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do you think the portrayall of autism in films is fair/accurate and how do you think it contributes to the public's perception of autism?

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I'm interested to know if you think films and TV programmes portraying aspects of ASD create a positive/negative /stereotyped view of autism to the viewing public. Examples like Rainman, Forrest Gump, Extremely Loud &Incredibly Close, Adam, Mercury Rising, Sheldon in Big Bang Theory, Sherlock, Doc Martin, Hannibal, The Black Balloon, Curious Case of the Dog in the Night time.

Do they focus too heavily on the "fascinating" elements, do they use the ASD characters as figures of fun too often? Or, is it generally fair and some discussion better than none? Interested to hear views.

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very interesting subject to raise.

 

it certainly made me sit up and think... because I'm into movies too.

 

I'd like to reserve a proper comment to your post until I've given it more time to run it through my head if that's ok,

 

...but could I in the mean time (if it's ok),

 

add a movie character to your list that I was particularly impressed with, for folks to mull over as well as the movies you state (which was a good list)

 

...that character being David Hewitt's portrayal of Rodney McKay in Star gate Atlantis?

 

although it's never stated that the script writers intend him to be presented as being on the spectrum,

 

I'm wondering if that's what he was trying to put into his performance on that show?

 

I've not watched the repeats of that show for a while now, but I was very infused by his character at one time.

 

and towards the later seasons, I felt David was really trying to input something valuable to the media presentation of folks who have Asperger's condition.

 

of course I could be completely wrong!

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I think there are so many portrayals of Aspergers characters that its difficult to get a correct individual that gives a perfect example. Then in real life every Aspie is different you wont find two identical people this adds to the accuracy of fictional charactors as not being portrayed as fact in films or tv shows to those that watch them and have little self knowledge of autism. I think that they do good in showing autistic people but the viewer needs to take it as an ideal of what autism is not take anything as fact. My favourite is Dr Sheldon Cooper in Big Bang as his complete missunderstandings mirror similiar instances in my life but thats just a personal favourite.

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I've spent some time thinking about this subject,

 

and I still vote Rodney McKay from star gate atlas is my in my choice for best aspie on tv.

 

the reason being because even though he was a bit odd and difficult,

 

(& no one every really got him,)

 

when it really looked like he was going to die,

 

*everyone* rallied around him to support him.

 

obviously it's just a fictional show, but that sort of made me feel good.

 

I've gone a bit squidgy there. sorry :-)

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Kim Peek? Yes, he was a real person, but sadly he passed away back in 2009. Have you read the book Born on a Blue Day? It is a fascinating autobiography detailing the life of Daniel Tammet, a savant with Asperger's who famously recited pi from memory to 22,514 digits. If not, I really recommend it - he has lived an amazing life. In the book he describes meeting Kim Peek on whom Dustin Hoffman's character was based. Apparently Peek did not have autism like Hoffman's character though - he had FG syndrome.

 

Interestingly, Daniel Tammet used to live about 15 miles away from me! I would love to meet him someday

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Have you read the book Born on a Blue Day? It is a fascinating autobiography detailing the life of Daniel Tammet, a savant with Asperger's who famously recited pi from memory to 22,514 digits. If not, I really recommend it - he has lived an amazing life. In the book he describes meeting Kim Peek on whom Dustin Hoffman's character was based. Apparently Peek did not have autism like Hoffman's character though - he had FG syndrome.

 

Interestingly, Daniel Tammet used to live about 15 miles away from me! I would love to meet him someday

I once attempted to contact Daniel via his language-learning website Optimnem but I never received a reply.

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i'm confused.

 

who's the real rain man.

 

kim or Daniel?

 

memory (in terms of remember a sequence of things) is contray to what people think.. not an aspergers/ autistic skill.

 

so people who can remember stuff in sequences are not autistic.

 

if you are saying someone is cool, cause they can remember pi to 10000 digits, I could train anyone how to do that. it's just a mental trick.

 

I was thinking rain man was cognative, and not a savant?

 

and had an extensive range of knowledge.

 

I guess your saying the movie sup'ed it up a bit. fair enough. movies do that.

 

but if anyone of you want to remember pi to 10000 digits, I can tell you the trick to that.

 

human memory is fascinating. if you have two or three memory anchor objects to re- inforce a memory item. then you will not forget it.

 

..and if you a chain those together you can impress people.

 

I can do it. you can do it. anyone can do it.

 

respectfully all the best.

Edited by dotmarsdotcom

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Is the portrayal of anyone in films, fair or accurate. No idea, unless one knows the person being referred too personally. I never noticed that such and such was supposed to be 'autistic', slow, dense perhaps. Other end, I have known bright intelligent people, never would abuse them with a 'dubious tag' such as ASD, its just a diagnoses, how many really fit it very well? Its a bit like insisting 'blue' is 'black' very similar granted, just not the same, however 'blue' at night is 'black' so is 'white' without light.

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Since my mother died I've never watched a film, and before then I can't say that I'd seen any that portrayed autism in any way, so I can't give an opinion. There's one though, Lawn Dogs, in which I identified with Trent, the 'loner', living in the woods, who befriended a rather precocious but lonely little girl. I know it's only fiction, but looking back he could typically have been an Aspie, and the story could easily happen in real life. The hysterical NT community taunt him and play cruel tricks on him, then accuse him of molesting the girl, when in reality all she did was show him an operation scar. A very innocent friendship is ruined and two lives damaged by impulsive, wilfully ignorant NTs. NT people are only too ready to jump to the wrong conclusions when Aspies come into their lives. Too many don't understand us - and don't even want to. I also liked the way the folktale of Baba Yaga was woven into the plot. In Russian folklore, the witch lives alone in the forest, is neither good nor bad, but feared for her weirdness and powers - just like us. (I doubt that many viewers would have seen this connection). An excellent film.

Other end, I have known bright intelligent people, never would abuse them with a 'dubious tag' such as ASD, its just a diagnoses, how many really fit it very well? Its a bit like insisting 'blue' is 'black' very similar granted, just not the same, however 'blue' at night is 'black' so is 'white' without light.

Some of us are glad that we have this 'dubious' tag. I agree, labels are misused too often, but all the same how else can we explain the way we are without using some kind of shorthand? Yes, it's a diagnosis, but it's a broad one for it has to be. Psychiatric diagnoses are less precise than those involving physical illnesses. The average NT may have a very narrow stereotypical view of what it means to be an Aspie, but that's due to ignorance and poor media presentations. The mass media have an awful lot to answer for in the many toxic ways they are influencing us.

Edited by Mihaela

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i'm confused.

 

who's the real rain man.

 

kim or Daniel?

 

memory (in terms of remember a sequence of things) is contray to what people think.. not an aspergers/ autistic skill.

 

so people who can remember stuff in sequences are not autistic.

 

if you are saying someone is cool, cause they can remember pi to 10000 digits, I could train anyone how to do that. it's just a mental trick.

 

I was thinking rain man was cognative, and not a savant?

 

and had an extensive range of knowledge.

 

I guess your saying the movie sup'ed it up a bit. fair enough. movies do that.

 

but if anyone of you want to remember pi to 10000 digits, I can tell you the trick to that.

 

human memory is fascinating. if you have two or three memory anchor objects to re- inforce a memory item. then you will not forget it.

 

..and if you a chain those together you can impress people.

 

I can do it. you can do it. anyone can do it.

 

respectfully all the best.

 

Peek was the real 'rain man'. I'm not saying memory is an autistic skill, but incredible recollection of thousands of tiny details is a form of savantism. Kim Peek wasn't even autistic. - he had FG syndrome instead - but he was a savant. Daniel Tammet has Asperger's, but he is also a savant. See the distinction I'm making? Savantism often accompanies autism as it involves utilising memory in a completely different way to most people - it is theorised that information is processed different for autistic people over NT people. I feel like a bit of a weirdo because I process information in both the 'autistic' way and the 'NT' way. It's hard to explain, but it's like I'm at the border of being AS and being NT. Because of this, it allows me to see both sides of the coin, so to speak.

Unfortunately most people can't remember things like pi to 10,000 digits. I know for a fact I would not be able to remember such a long string or chain of information. If I were to learn certain 'anchor points' of pi, I would forget other anchor points and only be able to remember so much at a time

Edited by Laddo

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