When it comes to neurodivergent representation in Western media, the portrayals that exist of neurodivergent characters aren’t so great. Over the years, the neurodivergent community has called out Hollywood’s lackluster representation of autism as they often rely on exaggerated and outdated representations of autism. One such show that has recently been the focus of criticism is the ABC medical dramaThe Good Doctor,particularly regarding its main character, Shaun Murphy, an autistic surgeon (played by non-autistic actor,Freddie Highmore).
Recently, social media made it a point to highlight a scene from the episode “Breakdown” in which the protagonist Shaun experiences a meltdown, an experience defined as an“intense response to an overwhelming situation,“often involving being overstimulated by one’s current environment. During this clip, Shaun, who is provoked by his ableist colleague who wants to limit Shaun’s working abilities, shouts “I am a surgeon” repeatedly while looking emotionally overwhelmed. In response, social media has recreated this scene as a meme, twisting Shaun’s line “I am a surgeon” into“I am a sturgeon”(as in the fish) along with other remixes parodying the scene. While the accuracy of this scene depicting an actual autistic meltdown is questionable, the response to it is indicative of a larger systemic of how our society sees neurodivergent people.
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What Can the Response to ‘The Good Doctor’ Teach Us About Ableism?
Making fun of anautistic characterhaving a meltdown (and not the actor’s exaggerated attempt at playing one) is making fun of the idea of neurodivergence itself. In a sense, this would be akin to mocking a person for having a panic attack or anxiety attack (as in a literal physical/psychological condition one often has little control over). In real life, many autistic people express how emotionally distressing a meltdown episode can be, in which their physical environment becomes overly stimulating and even painful resulting in loss of some or total control of their emotional reactions/ physical abilities. And distress over having a meltdown in public isn’t helped when a non-neurodivergent accommodating society makes fun of these moments, only adding to the stigma surrounding neurodivergence.
Over the past few years, asThe Good Doctorhas grown in popularity, many disability advocates have pointed out the troubling implications of the way the show has represented autism and how it conducts its own research on the topic. When it was revealed that Highmore had based his portrayal of Shaun’s autistic traits on the organization,Autism Speaks, many actually autistic advocatespointed out the organization’s less-than-great actions, including its infantilizing treatment of autistic adults.
Autism and Savant Syndrome Are Not the Same
Shaun’s character continually plays on stereotypes associated with autistic people. One example of this is in Shaun’s savant-like intelligence, the likes of which he and other “allies” of his use to justify his being qualified to become a doctor. Since films likeRain Man, the general media has lumped autism as synonymous with savant syndrome (i.e. in which autistic people have “above average” skills and abilities) even though savant syndrome is its own distinct condition. While many neurodivergent individuals have hyper-specialized skills in certain areas, with many real-life doctors and medical professionals being autistic, often, this comes as a result of years of applied study, just like any other neurotypical person. By associating Shaun’s “superintelligence” with his autism, it suggests to the general audience that all autistic individuals must also show “super-human” abilities in order to gain a modicum of “acceptance” by their peers.
‘The Good Doctor’ Blames Shaun’s Prejudice on His Autism
What’s more, throughout the seasons Shaun, as a character, continually shows problematic behaviors, with them being explained as related to his autism. For instance, in the episode “She,” when encountering a trans girl named Quinn, Shaun continually misgenders her, to which related doctors blame his ignorance on the fact he has autism. In reality, many autistic individuals identify as part of theLGBTQ+ community, which includes a broad range of gender diversity, or consider themselves allies. Similarly, in the episode “Seven Seasons,” Shaun also makes racist comments towards a Muslim patient, accusing her of terrorism, to which she responds by saying “I didn’t expect this from you” meaning she doesn’t expect someone marginalized for the fact he has autism to judge someone else marginalized for her faith. The reality is that neurodivergent people can be prejudiced in regard to certain identities, but so can neurotypical folks. Racism, Islamophobia, transphobia, or any other type of prejudice does not come from one’s neurotype, despite whatThe Good Doctormight have you think.
“Nothing About Us Without Us”
As a society, we have finally evolved to see disabled and neurodivergent people making media about their experiences themselves, filtering their fiction through the lens of their own real-life experiences. Recent years have shown excellent showcasing of autistic representation in shows likeEverything’s Gonna Be OkayandA Kind of Spark, with both of them being developed with autistic artists in front of and behind the camera. At the very least, these shows demonstrate how autistic individuals are very capable of producing quality entertainment without sacrificing autistic accuracy and show how more people within the community deserve the chance to tell their own stories.
In the 1990s, the slogan “Nothing About Us Without Us” become a staple ideal of the disability rights movement, promoting that disabled individuals be empowered to exercise their voice in society and participate in political and social systems that affect their lives. In similar ways, disabled and neurodivergent media creators have been calling for Hollywood to stop simply creating work about disabled and neurodivergent people, and instead work with them to create stories that are actually authentic and respectful of their own experiences. Autistic actors likeKayla CromerandRick Glassmanshow that they are already available to play autistic characters and that Hollywood only needs to do the legwork to uplift other similar voices.
We can definitely do better than continue to make shows likeThe Good Doctorthat not only fail to cast neurodivergent actors for neurodivergent lead characters, consult questionable resources, and perpetuate outdated stereotypes about neurodivergent people but also prompt making fun of neurodivergent people in real life.
