102. RTD | Representation in the Media, with the Global Autism Community

Discover what’s possible when representation is nuanced. 

This week’s episode is a recording of one of our Global Autism Community exclusive events! 

The topic of this round table discussion was Autism in the Media. Participating in this event were autism self-advocates Thomas Iland, Mary Johnston, Robert Schmus, Corben Havener, Andrew Arboe, and David Sharif, as well as community members Danielle Terrell, Ben Sharif, and Kia Burton. 

In today’s conversation, we discuss:

• Movies, TV shows, and books with autistic characters
• Implied vs explicit portrayal of autism
• Teaching acceptance through storytelling
• How the media can improve autistic representation
• Autistic writers and actors

Round-table discussions like the one you’ll hear today are open exclusively for members of our online Global Autism Community. We select a different theme each month, and our moderators monitor posts daily to ensure that our online space remains safe and respectful.

If you’d like to attend and participate in any of our future events, you can sign up today at community.globalautismproject.org. 

Media described in this episode: 

Movies

• Please Stand By
• Music
• The Accountant
• How to Dance in Ohio
• Roman J. Israel, Esq.
• The Reason I Jump
• Adam
• Life, Animated
• Jane Wants a Boyfriend

TV Shows

• Parenthood
• Everything's Gonna Be Okay
• Criminal Minds
• Ghost Whisperer
• As We See It
• Big City Greens
• Atypical

Books

• American Girl by Wendy Walker 
• The Way I See It by Temple Grandin
• Defining Autism From the Heart by Dr. Kerry Magro
• My Brother Charlie by Holly Robinson Peete
• Uniquely Human by Barry M. Prizant
• Life, Animated by Ron Suskind
• Centered by Anthony Ianni
• The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida 
• The Empowerment of My Condition by David Sharif

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