What would you like to see?

Absolutely. There can be too much emphasis on the way things should be done sometimes. Some people just live and communicate in a different way.

That line got  me as well "we haven't learned how to listen" I think that is something that really needs focus. Must say I love the fish analogy! Haven't come across that one before 

I think Einstein made the fish quote!

My favourite quote of all time is about if you judge a fish by it's ability to climb a tree then it will spend it's whole life thinking it's stupid.

I love that line about we haven't yet learned how to listen. We spend a lot of time thinking about how we fit into the rest of the world but especially when it comes to children. People need to take a moment and find out what happens in our world.

I like the way that it makes that summary.  'I guarantee that if we let the world set expectations for our children, they'll start low, and they'll stay there.  Maybe your son is capable of much more than we know.  And maybe - just maybe - he doesn't understand how to tell us. Or... we haven't yet learned how to listen.'

That crystallizes so much of it for me.

I get the impression through that clip that they have tried to break down the assumption that non verbal means low intelligence. But then later have fallen into a stereotypical trap? 

I am starting to think it really is an impossible to task to portray an autistic character without upsetting somebody. They use too many traits it's stereotypical. Not enough traits it's not relatable. Very difficult to get right.

Sorry, Binary. I won't say any more.

But here's a clip from 'The Accountant' that I think says a lot...

The Accountant - Clinic Scene

I thought it would be interesting to see what others thought on the topic.

I've never seen the Accountant so it is difficult to comment. I will have to check it out. 

I think this is a great idea. Showing how seemingly small things that we may not let on bother us can build into something so much more. 

And the difference between that person in front of others and at home. For example at work I'm thought of as really organised. If anyone saw the way I live at home, they would quickly change that opinion.

Think I managed to send you a pm the send button kept disappearing! 

Sure.  I've just started posting on a writers' site I use, and I've only posted the first chapter so far - which perhaps gives a flavour of what's to come.  It's only short.  If you PM me, I'll send you a link.

Just curious, do you plan on sharing your work when it is finished I wouldn't really like to read something like that, obviously that is entirely up to you if it is something personal then I completely understand.

In the piece of writing I'm currently working on, I'm trying to show an individual who's self-aware enough to know how he's viewed and why, and not to be too hung up on it.  I'm trying to demonstrate, too, the differences between appearance and reality.  He seems very cold and aloof, but he can demonstrate quite the opposite in the work he does with vulnerable adults.  In many ways, their differences both highlight his own... and enable him to behave in a way that would seem more 'normal' to other people.

Yes, that sort of thing showing the long term effects of masking and the burnout it can lead to and how just because someone doesn't "look" autistic doesn't mean they struggle any less.

Must say I enjoyed both of those films, especially the accountant despite some of the stereotyping, and highlighting that we are all human and that people are getting things done in spite of their differences should be shown 

I like this idea. Perhaps at first a seemingly "normal" character. But then seeing the character stim etc away from other people and gradually see more and more of the autism as the character finds it harder and harder to mask?

Good topic!

As we discussed, it's quite hard to escape from stereotypes.  People will see the Mr Spocks and Sheldon Coopers and Rain Men and build up this idea, which they'll then cling onto as an 'understanding' of how autistic people are and how they behave - so anything that challenges that understanding needs to be handled very deftly.  I thought 'The Accountant' was an interesting film because of the way autism was discussed in it - but the main character, again, got dismissed by many as a stereotype: a maths genius with eidetic memory, a blunt way of speaking, an irritation with interruption to routines, and some sensory stimming traits that didn't really seem related to particular stimuli or anxieties.  It's still worth the watch, I think.

I want to keep coming back to this thing of dropping the labels and presenting, first and foremost, human beings - but ones who have different challenges to most others.  The same as, say, a quadriplegic character - like the Denzel Washington character in 'The Bone Collector' - is first and foremost a human being. At the end of it all, they still 'get the job done', in spite of the barriers.  So it's less about emphasising the 'differences', maybe, and more about concentrating on the abilities in spite of the differences.

I'm not sure how it could be portrayed but how about character highlighting masking abilities and the damage it can eventually cause, or showing the more subtle side of presentation that is dismissed?