It’s April and time for another A-Z Challenge!
My list of some of my favorite characters in the autism spectrum.
- Brick Heck (played by Atticus Shaffer) from the TV show The Middle. He is by far my favorite because there are some of his quirks that I see in my own son. He has never been diagnosed on the show, but he does have the social and communication difficulties along with social group therapy and tics that speak for so many kids on the higher functioning end of the spectrum.
- Max Braverman (played by Max Burkholder) from the long running series Parenthood was a more straightforward representation of someone who has Asperger’s. You see his struggle and what his family goes through to help him. Representation matters and he was a game changer. plus I just love the show as a whole. I’m sure it’s streaming somewhere.
- Sheldon Cooper and Amy Farrah Fowler (played by Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik) from the Big Bang Theory clearly fall on the spectrum somewhere although it’s never really been addressed. I know some think it’s making fun instead of lifting up, but I’m not one of them. They are all a hot mess on that show and I love it.
- Shawn Murphy (played by Freddie Highmore) on The Good Doctor is my last TV show on the list, but an important one. Again, representation matters, and I like this show. I don’t know how accurate it is, but I don’t know how true-to-life any of the hospital shows are. His portrayal paints autism in a positive light and I appreciate that.
- Arnie (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) from What’s Eating Gilbert Grape falls on the other end of the spectrum as someone who needs constant intervention. The strain on his family doesn’t pull any punches. I fell in love with this movie over a decade before my firsthand experience and still think this is a good representation of what autism can do to a family.
- Raymond (played by Dustin Hoffman) from Rain Man is probably most people’s exposure to autism on the big screen and a heartfelt movie that I loved.
- Oskar Schell (played by Thomas Horn) from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. When I read the book I loved that his dad liked to play to Oskar’s strengths. This is what happens when there are deficits elsewhere..
- Christian Wolff (played by Ben Affleck) from The Accountant. Why is a hitman on my list? It was an interesting portrayal about a character that checked a lot of boxes for someone on the spectrum.
- Todd Aaron from the book Best Boy by Eli Gottlieb is a great book showing what autism might look like in adulthood. So often we read or hear about kids, but this is about a 50 year old living in a supported community.
- William Ashe from Someone Else’s Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson. I liked this depiction of a strong Aspie character.
Am I missing a favorite of yours?
Stacy's Books 
I look forward to reading another year’s A to Z posts.
I enjoyed “The Rosie Project” by Graeme Simsion. I think the protagonist is definitely on the spectrum.
Regards
Anne
https://ayfamilyhistory.com/2018/04/01/a-is-for-arthur/
It’s good to reconnect this year! I did read The Rosie Project and liked it quite a bit.
From your list, I have seen only Sheldon and Amy from The Big Bang Theory. They certainly are a bit messed up but I so love them!!
I think most of us are familiar with Parenthood. It was a great show. And I thought they did a very good job with Max’s character.
Raymond and Oskar are the only two I’ve seen but I thought they were great characters.
I recently watched Atypical on Netflix. It got a lot of criticism for some things, and praise for others. Personally, it hit close to home. I was mostly bothered by inconsistencies in the parents’ behavior, but I think the characters himself was pretty likable 🙂
Happy A to Z!
The Multicolored Diary: Weird Things in Hungarian Folktales
I’ve heard positive things from my special moms, but I’ve haven’t seen Atypical yet.
Oh, also, there are fan theories that Drax from Guardians of the Galaxy is autistic (or at least represents behaviors that fans with autism relate to). Which I thought was interesting.
I haven’t seen Guardians but I’ve been meaning to. Interesting.
Interesting start to the A to Z. I only know of Sheldon and Amy and “Rain man.” There are so many degrees to this condition!
Yes, there are!
I know of Sheldon and Amy. And I really liked The Roise Project that Anne mentioned. I’m looking forward to the rest of your A-Z posts.
Josefine from
Getting to the end
Sheldon and Amy are pretty loveable 🙂
Great choices! The only one I am not familiar with is Best Boy.
It’s worth the time.
I’ve fell in love with Monk – not sure if he wouldn’t get in my last nerve! I’m writing in my fav childhood sleuth – Nancy Drew…https://everyonehasafamilystorytotell.wordpress.com/category/2018-a-to-z-all-about-nancy-drew/
I love Monk too. He is high OCD for sure and I never thought about him being on the spectrum but you’re probably right!
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’s protagonist Christopher. Great book. Temple Grandin. I fell in love with her after the biopic with Claire Danes. Great list! I’ll have to check out the ones I haven’t heard of.