Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) or autism spectrum conditions (ASCs) describe a range of conditions classified as neurodevelopmental disorders in the DSM-5, used by the American Psychiatric Association.[1] As with many neurodivergent people and conditions, the popular image of autistic people and autism itself is often based on inaccurate media representations.[2] Additionally, media about autism may promote pseudoscience such as vaccine denial or facilitated communication.
Since the 1970s, fictional portrayals of people with autism, Asperger syndrome, and other ASCs have become more frequent.[3] Public perception of autism is often based on these fictional portrayals in novels, biographies, movies, and television series. These depictions of autism in media today are often made in a way that brings pity to the public and their concern of the topic, because their viewpoint is never actually shown, leaving the public without knowledge of autism and its diagnosis.[4][5] Portrayals in the media of characters with atypical abilities (for example, the ability to multiply large numbers without a calculator) may be misinterpreted by viewers as accurate portrayals of all autistic people and of autism itself.[6] James McGrath writes that the stereotype of autistic individuals as successful in math and science, along with disliking fiction, is widely overrepresented in literature.[7]
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Further information: List of autistic fictional characters |
Since the 1960s, characters have appeared in film, television, and print that could be qualified as "on the autism spectrum".[3] Characters have been presented as being described as openly autistic in canon, or have been designed with one of many ASCs in mind.[8]
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See also: List of films about autism and List of autistic fictional characters |
The 2010s and 2020s have seen numerous publications of popular books related to autism as well as autism-related TV-series and movies, contributing to increased awareness and understanding of autism in popular culture. Some examples include:
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Main article: MMR vaccine controversy § Media role |
The MMR vaccine was the subject of controversy resulting from publication of a (now retracted) 1998 paper by Andrew Wakefield et al.[41] In 2010, Wakefield's research was found by the General Medical Council to have been "dishonest";[42] the research was declared fraudulent in 2011 by The BMJ.[43]
A March 2007 article in BMC Public Health postulated that media reports on Wakefield's study had "created the misleading impression that the evidence for the link with autism was as substantial as the evidence against".[44] Earlier papers in Communication in Medicine and British Medical Journal concluded that media reports provided a misleading picture of the level of support for Wakefield's theory.[45][46][47]
PRWeek noted that after Wakefield was removed from the general medical register for misconduct in May 2010, 62% of respondents to a poll regarding the MMR controversy stated they did not feel that the media conducted responsible reporting on health issues.[48]
A New England Journal of Medicine article examining the history of antivaccinationists said that opposition to vaccines has existed since the 19th century, but "now the antivaccinationists' media of choice are typically television and the Internet, including its social media outlets, which are used to sway public opinion and distract attention from scientific evidence".[49]
The role of the media in the sensationalization of the MMR vaccination issue was discussed by The BMJ:[50]
The original paper has received so much media attention, with such potential to damage public health, that it is hard to find a parallel in the history of medical science. Many other medical frauds have been exposed, but usually more quickly after publication and on less important health issues.
Concerns were also raised about the role of journalists reporting on scientific theories that they "are hardly in a position to question and comprehend.[51][52] Neil Cameron, a historian who specializes in the history of science, writing for The Montreal Gazette labeled the controversy a "failure of journalism" that resulted in unnecessary deaths, saying that 1) The Lancet should not have published a study based on "statistically meaningless results" from only 12 cases; 2) the anti-vaccination crusade was continued by the satirical Private Eye magazine; and 3) a grapevine of worried parents and "nincompoop" celebrities fueled the widespread fears.[53] The Gazette also reported that:[54]
There is no guarantee that debunking the original study is going to sway all parents. Medical experts are going to have to work hard to try to undo the damage inflicted by what is apparently a rogue medical researcher whose work was inadequately vetted by a top-ranked international journal.
A number of books and films exist that promote the scientifically discredited techniques of facilitated communication and rapid prompting as legitimate, such as:
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Further information: Societal and cultural aspects of autism § Notable individuals, and Retrospective diagnosis § Retrospective diagnoses of autism |
Some notable figures such as American animal handling systems designer and author Temple Grandin,[55] American Pulitzer Prize-winning music critic and author Tim Page,[56][57] and Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg are autistic. Thunberg, who in August 2018 started the "School strike for climate" movement, has explained how the "gift" of living with Asperger syndrome helps her "see things from outside the box" when it comes to climate change.[58] In an interview with presenter Nick Robinson on BBC Radio 4's Today, the then-16-year-old activist said that autism helps her see things in "black and white". She went on to say:[59]
It makes me different, and being different is a gift, I would say. It also makes me see things from outside the box. I don't easily fall for lies, I can see through things. I don't think I would be interested in the climate at all, if I had been like everyone else. Many people say that it doesn't matter, you can cheat sometimes. But I can't do that. You can't be a little bit sustainable. Either you're sustainable, or not sustainable. For way too long the politicians and people in power have got away with not doing anything at all to fight the climate crisis and ecological crisis, but we will make sure that they will not get away with it any longer.
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Billionaire Elon Musk announced on Saturday Night Live in May 2021 that he has been diagnosed with Asperger's, although it was later revealed that he has never been medically diagnosed.[60][61] This announcement drew criticism from the autistic community.[62] Other websites (for example[63]) have lists of famous persons identified as autistic, though not all have been formally diagnosed. Additionally, media speculation of contemporary figures as being on the autism spectrum has become popular in recent times. New York magazine reported some examples, which included that Time magazine suggested that Bill Gates is autistic, and that a biographer of Warren Buffett wrote that his prodigious memory and "fascination with numbers" give him "a vaguely autistic aura". The magazine also reported that on Celebrity Rehab, Dr. Drew Pinsky deemed basketball player Dennis Rodman a candidate for an Asperger's diagnosis, and the UCLA specialist consulted "seemed to concur". Nora Ephron criticized these conclusions, writing that popular speculative diagnoses suggest autism is "an epidemic, or else a wildly over-diagnosed thing that there used to be other words for".[64] Thomas Sowell has criticized Time's diagnosis of Gates, saying that the people diagnosing him have not seen him personally.[65]
