THE PORTRAYAL OF AUTISM IN THE MEDIA

What Is Autism?

According to the NHS [1], autism, or ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) is classified as a spectrum disorder. This means that autism contains various linked conditions often causing unique traits and symptoms. A spectrum disorder therefore also shows quite differently in many people in the exact same condition.

Stigma and Impacts of Stigma

When posed with the question “what does autism look like?”, typically, most people will say something that describes a non-verbal young boy with outbursts of aggressive behaviour when under emotional distress. This is because autistic characters in the media are portrayed in this way quite often, therefore, many people develop a certain stigma in their mind in regard to what autism looks like. A recent example of this would be the side character ‘Harlan Cooper’ in the show ‘Umbrella Academy’ [2].

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He is a young autistic boy who has non-verbal outbursts. Outbursts are short to long bursts of unpleasant behaviour and they are a typical symptom for people with autism and “may be caused by frustration over trying to communicate what they feel” [4]. This stigma is very problematic as it leads to the underdiagnosis of autism in young girls. This is likely due to the fact that when people see a young boy exhibiting behaviours ‘typical’ of an autistic child, they notice the similarities and the parents consequently take their child to a psychiatrist to check for signs of autism. Due to this stigma, people are conditioned to think of autism as a mental disorder that predominantly affects males. If a young girl exhibits similar signs, the behaviour is much more likely to be seen as "typical" due to the media portraying female behaviour as "over-emotional". The girls that experience this stigma usually go on to hide their symptoms and ‘mask’ their autism as a conditioned response [5].

Representation of Autism in Media

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In the media, we are beginning to see more representation of autism. Shows and movies sometimes represent autism well, though this is not always the case. One very recent example of poor representation of autism is a movie by the popular music artist Sia. The movie ‘Music’ [7] depicts a non-verbal girl with autism. The choice to have a female main character with autism is certainly a step in the right direction as there is an under-representation of autistic female characters. However, the movie has come under some scrutiny due to the lead actor, Maddie Ziegler not being autistic. The main issue people have with this is that she does not know the depth of an autistic girl’s experiences.

The movie also shows little of how to help autistic people in stressful situations. It shows graphic imagery of people restraining the main character during her meltdowns, going on further to explain it as a ‘good thing’ while it most certainly is not. It has been suggested by experts that the most effective way to help a non-verbal autistic person deal with a meltdown is to provide as little arousal of senses as possible [8].

Positive Representation of Autism in ‘Loop’

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One piece of media that deals with helping autistic people during a meltdown well is the short movie ‘Loop’ [10] presented by Disney. Like Sia’s ‘Music’, Disney’s ‘Loop’ portrays a non-verbal girl with autism and her interaction with neuro-typical individuals. The term neuro-typical is used to describe an individual of typical development or someone who does not have autism [11]. The Disney movie shows the frustration a neuro-typical person may experience when in the company of a non-verbal autistic person and how one may overcome this frustration and help the autistic person deal with overstimulation. In one scene, Renee, the autistic girl, begins to have a meltdown due to loud noises and the scene becomes very intense as Marcus, the neuro-typical boy, does not understand how to help and also begins to shout and becomes sporadic, distressing Renee further.

The scene begins to quiet down as Marcus calms down and offers Renee more space and sits patiently waiting for Renee to be ready to come to him. This shows an accurate representation of the overstimulation a person with autism might experience day-to-day and also offers a positive method of helping someone with autism during a non-verbal outburst.

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As a whole, we can see many pieces of media that represent autism incorrectly and further stigma about the disorder, ranging from types of autism to how to assist people with autism. Despite this, some shows, and movies still represent autism well and are quite beneficial for people with autism as they aim to combat stigma.

References

1. What is autism? (2019). nhs.uk. [online] Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/autism/what-is-autism/ [Accessed 24 Feb. 2021].

2. Umbrella Academy. (2019). [video]. Directed by E. Kuras, S. Surjik, J. Webb, A. Bernstein, P. Hoar, A. Marsalis, T. Verica and S. White. Hamilton, Ontario, Canada: Dark Horse Entertainment.

3. Anon. (2019). [image]. Available at: https://umbrellaacademy.fandom.com/wiki/Harlan_Cooper [Accessed 13 Mar. 2021].

4. Handling Outbursts and Unpleasant Behaviors - Special Learning Article. (2021). Special-learning.com. [online]. Available at: https://www.special-learning.com/article/handling_outbursts_and_unpleasant_behaviors#:~:text=For%20children%20with%20autism%2C%20outbursts,product%20of%20a%20routine%20change. [Accessed 7 Mar. 2021].

5. Hull, L., Petrides, K. and Mandy, W. (2020). The Female Autism Phenotype and Camouflaging: a Narrative Review. [online]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-020-00197-9 [Accessed 24 Feb. 2021].

6. Sia. (2021). [image]. Available at: https://www.indiewire.com/2021/02/music-review-sia-autism-movie-maddie-ziegler-1234615917/ [Accessed 13 Mar. 2021].

7. Music. (2021). [film]. Warner Music Entertainment.

8. Autism Awareness. (2016). Free From Restraints. [online]. Available at: https://autismawarenesscentre.com/how-the-low-arousal-approach-helps-your-child-with-autism-manage-overload/ [Accessed 24 Feb. 2021].

9. Disney, 2020. [image]. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loop_(2020_film) [Accessed 13 Mar. 2021].

10. Loop. (2020). [film]. Directed by E. Milsom. Pixar Animation Studios.

11.Legg, T. (2017). Neurotypical: All You Need To Know and More. [online] Healthline. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/neurotypical#:~:text=%E2%80%9CNeurotypical%E2%80%9D%20is%20a%20newer%20term,%2C%20intellectual%2C%20and%20cognitive%20abilities.&text=Individuals%20who%20live%20with%20autism,referred%20to%20as%20%E2%80%9Cneurodiverse.%E2%80%9D [Accessed 3 Mar. 2021].

12. Disney, 2020. [image]. Available at: http://intelligentliving.co/loop-by-pixar-features-non-verbal-autistic-girl-of-color/ [Accessed 13 Mar. 2021].