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Personability has vastly influenced how we interact with brands, stories, and even other people. In my earlier post, I talked about how there is a strong link between the understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder and how we interact with those with ASD, meaning that inaccurate or misinformed portrayals can be detrimental to the real-life interactions we have with those with ASD. Looking at personability within film and TV, portrayals of those with disabilities or disorders have always been subject to discrepancies between fact and fiction. Establishing these misinformed understandings of disabilities can result in those with these disabilities being unable to relate or interact with these shows or films, creating an exclusion of personability for them. ASD has undergone a particularly rocky journey in Film and TV, establishing many stereotypes but also creating a false understanding that ASD should be ‘cured,’ and anyone with it must be suffering and be sympathised with.
Some of the bigger stereotypes expressed by film and tv include the Savant and the Anti-Social. Here’s a brief explanation of these stereotypes that I’ve put together based on my research. See if you can find an example for each of these stereotypes in film and TV that you’ve watched!
The Savant
The savant stereotype is often portrayed as someone who has an incredibly special ability, like being able to memorise massive amounts of information, or solve overly complex mathematical equations in seconds. Usually in film and TV this is used as a plot device for the protagonists to conveniently overcome an obstacle because of such genius. These profiles entice audiences to think that everyone with ASD should be somehow special and a savant, leading to those with ASD and their family to be questioned about their ‘special abilities.’ Savantism is completely separate from ASD and can be experienced by anyone with any neurological disorder or damage to the brain. In fact, only around one in ten people with ASD experience any kind of Savantism, which certainly isn’t as much as film and TV like to make it out. While it could be argued that the inclusion of Savantism for those with ASD creates a more entertaining representation, it’s at the cost of complete disconnect from those with ASD in real life. From the 1998 film Mercury Rising, Simon is a young boy who cracks and incredibly complex code with his 'savant' skills as someone with ASD, and is used constantly as a plot device to further the plot with his convenient memorisation and complex math solving skills
The Anti-Social
The other common stereotype, often running alongside the savant stereotype, is that of the anti-social individual. They can’t make eye contact, keep a conversation, and often do things that wouldn’t be considered socially acceptable. Their lack of social skills are often played for laughs as they completely misinterpret the situation or offer completely serious or bland responses. While ASD does encompass things like having trouble with social skills, its neither exclusive nor inclusive of the majority of those with ASD. The misinformed dilemma once again rises and those with ASD who may struggle with social skills are made mockery of by the very mediums that should be supporting them and representing them. An example below of Shaun from The Good Doctor, who struggles in social situations takes everything very literally.
But that isn’t to say that all representations of ASD on screen are bad. We are beginning to see more positive representations of ASD, including the case study that I covered for my dissertation, It's Okay to Not be Okay (2021). The primary focus of forward moving ASD representations are the family interactions around them, as well as understanding and acceptance from the characters around them, as displayed in Parenthood (2010). Hopefully, as we begin to question more of these stereotypes and misconceptions, a brighter path for ASD on screen can be found.
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References
Draaisma, D. (2009) ‘Stereotypes of autism’, Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society Biological sciences, 364(1522), pp.1475–1480.
Happé, F., (2018) ‘Why are savant skills and special talents associated with Autism?’ World Psychiatry, 17(3), pp.280-281.
Howlin, P., Goode, S., Hutton, J., & Rutter, M. (2009) ‘Savant skills in autism: psychometric approaches and parental reports.’ Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences, 364(1522), pp.1359–1367.
Marwick, A. (2013). ‘Online Identity.’ In Hartley, J., Burgess, J. & Bruns, A. (eds),
Companion to New Media Dynamics. Malden, MA: Blackwell, pp. 355-364.
Poe, P., Moseley, M. C., (2016) ‘"She’s a little different": Autism-Spectrum Disorders in Primetime TV Dramas.’ ETC: A Review of General Semantics. 73(4), pp.291-313.
Treffert D. A. (2009). The savant syndrome: an extraordinary condition. A synopsis: past, present, future. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, 364(1522), 1351–1357. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2008.0326
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