I understand they got actors that relate to "being on the spectrum" and had one supposed autistic writer on staff; but it seems they got people with lots of internalized ableism to participate in this series. I say that as compassionately as possible as someone that wasn't diagnosed until age 39 and is still sorting through my own internalized ableism 3 years later.
The infantilism in the first 2 minutes of episode one was just gross. How it's basically the perspective of caretakers that's really "how THEY see US. From the perspective of carers and the Austic people are basically tropes.
Exposure therapy is a huge "NO!" to portray like that. Many of our sensory issues, literally cause us physical pain/distress! Like beyond what most Allistic (or others use the term Neurotypical) people call severe pain. It often isn't actually fear (which is all that's seen on the outside and we often can't even communicate to explain ourselves since we're often not believed anyway) that makes us afraid to do certain things. It's often fear of the extreme pain it causes to do such things. Or that we fear literal violence when communicating with most people because of how they act towards us being different. That's also why many of us fear socializing. Being mocked, abused, bullied, or exploited.
I just really wish these shows would be written, directed, acted, everything by everyone being autistic/ND and I bet they'd be written entirely different.
I also read they consulted Autism Speaks for this which made me turn it off immediately when I found out. For anyone that doesn't know, many actually Autistic folk agree that Autism Speaks is a literal hate group for autistic people. They make millions, if not billons off exploiting us, trying to "cure" us (which is Eugenics), promote ABA (which is basically conversion therapy to training an autistic child similar to an animal to not be autistic but be non Autistic. Which many that had this therapy that are now adults have severe PTSD from), they also promote electro shock therapy on autistic folk. They also are mainly run by non autistic folk. Just watch their promotional video from about ten ? Years ago that nothing short of labeled autistics as monsters that ruin families and destroy parents lives. There are tons of other autistic advocacy groups they could have consulted but choose such a problematic group instead.
Shame on this series and anyone that thinks it's anything but ableist garbage.
The infantilism in the first 2 minutes of episode one was just gross. How it's basically the perspective of caretakers that's really "how THEY see US. From the perspective of carers and the Austic people are basically tropes.
Exposure therapy is a huge "NO!" to portray like that. Many of our sensory issues, literally cause us physical pain/distress! Like beyond what most Allistic (or others use the term Neurotypical) people call severe pain. It often isn't actually fear (which is all that's seen on the outside and we often can't even communicate to explain ourselves since we're often not believed anyway) that makes us afraid to do certain things. It's often fear of the extreme pain it causes to do such things. Or that we fear literal violence when communicating with most people because of how they act towards us being different. That's also why many of us fear socializing. Being mocked, abused, bullied, or exploited.
I just really wish these shows would be written, directed, acted, everything by everyone being autistic/ND and I bet they'd be written entirely different.
I also read they consulted Autism Speaks for this which made me turn it off immediately when I found out. For anyone that doesn't know, many actually Autistic folk agree that Autism Speaks is a literal hate group for autistic people. They make millions, if not billons off exploiting us, trying to "cure" us (which is Eugenics), promote ABA (which is basically conversion therapy to training an autistic child similar to an animal to not be autistic but be non Autistic. Which many that had this therapy that are now adults have severe PTSD from), they also promote electro shock therapy on autistic folk. They also are mainly run by non autistic folk. Just watch their promotional video from about ten ? Years ago that nothing short of labeled autistics as monsters that ruin families and destroy parents lives. There are tons of other autistic advocacy groups they could have consulted but choose such a problematic group instead.
Shame on this series and anyone that thinks it's anything but ableist garbage.
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