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This week: People With Autism in Fiction Edited by: Kitti the Red-Nosed Feline  
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There's been an increase in fictional characters with Autism. Sadly, they can be rather stereotypical...
This week's Drama Newsletter, then, is all about how to develop characters on the Autistic spectrum.
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From TV series to movies, there has been an increase in fictional characters with Autism in recent years. From Netflix’s Atypical to ABC’s The Good Doctor and the character of Julia on Sesame Street, attempts are made to include those of us who are neurodivergent. This is, in my opinion, a good thing on the whole. The problem is that it’s too easy to slip into stereotypes.
A couple of years ago, I was diagnosed with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder. The problem with explaining to people what that means begins with the name, and in particular the High-Functioning part of it. When you say that, many automatically assume that you’re not that affected by the disorder. This would be an incorrect assumption. High-Functioning means a person has an IQ of 70 or greater. Therefore, to put it simply, I do okay as a student, whilst other people with Autism might struggle more. I do, however, struggle with all kinds of things, from social interaction to sensory overload.
Speaking of my life as a student, there’s this line of thought that people with Autism either have learning difficulties or they’re a genius. There doesn’t seem to be a middle way. That is incorrect, too – I and many others are circling the average intelligence level. I’m a postgraduate student, but I’m no Sheldon Cooper. Who, whilst it’s never been confirmed that he was diagnosed with Autism, is generally classed as one of us.
Autism is not a mental health problem. It’s a neurological disorder. People with Autism can have mental health problems that interact with the disorder – for example, because busy places can lead to sensory overload, this may trigger anxiety in me. I have, indeed, been diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder in addition to Autism. But whilst I may, in time, overcome the anxiety, I will be a person with Autism for the rest of my life. There is no cure for that.
These are the basics to work with when developing a character on the Autistic spectrum. There can’t be a scenario in which something happens and they’re suddenly fine. Your character with Autism is going to keep on living with Autism.
And writing about people with Autism can be difficult because they/we don’t experience the world like other people do. On top of that, every person with Autism is different, so I don’t experience the world like the next person with Autism, either.
What I can tell you is that the most frustrating thing of being on the spectrum, for me, is that automatic expectation that I am like others. It’s understandable – when there’s a generally accepted experience of the world and everything in it, people expect everyone they meet to fit into that. When you don’t, that’s difficult for others to wrap their heads around. It’s difficult for me to understand as well – I can get quite confused with the way things are, or are supposed to be, because they don’t make sense to me.
For example, I take what people tell me at face value. And I’m no good at lying. But lies and twists and spin are everywhere. At a less harmful level, that makes me struggle when I write poetry, because I have difficulty coming up with metaphors. My poetry, then, is rather straightforward. And don’t get me started on puns...
You’re also expected to read people’s moods and emotions through, for example, body language and facial expressions and that doesn’t work for me, either. It makes social interaction rather awkward. But then, here in the UK at least, when you ask how people are, they’ll say they’re fine, because that’s the generally expected answer even though they may not be fine at all. So how are you supposed to know?
And wherever people are, there tends to be lots of noise, lots of this and that which is difficult to process and can therefore get overwhelming. And everyone seems to be in a rush all the time. And being spontaneous and embracing change, embracing pressure is good whilst I need my routines and I need time to process and I don’t like change all that much. I need a calm, predictable, secure environment in order to function.
Employers tend to shy away from people with Autism. Which is a shame, because we can be an asset, especially when a job lines up with your interests. There is also an assumption that people with Autism cannot have relationships whilst that very much depends on the individuals involved. I’ve been in relationships, and I am in a relationship, and whilst I may not always be the easiest to get along with, is anyone, really?
If you wish you create a character with Autism, then, it’s not going to be easy, but the best way to develop them is in the same way as you develop any other character. Please don’t create a stereotypical eccentric genius, or a one-dimensional character as a focus for pity. Do some research on different experiences of people with Autism, but also flesh them out as people with their own interests, their own personalities, people capable of love and achievement.
Such a character will be far more interesting to read about than a stereotypical one, and you’ll be doing people with Autism a favour. 
Kitti the Red-Nosed Feline
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Drama: October 25, 2017 Issue [#8569]
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