Movies and television are a surprisingly effective intersection for entertainment and education making them a great medium for people to learn about the realities of autism.
It’s called the autism “spectrum” because it’s precisely that – with it, comes a wide range of effects, experiences, and needs.
Movies like Rainman and shows like Love on The Spectrum have provided engaging content for people to learn about some types of autism experiences. Creating content about the vastly different autism experiences of some people and families would help educate the public about how different it can manifest.
Movies and shows like those listed above are a great start, but many people live with other very different autism experiences that aren’t represented in the media.
Profound autism for example refers to autistic individuals with an IQ of less than 50, and some other characteristics like very limited – if any – functional communication, no independent activities of daily living, potentially other medical issues, self injury, round the clock support, and safety issues.
I’ll add that this should most definitely not be viewed as a competition. There are a broad ranges of autism experiences and support needs. The broader and more well rounded understanding people have of these differences, the better.
I believe as a community our focus should be on inclusive awareness, acceptance, and advocacy, while still providing education on the distinct characteristics and needs within segments of the broader population.
Now is the time to expand people’s knowledge base about autism. I really think it’ll take someone in the television or movie industry with a vested interest to make this happen on a larger scale.
For those interested in learning more or supporting these people and their families check out Profound Autism Alliance and National Council on Severe Autism.
Brandon Herscovitch, Ph.D., LABA, BCBA-D
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