many more left, and they are all so many people!
I mean, as an HSP, when I was a child, the only characters I could relate to were Spongebob Squarepants from its eponymous show and Bubbles from the Powerpuff girls. And that probably was a whole lot, already.
Neurodiversity doesn’t just equal autism, I was excited to hopefully see a video that I encompassed more characters who are neurodivergent in multiple ways but am disappointed to see that it didn’t cover a full range of neurodiversity but instead it’s more or less the same thing I’ve gotten from every other media analysis of autistic characters
I really feel like this should have been a seperate video on autism. It is very very autism heavy for a topic about neurodiversity as a whole. Where is the adhd/add discussion in this? Any mention of mental differences/disorders like bipolar or bpd or schizophrenia? what about those with dyslexia or dyspraxia or dyscalculia? There are so many of us that are not neurotypical but not autistic either. The main focus is always on autism and the rest of us just kind of get pushed to the side and forgotten about and this video is the same.
Only mention of adhd was that tigger has it. adhd is stereotyped so badly and misunderstood and not taken seriously to the point millions out there are missing their diagnoses or getting them very late in life and it is so damaging. I'm one of those who didn't get diagnosed til I was an adult due to not displaying the stereotypical behaviour and being a girl. There isn't enough representation of people like me in media.
I'm glad things are improving for my autistic pals but we kind of exist too?!
This video is yet another example of people putting the cart before the horse in order to sound empathetic without considering the nuance of a topic. As nice as "we should celebrate all types of people" and "no one's way of thinking should be considered a disability" are as statements, they are incredibly reductive. Rarely, if ever, do I hear anything about the parents/caretakers watching over special-needs children and how difficult it is for them. These people (the parents) change their whole lives in order to cater to their children's needs. And if you were to ever speak to them, you'd realize how many would be ambivalent-if even hopeful-about certain special needs being treatable. Clearly, this script was made by people who have not dealt with someone with severe special needs for a long time and would probably fakely go "HI!" to one if they saw them walking in a public park.
I have friends with ASD who have low support needs, who tend to just be though of as “quirky”. I used to volunteer fat an equestrian therapy place, and we had kids with ASD with much more high support needs because of delayed language and physical development, intense mood swings, and difficulties maintaining personal hygiene. Acknowledging neurodiversity requires acknowledging that yes, stereotypical portrayals can be rooted in reality, but it is every neurodiverse person’s reality. Like everything else about humans, it exists on a spectrum, and each symptom experienced exists on its own individual spectrum.
What was the clip with the auditory experiences on the subway? That really struck a nerve with me since it's how I feel all the time.
I think that's Everything's Going To Be Okay. The show with the autistic actress playing an autistic character
What about benny and Joon??
In Parentwood there's a character named Max who's diagnosed autistic on the first episode. Part of the story is portraing how his parents and his family cope to that. Growing up we see more more Max personality coming out along with his difficulties in interacting with other people as a teenager and understandig that he is autistic and what does it means. Later on in the show we see a new chararcter with the same difficulties as Max realizing he is autistic too at the age of 50 or something. I really loved that show and how they portrayed neurodiversity. I loved that show.
Great video! But, I wish you’d have more mention of adhd for neurodiveregence. Not all of us have autism, I think you missed out on talking about how Jake seems to be ADHD coded in Brooklyn 99.
I'm a 27 year old autistic woman. I was diagnosed at 21. (I also think that I have adhd, but I have no official diagnosis.) Normally I don't tell people that I'm autistic, not because I'm ashamed (I'm not ashamed for being myself), but because as soon as people hear that I'm autistic, they immediately treat me like I'm a little kid or extremely stupid. Even if we had a normal conversation before that. They then speak to me very slowly or in a tone you would use for a toddler or a pet. They also start praising me for the most easiest, mundane & dumbest things like organizing my dates or driving to work. I think this is because the media portrays us autistic people: We are either portrayed as extremely intelligent, but at the same time as unemphatic assholes or as to stupid to function on our own. Ans as soon as people realize that I'm not a genius, they treat me like a baby. Respectful, accurate representation (not only for us neurodivergent and disabled people, but also for PoC and members of the LGBTQIA+community) is so incredibly important, because media affects how we treat does around us.
It took me 19 years to get diagnosed since I don’t understand STEM and I stupidly thought that all Autistic people excelled in STEM because of the media I consume. Not all of us are math super geniuses! Some of us just like infodumping about Bojack Horseman 😄
As someone that is a high school teacher for Autistic students, I just want to say a couple of things. First of all, neurodiversity is not exclusive to Autism. There are several units within schools that accommodate different exceptionalities. Autism is just one of many. Autism itself is incredibly diverse and manifests in so many different ways within different people. Secondly, the "savant syndrome" that we see in entertainment like Sheldon Cooper and Sherlock Holmes and Raymond Babbitt is generally unrealistic. Not to mention incredibly rare. That being said, a lot of people with Autism are no different than anyone else you've interacted with. You've definitely had classmates with Autism, and you probably interact with someone Autistic at least once a day. The spectrum varies widely. Lastly, and this is a pet peeve, "Asperger's" has been an outdated term for several years! Stop using it! It implies some sort of exception to "regular" Autism, and there is none. Someone with "Asperger's" is just higher functioning on the Autism Spectrum. Thank you. Class dismissed.
I wish the movie "Adam" was included in your video too, depicting Asperger's. I think that movie does the portrayal without talking down to the audience too much unlike most (or someone who might find themselves relating to the character 'adam') , though I think it still leans into the trope of "magical minority" of neurodivergence a lil' bit.
Rain Man is 1 of my favorite movies
The most important takeaway is that Producers in Hollywood need to hire more neurodiverse actors and screenwriters.
The trouble is the networking system the industry has setup can be very alienating for autistic people. Something needs to change in that regard.
Some neurodiverse people need medications, let's not assume that just because neurodiversity is a woke sentiment that points out how neurodiverse people are useful to society that it means we don't need medical treatment. We don't have to be useful to society to have value as humans and a right to live and be happy.
Like yeah, ADHD has its perks, but Adderall makes it humanly possible to function in a world not the most accommodating to NDs. Also pretty sure driving a car on consistently inadequate sleep is not ideal, so add that on top of not having medication to help wi5 focus? Big yikes.
@@daniellehenderson907 Definitely, we should be valuing a person's quality of life rather than only valuing their usefulness to society or valuing them because they conform to mediocrity, neither are good. If we only treat neurodiverse people like they're supposed to be brilliant then that's basically saying that society wouldn't give a shit about their life if they weren't useful. Likewise, forcing people to conform to mediocrity isn't true activism either because it assumes that mediocrity is what is healthy when in reality it might be too much stress and trauma on the patient and take away from self-identity and individuality.
remember you don’t get to choose what you hyperfocus on. We’re people who will know what brand of girdle was popular in summer 1961-something that has no monetary value. Does anyone in the ND community also feel like it’s knowledge “collecting”?
13:21 Also in universe the reason given as to why Sherlock acted like that was that he was a sociopath. There was one reference in hounds of baskerville that he was on the spectrum but it was small and honestly just felt that the writers realising the traits Sherlock had was more similar to someone with autism than an actual sociopath.
Are you planning on doing a separate episode about ADHD? Because it's part of neurodivergency but it wasn't mentioned at all here (except referring to tigger), even when talking about brooklyn99 neurodivergent headcanons (which should include jake's obvious adhd). Neurodivergency is more than just autism, and it's a bit off to refer to them as seemingly synonymous.
Also, speaking as a neurodivergent watcher of your channel, can you guys start putting the names of the movies and TV shows you use every time you use a clip, rather than just the first time? That would be very helpful
'How Film & TV Misrepresented Autism'. There fixed it for you
I'm have ASD and one of my main skills is studying and copying normal people, so in some ways I can read a room even better than normal people, also makes me a good actress, which of course makes people wonder if I really am on the spectrum.
I have also found ways to use this special interest in other interests of mine, like karate, animation, and writing. My main main interest is in storytelling, but I use karate to better understand how to break down action scenes, and use my studying and copying skills to more easily animate natural movement and even write more realistic character interactions...though sometimes when I myself am expected to engage with others, I can come off as cold and brash, even though I am just trying to be funny. Makes it especially disheartening to learn j hurt someone's feelings trying to make them laugh or just generally feel happy.
Monk might have been mentioned before the most recent Sherlock.
Bluey is pretty great and fits in this video too.
While I agree that Christina Yang is probably totally neurodivergent, some of those examples are kinda reaching a bit. They make it sound like her hyperfocusing so much during long surgeries to the point of needing to wear a diaper or her having meltdowns to the point of needing to be sedated are like regular things for her when those both only happened once and for comedic purposes lmao
They were limited with how much they could focus on each character. I think a better example of her focus & determination is when in the earlier seasons they would be sitting in the halls chatting & if Christina had a problem to solve she would focus on it at the expense of her surroundings, her social life & forget to eat/drink. I think those less severe & more nuanced experiences are a better representation of those with autism.
I think this video lack of talking about Parenthood's portrait of autism spectre. I think it's one of the few shows that really portrait how a family deals with a diagnosis in a n early age and how as a kid you realized about a condition that can be misjudged as bad. The approach of that show about this subject is excellent and it would have been a good example to talk about, also the performance of little Max is great. I think Parenthood have a lot of great subjects to talk about but I haven't seen it in examples of analysis by The Take.
Not all neurodivergent people are autistic.
To be fair, we need to consider that back in the 80's, no one knew or cared about the autistics that masked their struggles to survive and not be bullied. The obvious signs were easy to spot, and at least people were pointing out that those autistics were human too, and deserved respect. We, who had to hide ourselves like Elsa were hidden right out in the open. We're finally getting acknowledged now, in the 2020's. Better late than never, I suppose.
For those of you confused as to why The Take focuses on autism...it's because most of all the movies focus on this type of neurodiversity. Not that there aren't other forms of diversity, but we all know that autism is one of the most misrepresented and often times people who are neuro-diverse are targeted.
Autism and other neurodiversity is a disability - disability isn't a slur, it's just what we are. I mean cmon, it affects literally so much of our lives, pretending like it doesn't just because you can't physically see it is just annoying.
My favorite read of a possibly neuro-diverse character is the Darcys from Pride and Prejudice.
Be Good and Rewatch FTW.
I literally teared up thinking that I was finally gonna see an essay about the representation of ADHD, but the video said next to nothing about it.
Just because ADHD symptoms are less exclusive in comparison to those of ASD doesn’t mean that we don’t struggle. People with ADHD stim too, people with ADHD experience sensory overload, people with ADHD experience hyper focus. If anything there’s an increased interest in studying the connection between ASD and ADHD.
Yet ADHD on screen is mostly represented as quirky, laughable traits or when it’s actually diagnosed on screen, it shows the characters as lazy and drug addicted.
For God’s sake, let us be seen. *sigh*
Loving the video but neurodivergent people aren't just people with asd!
This was the first time I heard Elon Musk's voice
Re: the Winnie the Pooh example
Narcissistic personality disorder and generalized anxiety disorder aren’t generally considered part of neurodivergence
Shocked that you could try to speak to "Neurodivergent people DO have rich inner lives" and use not a single scene from "The Road Within" as an example. Anyways, I agree with the other comments that wish this video had focused on more than just Autism. Neurodivergence is way more than just Autism, and Autism is far from the only under- or mis-represented neurodivergence in media.
Should be genius in several areas than one. Do not discount us. Thanks for making this video.
Yo, when are people going to talk about the Big Bang theory and how essentially we were all laughing at a person with Autism. Sure the show doesn't actually tell us that he has it but goes as far as to show a lot of the symptoms of it. At least with the other characters in other films, we are directed to sympathize with them. Big Bang Theory Sheldon is to be laughed at and almost never to be understood or empathize with him. He is hated by the other characters and the show itself.
Not me crying watching this video:
I think Newt from Fantastic Beasts could be autistic too
There are other Actors and Actresses with the Spectrum, the ones aren't mentioned on this video. So, one day there will be more Autism actors play either the normal role or a neurodivrse character.
As an Autistic myself, I'm glad there are clarifications and explanations about the unique minds.
As an Black Autistic actor, I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE! TURN IT UP
Ditto, I'm so looking forward to seeing them delve into Hollywood's portrayals of Autism.
[fist bump] Autistic while Black solidarity.
Post some videos then! I'd love to see your work and support you. 😝
Abed is like the only Autistic Guy in Pop culture who isn't White.
@@Random-Draw-Time oh I'm on tiktok @blackautisticking !
@@timothyboykin9318 I shall check you out brother. I have ADHD
I’m dying to see mainstream media about women/girls with ADHD. To say we’re under represented would be an understatement. I swear so many girls with ADHD, including myself, didn’t get diagnosed until adulthood because we didn’t know how it presented in girls!
I was diagnosed until last year (I was 24) after living in hell not knowing why I was that way my whole life and without treatment because there's not enough information about ADHD on women/girls and it usually gets represented as being the naughty kid who is loud and runs around the classroom the whole time.
I just found out I have adhd (20) even though I've always presented so many symptoms, and was even wrongly tested as a kid because most media only shows boys who are hyperactive with adhd. It's really harmful :(
Yepp. Plus all the media is about the horrors of medicine. Adderall is a god send for me. It literally helped me fix my sleep that I didn’t know my adhd was disturbing. I spent so many years in school suffering because I’m “lazy” and “weird” but all I needed was therapy and medicine
I got diagnosed a month ago. When I was in school I did really good, but when I got into college I couldn’t keep up and started doubting how smart I was. Everyone around me told me I was capable because I have always been pretty responsable but I just felt like everything I did wasn’t enough. When I went to the psychiatrist to get tested for depression and anxiety,he told me that I didn’t have them but adhd and people haven’t noticed because I have always been quite.
I think that Lorelai from Gilmore Girls is the perfect example for undiagnosed adult Adhd in women.
In The Secret Life of an American Teenager, there is a character who has down syndrome, being played by someone with down syndrome. They showed that he was interested in sex like the other characters were. There is a stereotype that many nuerodivergent people are sexless, so I thought that was great.
This Video definetly did not give
some facts enough time to breath
and show the scale of just how intense they are:
-Sia's 'Music' was utter nonsense and not just bad for a single Detail.
-Sherlock Holmes in 'Sherlock' is absolutely a Magical Being. A Thing.
Hbomberguy; the Legend he is; has made a big Essay-Video about this.
Its extremly recommendable.
Have you seen Never Have I ever? There's a character/actress with DS. She's so cool! She sees potential in her traditional jock brother and pushes him, she loves fashion, she's actually a designer and she has a job! It's amazing.
@Fern the Green Fairy I dislike the term 's-ual being'.
Always sounded weird.
@Fern the Green Fairy Words
are
Hard
The same thing was done in Glee. It was the one time they actually used a plot to teach something which was the misinformation about people with autism (Becky) and sex/relationships
As an autistic person I'm so sick of us being portrayed as 'special' or 'gifted' in a way to make us seem valuable like in sherlock like he's extremely smart and that's why people put up with him. It's so frustrating or how we're infantilised by people and deemed 'cute' all the time and how people don't understand that not everyone with autism is the same. We're different. Cause we're different people. Also the lacking of neuro-divergent women is stifling. Thank you for this video!
Yeah people usually say you're a Rain Man or that typical "white kid who's smart in math or something"
They don't make stories about people nt or nd that aren't special or gifted in some way
Maybe you should question your tastes in movie. There are ton of movie that depicts "real" people very fairly. Just not your average "watch and forget" american tv show or blockbuster. Don't be a mindless consommer, watch something else...
Plenty of autistic people are "special" or "gifted" though. So should we only portray autism as neurotic, easily offended, and "not like other girls" instead? Just swing in the completely opposite direction so that so much bandwidth isn't wasted on social media complaining?
@@mydogeatspuke Don't act dumb, they were clearly complaining about there being only two kind of autistic people portrayed on TV.