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ASPartOfMe
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20 Jun 2017, 3:08 am

Netflix's New Comedy About An Autistic Teen Looks Charming & Important

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Starring United States of Tara's Keir Gilchrist, the new Netflix original series Atypical is about a teen with autism and his family as he decides to enter the world of dating.
"Talking to girls makes me a little nervous but Julie says it's good to do things that scare you," Gilchrist's character, Sam Gardner, says in a clip released by the streaming service. In it, Sam and his mom (Jennifer Jason Leigh) are discussing his decision to start dating girls, and she's not entirely on board.

"Sam's honesty is the most relatable part of him," the 24-year-old told USA Today. "Most people will relate to the way he puts into the words the difficulties [of] dating. The way he describes some situations is basically how everyone feels, but most people don't actually put it into words."

According to USA Today, creator Robia Rashid made sure to consult with a California State University professor who worked at UCLA's Center for Autism Research and Treatment while working on the production in order to get the story right, but emphasizes that the show doesn't speak for all those who've been diagnosed with autism.

"Atypical" hits Netflix on August 11.


This is the second show to have a lead Autistic charactor. ABC's "The Good Doctor" premieres in the fall.


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CharityGoodyGrace
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14 Jul 2017, 2:06 am

I'd like to see this just so I can critique how appropriate or inappropriate (aka stereotypical, mocking, etc) it is.



ASPartOfMe
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19 Jul 2017, 2:23 am

Trailor


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Shahunshah
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19 Jul 2017, 2:30 am

CharityGoodyGrace wrote:
I'd like to see this just so I can critique how appropriate or inappropriate (aka stereotypical, mocking, etc) it is.

Why?



CharityGoodyGrace
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19 Jul 2017, 5:01 am

Shahunshah wrote:
CharityGoodyGrace wrote:
I'd like to see this just so I can critique how appropriate or inappropriate (aka stereotypical, mocking, etc) it is.

Why?

I would do that with any show or book or article or ANYTHING claiming to be about ASDs. I want to be sure whatever it is isn't giving me a bad reputation with society.



Shahunshah
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19 Jul 2017, 5:31 am

CharityGoodyGrace wrote:
Shahunshah wrote:
CharityGoodyGrace wrote:
I'd like to see this just so I can critique how appropriate or inappropriate (aka stereotypical, mocking, etc) it is.

Why?

I would do that with any show or book or article or ANYTHING claiming to be about ASDs. I want to be sure whatever it is isn't giving me a bad reputation with society.

It is showing us one example of the struggles people have with ASD so society can become more aware of them. And they are making a fully fleshed out likable character in the form of Autism. To me that is great.



CharityGoodyGrace
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19 Jul 2017, 5:50 am

Shahunshah wrote:
CharityGoodyGrace wrote:
Shahunshah wrote:
CharityGoodyGrace wrote:
I'd like to see this just so I can critique how appropriate or inappropriate (aka stereotypical, mocking, etc) it is.

Why?

I would do that with any show or book or article or ANYTHING claiming to be about ASDs. I want to be sure whatever it is isn't giving me a bad reputation with society.

It is showing us one example of the struggles people have with ASD so society can become more aware of them. And they are making a fully fleshed out likable character in the form of Autism. To me that is great.

True, but the other side of the coin is people may misunderstand and think we're stupid or unable to live fulfilling lives, then they may stereotype real-life Aspies with that "information".



Shahunshah
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19 Jul 2017, 5:51 am

CharityGoodyGrace wrote:
Shahunshah wrote:
CharityGoodyGrace wrote:
Shahunshah wrote:
CharityGoodyGrace wrote:
I'd like to see this just so I can critique how appropriate or inappropriate (aka stereotypical, mocking, etc) it is.

Why?

I would do that with any show or book or article or ANYTHING claiming to be about ASDs. I want to be sure whatever it is isn't giving me a bad reputation with society.

It is showing us one example of the struggles people have with ASD so society can become more aware of them. And they are making a fully fleshed out likable character in the form of Autism. To me that is great.

True, but the other side of the coin is people may misunderstand and think we're stupid or unable to live fulfilling lives, then they may stereotype real-life Aspies with that "information".
Have you ever seen these kinds of romantic comedies show that message?

They usually show Asperger's people as overcoming their difficulties and forging relationships.



ASPartOfMe
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19 Jul 2017, 8:50 am

My guess is that "Atypical" and the "The Good Doctor" will break from certain stereotypes while reinforcing other stereotypes that will be cringe indicing to autistic audiences.

Since autism and even Aspergers is such a wide spectrum any portrayal by definition is going to be portraying a narrow part of autism. These shows like any mass entertainment is not designed to appeal to you and me but to NT's because they are the majority. This is not an autism thing. TV shows stereotype, men, women, residents of a certain locale etc for the same reasons.


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BuyerBeware
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20 Jul 2017, 5:07 pm

Well, you know what they say... "If you've met one..."

I don't expect any of these people to be a perfect representation of me. There hasn't been one on TV yet, and I'm not looking for one EVER.

I'm encouraged by a generally relatable character with a voice. You know-- someone who exists to be more than a plot complication in a "real" person's story. I'll take that. They're not going to make us out to be wonderful human beings (we're not-- just people, some of us are wonderful and some of us suck, and it probably changes depending on what day you catch us on) or put-upon victims (sometimes we are, but that's really something I'm trying to minimize the presence of in my life, not how I want people to think of me or how I want to think of myself).

Yes, they are going to get laughs out of the awkwardness. Big deal. Painful as it is to live with, we should too. It isn't going to go away. It doesn't ever go away. And laughing at it keeps it from turning into self-hate and self-pity (which WILL kill you).


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22 Jul 2017, 5:10 pm

I'm curious to see how accurate/relatable the character is. I'm also curious to see if I can learn anything through the show (about Autistic vs. NT perspectives on dating, etc.).



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26 Jul 2017, 6:40 pm

Yet another series with a male Aspie protagonist... Sigh. I seriously wish that the stigma around young women having Asperger's would be broken. I know that there is at least one movie out there with a female Aspie protagonist, but I remember seeing the trailer for it and thinking to myself that she seemed more "cutesy quirky" and energetic. I would love to see an Aspie female protagonist who encounters many struggles through life, has an unusual special interest, gets depressed, and shows flat affect. I will still check the Atypical series out, regardless.


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01 Aug 2017, 2:54 am

Atypical: 'Nobody's normal' in new featurette for Netflix show


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ASPartOfMe
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08 Aug 2017, 11:25 pm

Netflix's "Atypical" Was a Major Disappointment for Autism Representation Actor Mickey Rowe explains what the show got wrong. for Teen Vougue

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In this op-ed, actor Mickey Rowe explains why Netflix's new show Atypical misrepresents its autistic audience — and why that begins with its failure to include the autistic community in its creative process.

A little about me, for starters: I am very happily married, have two kids, and feel relatively lucky in my field of regional theater — I’m currently the first autistic actor to play Christopher Boone in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and one of the first autistic actors to play any autistic character ever. While I have been fortunate to have many professionals and doctors who specialize in autism help me learn to be successful, I have had many general practice physicians and therapists who have been surprised to meet an autistic person and even more surprised that I didn’t act just like Rain Man. Having a conversation about autism with someone who isn’t a medical or disability professional is nearly impossible. Why? Because our media loves stories about autistic white men, but hates using actual autistic adults when creating these stories.

t should be noted that showrunner Robia Rashid told Teen Vogue that the show worked with a professor who worked at UCLA's Center for Autism Research and Treatment while developing the series, and Netflix confirmed to Teen Vogue that Anthony Jacques, who plays Sam’s friend in one episode, has autism. Rashid also said that several crew members have autistic family members. “We’re telling a very specific story, Sam’s story, and not trying to speak for every person on the spectrum,” she said. But while exposure is great, if the creative team does not have leadership from within the community itself, it will inevitably misrepresent it. After all, consider that the motto of the autistic community is “Nothing about us without us.” That motto should have extended to Atypical, too.

In watching the show, I noticed that it seems to play into stereotypes that I’ve experienced firsthand that could have easily been avoided and that may present damaging information about autistic people. There is so much misinformation about autism in part because we nearly always learn about autism from non-autistic people, instead of learning about autism from autistic adults. For example, I often wear headphones or ear buds. A lot of autistic people do, as they often have sensory processing disorder, too. Atypical’s first episode features an entire scene devoted to Sam's headphones in a restaurant, but the audience is conditioned to laugh at him for it. How horrible if young autistic people watch this and feel ashamed for doing something that helps them to think and function in the world.
There are other aspects of the show that I found damaging; I felt it made Sam the butt of the joke or that it only seemed to help in perpetuating stereotypes.

Throughout the show, Sam’s autism manifests in how he simply makes the people around him incredibly uncomfortable. In one scene, he tells his counselor, “I can see your bra. It’s purple,” seemingly unaware that this isn’t a socially acceptable thing to say. In another, he just repeats the word “twat” over and over for no apparent reason. As he does each of these things, it feels like the audience is supposed to laugh at how weird and different Sam is. This is the crux of Atypical’s comedy, but there’s nothing that funny about turning someone’s disability into a punchline.
Near the end of the first episode, we see Sam on a date with a girl. This is the show’s chance to say that Sam can be successful at something; that he can be suave. And what do they have Sam do? Pushes her so hard it almost seems like a punch, knocking her down to the ground after she takes off her shirt. There are so many hilarious ways they could have had Sam's date fail. Sam not understanding any of his date's nonverbal cues, for instance. Cringeworthy physical comedy isn't one of them.


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“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman


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09 Aug 2017, 1:42 pm

I don't have high hopes for this show at all^^^ :roll:


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DemonAbyss
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11 Aug 2017, 10:30 am

The problem I see with accurate portrayals is that Neurotypicals, being the majority, need to relate to the character in question. Because of this, things will inevitably be watered down and inaccurate to appeal to the lowest common denominator (and no offense meant by that if some NT takes offense to it.) in order for a series to do well.