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soulice
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26 Apr 2010, 4:59 pm

What fictional characters do you think would be on the autistic spectrum, had they really existed? I've thought of a couple, where it was never implied, but I thought so based on how they acted.
Share your ideas, and a little bit what you think they could have been on the autistic spectrum. I cant think of every fictional character at the moment, but here are two I remember right now.


"Anya" from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She often blurts what she is thinking (which was the premise for one episode) without any tact. She's naive about the real world in the way children can be.

One of the husbands from the movie "Joy Luck Club". He was the one that was obsessed with the cost of everything, and insisted that he and his wife split those costs. When they argued about this, he totally missed the point of the conversation thinking she was complaining about his ice cream and her cat.



DemonAbyss10
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26 Apr 2010, 5:03 pm

Well, for my choiced as to who I think is on the spectrum.... lets see....

Light from Death Note
Sheldon Cooper - Big Bang Theory
Dr Nicholas Rush - Stargate Universe


that is bout all I can think of right now.


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26 Apr 2010, 5:08 pm

I would say the female detective from that show Bones. Perfect example right there. She's always viewing situations from the outside looking in. She blurts out the obvious a lot, which makes it really charming actually. There are several characters in that show that deal with daily social dilemmas and they discuss in monotone voice how to overcome these things with knowledge, books, etc. Guess you need a visual mind to work in forensics :)


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26 Apr 2010, 6:07 pm

I always think of Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird
Martha in A Dangerous Woman
Ignatius Reilly in Confederacy of Dunces



Willard
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26 Apr 2010, 6:19 pm

There was an episode of HOUSE some time back in which some of Dr House's colleagues speculated on whether or not he might have Asperger Syndrome - I don't recall anyone ever making a decision either way, but I wasn't watching the show much back then. Lately, I've seen quite a few episodes and I think they should have had him formally diagnosed on the show. The world needs more popular fictional characters with AS to demonstrate to the Non-Autistic public what Aspies are really like. And while Sheldon from Big Bang absolutely acts like one - he acts like a CHILD with AS.

House, on the other hand, acts like exactly the kind of Aspie he is. Middle aged, Undiagnosed and surly about the fact that the world doesn't get him and he can't understand why not. Convinced that he simply doesn't like people, when in fact he has to believe that, because the reality is, he can't make a human connection to save his life - except for his one friend, whom he's constantly driving crazy with his selfish and demanding behavior. He also shows signs of the Aspergian ADHD, constantly popping from office to office to lab to patient room, just long enough to insensitively p*ss someone off and move on. He's absolutely focused on diagnosing mystery ailments, but couldn't care less about anything or anyone else. He self medicates. And he's learned to make astute judgments and shrewdly accurate guesses about his coworkers' private lives, not because he's good with nonverbal cues and body language, but because he has over time, developed keen powers of observation regarding subtle details and so developed an uncanny power of deductive logic, which would rival even the great Sherlock Holmes. Not to mention he always says exactly what's on his mind, no matter how inappropriate or rude it may be.

There's no way in Hell that Dude is not an Aspie. :wink:



Last edited by Willard on 26 Apr 2010, 6:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.

willaful
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26 Apr 2010, 6:27 pm

Willard wrote:
There was an episode of HOUSE some time back in which some of Dr House's colleagues speculated on whether or not he might Asperger Syndrome - I don't recall anyone ever making a decision either way, but I wasn't watching the show much back then. Lately, I've seen quite a few episodes and I think they should have had him formally diagnosed on the show. The world needs more popular fictional characters with AS to demonstrate to the Non-Autistic public what Aspies are really like. And while Sheldon from Big Bang absolutely acts like one - he acts like a CHILD with AS.


Good point - I had never thought about that before. Although Aspies are known to mature more slowly than typical.


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26 Apr 2010, 7:00 pm

The brother in the Cohen Brother's movie, A Serious Man. Despite having amazing mathematical abilities, he can't find a job, or even an apartment of his own. Rather, he lives with his college professor brother and his family, and is regarded as more of a nuisance. His brother the professor describes him as brilliant, yet childlike. Later, he's arrested for sodomy. Back in the 60's, when this movie is taking place, homosexuality was against the law. Imagine going through life in a less than enlightened time, both gay and autistic.

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26 Apr 2010, 7:34 pm

is it out on dvd yet?



DemonAbyss10
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26 Apr 2010, 10:28 pm

Willard wrote:
There was an episode of HOUSE some time back in which some of Dr House's colleagues speculated on whether or not he might have Asperger Syndrome - I don't recall anyone ever making a decision either way, but I wasn't watching the show much back then. Lately, I've seen quite a few episodes and I think they should have had him formally diagnosed on the show. The world needs more popular fictional characters with AS to demonstrate to the Non-Autistic public what Aspies are really like. And while Sheldon from Big Bang absolutely acts like one - he acts like a CHILD with AS.

House, on the other hand, acts like exactly the kind of Aspie he is. Middle aged, Undiagnosed and surly about the fact that the world doesn't get him and he can't understand why not. Convinced that he simply doesn't like people, when in fact he has to believe that, because the reality is, he can't make a human connection to save his life - except for his one friend, whom he's constantly driving crazy with his selfish and demanding behavior. He also shows signs of the Aspergian ADHD, constantly popping from office to office to lab to patient room, just long enough to insensitively p*ss someone off and move on. He's absolutely focused on diagnosing mystery ailments, but couldn't care less about anything or anyone else. He self medicates. And he's learned to make astute judgments and shrewdly accurate guesses about his coworkers' private lives, not because he's good with nonverbal cues and body language, but because he has over time, developed keen powers of observation regarding subtle details and so developed an uncanny power of deductive logic, which would rival even the great Sherlock Holmes. Not to mention he always says exactly what's on his mind, no matter how inappropriate or rude it may be.


There's no way in Hell that Dude is not an Aspie. :wink:


well, this is taken directly from the house script, from that scene you were talking about

Quote:
(Much later, Wilson walks into Cuddy's office with a big book.)

Wilson: I'm going to read you something. "Asperger's syndrome is a mild and rare form of autism. It is typically characterized by difficulty establishing friendships and playing with peers, trouble accepting conventional social rules, and they dislike any change in setting or routine"... or broadloom. Doesn't say that last part but you get my point.

Cuddy: House doesn't have Asperger's, diagnosis is much simpler; he's a jerk.

Wilson: Why do you think he took this case? Because he believes these parents? Because he wants to help a young boy? He sees himself in this kid and he's trying to help himself. He doesn't want this, he needs it.

(Later House is sitting on a couch in front of Adam's room watching the family as they prepare to leave; Wilson comes up and leans on the pillar next to the couch.)

Wilson: You're not autistic; you don't even have Asperger's. You wish you did, it would exempt you from the rules, give you freedom, absolve you of responsibility, let you date 17-yr-olds. But most important it would mean that you're not just a jerk.

House: At what point does a person endlessly lecturing someone make him a jerk? [Silence for a while as they watch the family.] First tongue kiss, an 8 on the happiness scale. (Possibly harking back to the scale Wilson was talking about in 3.01 Meaning.) Your child being snatched back from the brink of death, that's a 10. They're clocking in at a very tepid 6.5 because they know what they have to go back to.

[The family walks up to House.]

Dominic: Listen... thanks.

Sarah: You saved his life.

House: Yeah I know, see ya.

[Adam walks up to House without making any eye contact, and then hands House his Gameboy. House takes it and Adam makes eye contact with him for a couple of seconds, but it's enough. He walks away again and the parents are almost in tears, so ecstatic to see such progress from their son.]

Dominic: You're so good! [Dominic kisses his son on the head and both parents smile thankfully at House as they walk on.]

Wilson: That was a 10.


(Last scene, a guy is rolling out the old carpet in the conference room to reveal the bloodstains. House watches on as Cameron walks up to him and stands next to him)

Cameron: All change is bad? It's not true you know.


so yeah...


as for some other possibilities I will throw out there

Gil Grissom - CSI: Vegas
Sherlock holmes (quite a few different versions of him have some of the aspects
Horatio Caine - CSI: Miami


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Bugzee
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26 Apr 2010, 11:33 pm

Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory and Dr. Tempereance "Bones" Brennan from Bones. These two characters have been confirmed to have been written with AS in mind, but due to network wrangling these characters could not be identified as having AS. But both the actors and producers of those two shows have confirmed that the characters do have AS, and if there shows were on cable they would be able to identify their characters as being Aspies.



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27 Apr 2010, 3:03 am

Aimless wrote:
is it out on dvd yet?


Yes, but because it is something of an obscure movie which had had a limited release, it may not be available in all video stores.

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27 Apr 2010, 3:17 am

1) Chloe from TV show "24".

2) As said above, Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan from TV show "Bones".

3) (possible) Main protagonist from TV show "Dexter".

4) (likely) Michael from TV show "The Office". He often acts in a "learned-imitated" way instead of natural way.

In particular a recent episode was telling, where he was set up with a woman, but didn't know it. While he didn't know it, he was himself, and the woman liked him. Then he caught on to it being a date and put on an exaggerated show which freaked her out. Much of his behavior gives me uncomfortable flashbacks to a decade ago when I exhibited a lot of this fake, imitated social behavior.



soulice
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27 Apr 2010, 4:25 am

lol Dexter Morgan is a sociopath. That's totally different.



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27 Apr 2010, 2:28 pm

A sociopath who wants a normal existence with a loving family, and solves crimes?

Look up "sociopath" - compared with Dexter, it's hit-and-miss at best.



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27 Apr 2010, 2:56 pm

Parker from "Leverage" is supposed to have a "touch of Aspergers," which is kind of a ridiculous way to put it, but whatever. She's my favorite character on the show, at any rate.


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soulice
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27 Apr 2010, 11:31 pm

Quote:
A sociopath who wants a normal existence with a loving family, and solves crimes?
Look up "sociopath" - compared with Dexter, it's hit-and-miss at best.


"Psychopathy (pronounced /saɪˈkɒpəθi/[1][2]) is a personality disorder characterized by an abnormal lack of empathy combined with strongly amoral conduct, masked by an ability to appear outwardly normal." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociopath

Nothing in this definition is consistent with autism. Dexter is a sociopath, who hunts and kills people for a hobby, and one of my favourite shows so I know ;)
The only similarity is his inability to form strong relationships or understand the subtle nature of society, which more likely stems from his deep childhood trauma and fear of being discovered.