Autism Adult Market: Size and Opportunities for Innovation
The adult autism market is an increasingly significant area within the broader autism spectrum disorder (ASD) treatment and services landscape. As ...
2 min read
Neurodivergence Writing Team
:
Aug 1, 2024 1:57:15 PM
In recent years, the portrayal of autism in fictional media has gained significant attention from researchers, advocates, and the autism community. A systematic review by Jones, Gordon, and Mizzi (2023) has shed light on how autism is represented in fictional media and its impact on viewers' knowledge and attitudes towards autistic individuals. This article summarizes their findings and incorporates additional research to provide a comprehensive overview of this important topic.
The review by Jones et al. (2023) analyzed 14 studies focusing on autism representation in fictional media. Several key themes emerged:
Many representations relied on stereotypical characteristics of autism, often presenting autistic characters as:
There was a notable absence of diverse representations, particularly:
Some media representations were identified as positive when they:
The review distinguished between "canon" characters (explicitly identified as autistic) and "coded" characters (displaying autistic traits but not officially labeled). This distinction is important as it affects how viewers interpret and relate to the characters.
The review also examined five studies investigating the impact of fictional autism portrayals on viewers' knowledge and attitudes. Key findings include:
Expanding on the review's findings, other research has provided further insights:
The research highlights several important implications and areas for future study:
The representation of autism in fictional media plays a crucial role in shaping public understanding and attitudes towards autistic individuals. While some progress has been made in presenting more nuanced and positive portrayals, there is still a significant need for improvement, particularly in terms of diversity and accuracy. As media continues to evolve, ongoing research and collaboration with the autism community will be essential in promoting respectful, authentic, and impactful representations of autism in fiction.
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