Is Autism Representation in the Media Accurate? | Roundtable with the Global Autism Community

2024-02-01

Discover what’s possible when autism representation in the media is accurate. Have you ever been disappointed by the representation of autism in movies, TV shows, or other media? Or, on the other hand, have you ever resonated with some of the characters with autistic traits that you’ve seen on screen? Whether you’ve had one of these experiences or both, stick around, because today’s episode is a roundtable discussion where we address the question, “How can the entertainment industry improve their representation of autism?”

Discover what’s possible when autism representation in the media is accurate.

Have you ever been disappointed by the representation of autism in movies, TV shows, or other media? Or, on the other hand, have you ever resonated with some of the characters with autistic traits that you’ve seen on screen?

Whether you’ve had one of these experiences or both, stick around, because today’s episode is a roundtable discussion where we address the question, “How can the entertainment industry improve their representation of autism?”

I’m sure you’ll find this conversation as engaging as I did. Among other things, we talked about:

How movies like Rainman and other early representations of autism led to inaccurate stereotypes
The ethics of Autistic characters being played by Autistic vs. non-Autistic actors
Implicit vs. explicit Autistic characters in shows like Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Atypical and The Big Bang Theory
The need to increase representation of non-speaking Autistics

Participants in this roundtable include Autistic Self-Advocates Andrew Bennett, Michelle Vinokurov, Corben Havener, Mary Johnston, and Christina Kaspersen, and fellow members of our online Global Autism Community Ali Carbone, Cheryl Albright, Tj Larum and Danielle Terrell.

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Would you like to share your own perspectives by participating in roundtables like this one? Join our online Global Autism Community, a safe and judgment-free space where all kinds of people connected to autism regularly discuss important topics like autistic identity, dating on the spectrum, coping strategies, and many, many more.

We’ll see you there at community.globalautismproject.org!

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