So many portrayals of autistic people are white, adolescent, young-adult males typically from middle-class families. Where are the autistic females? Where are the autistic people of color? Where are the autistic people with different presentations?
Is mediocre representation better than no representation at all?
That is the question at the heart of the discussion in this Rolling Stone article about popular Netflix shows Like ‘The Good Doctor’ and ‘Love on the Spectrum’.
Michelle Ivey (a communication sciences and disorders professor from University of Houston) says the "dating series had the potential to foster genuine empathy with its stars" and they enjoyed "seeing an autistic person moving through regular life stuff."
A counterargument is made by professor and researcher with autism, Sandra Thom-Jones, who says reality television infantilizes neurodivergent folks: "There is this positioning of the autistic people [on the show] as very cute, they’re very sweet, ‘Look at these unusual people,’ it’s like, ‘Look at the meerkats’".
Kalia Richardson
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