Fictional portrayals of autism in movies and stuff

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This is the first time I heard of "Temple Grandin" (except that time I heard about it way before I had any idea what autism was). It's also the first time I heard the word "temple" being used as a name, excluding proper names of actual temples.

So yesterday, Claire Danes was on the Colbert Report (an American news show), talking about herself acting as Temple Grandin, the slaughterhouse lady. They played a clip, and I thought the performance was kind of exaggerated. But then I realized that it's exactly how I act.

I heard that "Rain Man" was an exaggerated depiction of autism. I never saw the movie, just clips. I just looked at more on youtube right now, after that previous sentence. His performance seems like too much, but for a long time, people compared me to rain man, which I never liked, but I'm a little like that, although I consciously put a lot of effort into not being rain mannish.

Hey I just noticed I can make a poll! Neato.


The poll forgot to add the "no they're totally fake" option .
No write-in votes allowed.

I wish that the movie, Rain Man never existed. Everything about that movie is exaggerated. I'm not anything like Rain Man. I have an accent, I live on my own and ironically, I need Depends. It is a spectrum, though and everybody's symptoms are all over the map.

I'm obsessive to the point of it being a (productive) flaw just like Dr. House, and it works out perfectly for me because the character is similar enough that people easily make the connection when I'm trying to explain AS (no I'm not a dick, just OBSESSED ), which saves me a ton of frustrating explanation and questions. Thank you House!

Most of the portrayals I have seen - and there are many I have not seen - are fairly lame, IMHO.
i have never watched House, so I cannot comment there.

Adam is a good portrayal of autism, IMO.

Rain Man was created before the discovery that autism was on a spectrum, and it was the first film to really make autism known, so I won't complain about it.

TBH, though, I don't care if everyone thinks I'm a savant who can do 5334x4344564 in my head

I saw an autistic character in the show that I thought was exaggerated, but then I got thinking that he talked just like me. Everything people were saying he could give a history background on it or go into more detail and I do that too.
I don't like how most autistic characters have to be savants. On the last episode I saw of Law & Order I saw the autistic man had a memory like Kim Peek. I hate that because I'm just the opposite.

Sure you don't have a savant-like ability in some area? I almost feel like it would be impossible not to have a savant skillset with AS, because there's just so much more attention to detail and obsessiveness involved; It's a like a veritable savant-making machine! I'm finding new little quirks I never would have though of before practically everyday.. You might just be surprised to hear someone mention a strange ability you have some day.

Hating Rain Man for the depiction of autism it has made is silly.
Rain Man was not made as a documentary and it is silly that some people may see it as such.
For movies it makes sense to have autistics be savants, because that gives them an interesting character.
Movies are not supposed to educate people about neurological disorders.

I can draw animals but not people. Everyone praises me for my photography but I'm at the same level of many NT photographers, and even some are better than me.
I don't have enough concentration to be a savant.
Or maybe I'm just modest?

I think the point was that on TV and movies, the savant characteristic is made out to be the character's ONLY characteristic, and in all other areas the actor acts like a vegetable. Most non-professionals don't think I have it, because my awesome personality defies what they see in the media.




I didn't know he was supposed to be AS, I always thought he just had a whole bunch of problems. But after they killed Amber, I couldn't watch it anymore.

This thread just reminded me of this. A hilarious parody of Rain Man where they remake the trailer to look like a horror film.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAeJM-Z-qWQ[/youtube]
"SON OF A b***h!! !! Son of a b***h..."
"Academy award winner Dustin Hoffman. Scientologist Tom Cruise"