autistic individuals feeling isolated by their own
stories, and strive to find ways in which this could be
rectified in future portrayals of related conditions.
Though Waterloo Road does make an effort to
encourage the viewer to sympathise with Karla - most
notably through our viewing of Mr Budgen through
Karla’s own eyes prior to her meltdown (Waterloo
Road: Season 3 Episode 1, 2007) - Parenthood
largely brings the viewer Max’s story through the
impact of his experiences on those around him.
Even the storyline which sees Max bullied focuses
on the response of his parents (Parenthood: The
Offer, 2014), supporting Holton’s argument that the
programme portrays Autism Spectrum Disorders as
‘isolating and fearful’ due to the lack of emphasis
on Max’s voice (Holton, 2013, 59). The notion that
Parenthood presents Asperger’s Syndrome as being
‘isolating’ is also supported by Max’s inability to
maintain a single peer friendship throughout the
entirety of the show’s run, losing his friendship with
Micah due to his anxiety over the loss of the school
vending machine: a direct result of his Asperger’s
Syndrome (Parenthood: Stay a Little Longer, 2014).
Though I do not agree with Holton that the condition
is portrayed entirely as isolating throughout the
series, due to the more subtle dealing of Hank’s
Asperger’s Syndrome, I do believe that that the series
could have better represented its autistic audience by
allowing Max’s voice to take prominence. The series’
representation of Asperger’s Syndrome could have
become more raw and poignant by moving away
from portraying his condition through the eyes of
his family, and towards portraying it from his own
perspective.
Conclusion
Through this study, I have demonstrated the way in
which I believe the portrayal of Asperger’s Syndrome
in television dramas such as Parenthood and
Waterloo Road can unintentionally alienate viewers
with the condition. Textbook portrayals encompass
every known trait of the condition, portraying
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autistic individuals as as a danger to society and
failing to provide sufficient first-hand perspectives
of their experiences. Alaina Leery’s blog post about
how it would be beneficial for her to see an autistic
character who truly represents her experiences
may be an opinion mirroring many on the Autistic
Spectrum who lack the resources to make their voice
heard. Furthermore, her post highlights the way in
which television portrayals of girls such as Karla
Bentham - who exhibit predominantly male traits
- may even be harming women’s chances of being
diagnosed if their condition manifests itself in a more
subtle way (2017).
Though recent television programmes have begun
to make progress in diversifying their portrayals
of individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome; such as
Hollyoaks’ casting of autistic Talia Grant (Stanger,
2018), I believe that there is still a long way to go
before there is a wide enough variety of portrayals
of Asperger’s Syndrome and other Autism Spectrum
Conditions to sufficiently represent the experiences
of the autistic community. Through a direct focus
on the experiences of the character with Asperger’s
Syndrome and an introduction of characters
whose autistic traits vary in severity, television
executives can make their autistic viewers feel better
represented and hopeful that they are not alone in
the world.
By seeking to better represent their neurodiverse
audience, television dramas can stop telling their
autistic viewers that they appear out-of-place in the
societies they inhabit, and start telling them that
their condition should not and will not stop them
from leading the life we all desire: one of happiness,
success, and love.
References
Author Unknown. (2016). ‘What is Asperger
Syndrome?’ at National Autistic Society,