I’m starved for good representation, I’m very tired of searching for it myself in the sludge that the mainstream internet has become, and I want recommendations. A summary of the work and what you like about it would be helpful!
With non/fiction, I am searching for works that feature autism as a major theme or element. Other creative works like essays, web video, streaming, or that otherwise fall under the “content creation” banner should have autism informing the work in some significant way. If it’s the kind of surface-level and/or clinical thing that shows up when you just search “autism” in YouTube, I don’t want it. God forbid it’s like Sia’s Music, or whatever the anti-vax crowd or Autism Speaks put out.
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I’ve only got one that I can recommend in confidence:
Mary and Max - A 2009 stop-motion animated film about a young Australian girl who becomes penpals with a 44-year-old man with Asperger’s. Gets pretty heavy, but worthwhile and handled with tact. Philip Seymour Hoffman’s performance as Max is lovely.
The Good Doctor lmao. But seriously I don’t think there is any good media featuring autists.
Play stuff by John Carmack and read Temple Grandin’s books. They aren’t about autism but they’re by autists. There’s also Catcher in the Rye which I believe Holden is autistic but it’s also a shit book.
House MD’s Episode “Lines in the Sand”, S03E04
It isn’t going to give you a complete view of autism (not that it intends to), but it slaps pretty hard some old ableist conceptions that are, unfortunately, still quite alive almost 20 years later.
All cats have autism is a great quick book especially for those who don’t know much about asd
The Autistic Brain by Temple Grandin.
It covers the physical differences in autistic brains, and how those differences manifest in behavor and why they cause such a different perspective of the world.
I don’t think it’s official, but I think Hank Hill from the tv show King of the Hill is a better representation than a lot of official ones. He has his special interests and routines, but not in an over-the-top way, and he isn’t some complete shut-in super genius.
He sales propane and propane accessories (one of his special interests, hia other is caringfor his lawn) he is loyal to the bone and if he works until 17:00 he works until 17:00 not 16:50 even if its a Friday. He has difficulty picking up on social cues, especially romantic ones, and how to conduct himself in very emotional situations. He has his three friends and wife, and they are his support and help through life and that if he got his wish, life would remain the same as always.
I find him very refreshing, especially compared to all the Sheldon Cooper like characters that are so common. But as I said, he doesn’t officially have autism, so it depends on if that is a deal breaker or not for you.
Fictional i do recommend Community. Abed is definitely ASD, and still a fully fledged and arguably the most beloved character - and they don’t pull the crap a lot of detective shows do. he’s literally had full on screech meltdowns and several eps explore his issues not so much with empathy but with comprehending social interactions and niceties.
That’s why headcanons and autism coding exist.
General rule is that most kuudere characters are technically autistic, most famously Mashiro Shiina from Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo, but it has things that many might find a bit problematic, due to it being anime. If you want something with less anime-related issues and with kuudere boys instead, I can direct you towards Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun and Yamada-kun to Lv999 Koi wo Suru.
Inside Our Minds is a recent 2 part BBC documentary which I found really good. It’s presented by Chris Packham who has a confirmed diagnosis.
Spock from Star Trek and Lt. Commander Data from TNG are some powerful representation of autism.
They’re not officially stated as being “autistic,” but I and many others in the community find them to be insanely relatable and representative of autism. Their struggles are much the same as those that we in the neuro-divergent community can relate to.
