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[JonnyDBrit]

That's the same thing that happened to me. Parents assumed the social awkwardness was because of that. Also I was a preemie, so they figured a lot of early signs when I was a toddler where because of that, never considered autism

Not helped that it was only around a decade ago that the shift of seeing Autism as a social disability, rather than a learning one, really gained traction IIRC. At least, it was such that my mother commented on it early into my start at secondary school, having chosen the school in question because it actually had dedicated resources for mental health. Managed to get diagnosed at 8, but only because my mother and I figured it out for ourselves upon reading a book where the MC had asperger's. Otherwise I would have remained stuck by the 'too smart to have issues' camp.

I only just recently learned one of my Aunts - who was actually known to the support staff at my former secondary school - was on the spectrum too.

 

[TangerineCloud]

At the risk of bloating the thread, I won't respond to each of your replies, but I really appreciate the input from all of you guys. I've been able to enjoy the privilege of seeing a really fantastic therapist for my anxiety/depression, so I think I'll run things by her and see if she can recommend someone who specializes in this sort of thing during our next session. Despite daily struggles, I've more or less been able to function socially at an acceptable level for the past few years, so I don't feel the need to rush things. At the end of the day, I'll be fine regardless of the outcome.

Learning that I was on the spectrum really helped me understand myself better and helped my family understand me better and develop new strategies to communicate, as well as help better focus on the aspects I struggle with.

Suddenly, there were defined reasons for things I struggled with, reasons I could work with and understand. It was very helpful, and my big regret was wishing I had been diagnosed much earlier in my life.

The bolded is really all I'm searching for by pursuing this path. It's really frustrating feeling like I don't operate on the same wavelength as others when it comes to social interaction. I've gotten a lot better at making eye contact and performing other expected social routines with strangers and acquaintances in my day-to-day life, but forming anything more than a casual relationship with most people is still quite an ordeal, as I feel like the performance I put on to appear "normal" is at odds with who I really am. This has really impacted my relationship with my mother, especially because she tries to force me to act normal around her without understanding how humiliating and dehumanizing it feels. Figuring out why I am the way I am, whether that's due to autism or something completely different, would go a long way towards making these issues more manageable.

 

[bengraven]

This part was kind of realistic actually. I've certainly had panic attacks in certain scenarios and gone "NOPE" before like this.

But the rest of the trailer... ehh... it just doesn't strike me as a realistic portrayal of autism? It's certainly not been my experience or the experiences of people I've met with autism at any rate.

The new 2017 Power Rangers movie had a much better portrayal of autism, I felt. That being said, I will give this show a watch regardless.

As someone who has to deal with autism 24/7, trust me when I said that it's fairly accurate.

Wow. I know I'm totally over-emotional, but I cried watching that, too. That is my 16 year-old son in that trailer. He was Asperger's diagnosed before it went into the Autism spectrum, but man, that was nail on the head for me.

Edit: Like, social cues are things he just totally doesn't understand. He's in choir and has a great voice, and one of the girls from his choir once called him over from across the parking lot after a performance and was like, "Hey Ian, you sounded really great tonight." His response? "I know!" and he turns around and walks away. I'm face palming back near my car where I overhear this happen. I try to explain that what happened there was weird, and that he should have at least said thanks. Fast forward to fall 2016, years later, and same situation, different girl. She literally says the the same thing and he goes, "Thanks! I know!" runs to catch up to me, turns around, runs back and goes, "Oh, you too!" then runs back to me. He's also incredibly direct when doing raid content in FFXIV, to the point where I know he's coming off as annoying to people. He just doesn't understand what he is doing wrong by telling people what to do in a very direct manner, or why pointing out someone doing something wrong is a bit harsh.

So much of this is my kid at age 9 right now and I can see him being your kid when he's 16. I still have to remind him to say hi back to people when they say "hi" to him, he just walks past them like they don't exist even when it's someone that he plays with at school or someone gives him something.

I heard some grumblings about the strip club scene but I've seen that mom in a few times. Obviously not the strippers. Not yet. But with trying new foods or deep water or Heights or even going into a birthday party full of kids his age.

 

[trixx]

ehhh I mean I liked the trailer but something just seemed off. Too much emphasis on dating i guess, you can get a date but that won't fix anything. I don't but to me it could be better and more contemporary in a few ways

It's a little to "feel good" & cloying for my taste. Based on the trailer at least.

Yeah thats how i feel

 

[Doctoglethorpe]

I mean, working with a professor is good, but they really should be working with actual autistic people as well if they want to portray autism in media

This is true

I think it's really hard to "accurately" portray autism because the spectrum is so wide that no two people are exactly alike.

And so is this.



Personally, it doesn't align with my own experience nor that of anyone I personally know, but that doesn't mean it's wrong. My problem with the show is just that he doesn't seem atypical enough honestly. He seems pretty normal compared to many or even most, certainly myself, making the show uninteresting to me.

 

[trixx]

damn reading through posts in this thread is pretty jarring. I didn't know people struggled this hard in highschool. I thought University/College was when people started falling off severely

One of my qualms was that I wished the character was a bit older.

 

[Eye for an Eye]

At the risk of bloating the thread, I won't respond to each of your replies, but I really appreciate the input from all of you guys. I've been able to enjoy the privilege of seeing a really fantastic therapist for my anxiety/depression, so I think I'll run things by her and see if she can recommend someone who specializes in this sort of thing during our next session. Despite daily struggles, I've more of less able to function socially at an acceptable level for the past few years, so I don't feel the need to rush things. At the end of the day, I'll be fine regardless of the outcome.



The bolded is really all I'm searching for by pursuing this path. It's really frustrating feeling like I don't operate on the same wavelength as others when it comes to social interaction. I've gotten a lot better at making eye contact and performing other expected social routines with strangers and acquaintances in my day-to-day life, but forming anything more than a casual relationship with most people is still quite an ordeal, as I feel like the performance I put on to appear "normal" is at odds with who I really am. This has really impacted my relationship with my mother, especially because she tries to force me to act normal around her without understanding how humiliating and dehumanizing it feels. Figuring out why I am the way I am, whether that's due to autism or something completely different, would go a long way towards making these issues more manageable.

In your 20's it feels like you've got control of it, but you really don't. Society just acts like it's acceptable because your young and stupid and do stupid things like all other 20 yr olds. When you get to your later 20's and 30's, everything takes a downturn. Your naive outlook is looked down upon and your actions are judged more harshly, and seen as too childish to deal with. I felt the same way you did at the age, and now it's not like that. Your mind is still young and malable to learn new strategies that will work as you get older. Don't learn those lessons the hard way.

My outbursts, lack of socializing, and even my late start at talking were attributed to everything else in my life rather me actually being the problem. But compared to my severely handicap brother, I was close enough to being normal.

 

[HMD]

I have a cousin who's "atypical" and his mom says she's pretty sure he's autistic, he doesn't deny it but he just doesn't talk about it. And he seems like a pretty normal quirky guy, and I was wondering does someone like him really need treatment? He's completely against it as well, but his mom is just scared for him cause he kept failing in college and is now refusing to work because he doesn't want someone to boss him around. I tried talking to him about it but he's pretty private and he simply said he wants to do his own thing. Should I continue trying to help him or should I just leave him be?

 

[Snarky(HEART)]

I wouldn't mind seeing a show about someone like a woman of color having to navigate dealing with being on the spectrum.

 

[Doctoglethorpe]

I have a cousin who's "atypical" and his mom says she's pretty sure he's autistic, he doesn't deny it but he just doesn't talk about it. And he seems like a pretty normal quirky guy, and I was wondering does someone like him really need treatment? He's completely against it as well, but his mom is just scared for him cause he kept failing in college and is now refusing to work because he doesn't want someone to boss him around. I tried talking to him about it but he's pretty private and he simply said he wants to do his own thing. Should I continue trying to help him or should I just leave him be?

If he's not working or going to school, or anything else really to advance himself in life, then he needs help. Sounds like he's hiding from confronting it and too comfortable being dependent to push himself.

 

[laoni]

That's the same thing that happened to me. Parents assumed the social awkwardness was because of that. Also I was a preemie, so they figured a lot of early signs when I was a toddler where because of that, never considered autism

Yeah, the primary school I was in had a high focus on academics, and a specialised gifted program with limited slots, so if you ended up in it, you were pretty popular. And of course, it meant that the classroom was full of awkward nerds with similar interests who'd readily befriend each other (I mean, just bring up Pokémon, you've instantly got the whole class' attention).

Moving schools to one where academics were scorned, and no gifted program existed was one hell of a rude awakening XD

damn reading through posts in this thread is pretty jarring. I didn't know people struggled this hard in highschool. I thought University/College was when people started falling off severely

One of my qualms was that I wished the character was a bit older.

Well, I mean, for me at least, I'm still pretty young (23) so I can't say much for the experience and uni but... It's been pretty good for me, aside from the whole cancer thing. I was lucky, I discovered I loved medical science, so I had that figured out before I applied, and I love working on the degree. I took the chance to move out of home and be completely independent, and did alright at that. And then everything has basically been on pause the last year while I had treatment for cancer. So who knows! I might fall off the rails yet! XD

What really fucked me over was late primary school, and late high school. Both involved school changes (one an interstate move) and friend group changes I did not handle well.

And because I feel bad rambling so much on 'not the show' , I feel obligated to comment that I need to show this trailer to my mum. I think she'll like this show, even if it isn't always true to the experiences she's had with me. She's always trying to understand more about how the world is for me and others in the select.

 

[TangerineCloud]

In your 20's it feels like you've got control of it, but you really don't. Society just acts like it's acceptable because your young and stupid and do stupid things like all other 20 yr olds. When you get to your later 20's and 30's, everything takes a downturn. Your naive outlook is looked down upon and your actions are judged more harshly, and seen as too childish to deal with. I felt the same way you did at the age, and now it's not like that. Your mind is still young and malable to learn new strategies that will work as you get older. Don't learn those lessons the hard way.

My outbursts, lack of socializing, and even my late start at talking were attributed to everything else in my life rather me actually being the problem. But compared to my severely handicap brother, I was close enough to being normal.

This is a great point and something I've definitely worried about. I'm still young and working on my undergrad degree, which has shielded me from facing the full consequences of my atypical behaviors up to this point, but I've definitely gotten glimpses of the way those behaviors already rub other employees (especially the older ones) at my job the wrong way.

I suppose I just didn't want to get too invested in the idea of being on the spectrum or come across as someone who frivolously self-diagnosed without actually having anything to back it up, but now I'm gonna try to meet with my therapist about it before our next scheduled session since it's still a month out. Thanks for the push.

 

[UnemployedVillain]

So is this whole show just about the guy dating? Seems to be a big focus of the trailer

 

[typist]

If they're interested in a realistic portrayal then they need autistic actors to play the roles of autistic people, should be pretty easy to find them. Judging from the trailer though they're more interested in repeating the same old stereotypes and trying to get a laugh along the lines of Big Bang Theory gags

 

[HStallion]

As I said, some of you need to read the book or check out the Tony award winning play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Its probably one of the better depictions of the spectrum I've seen and even though I was never that extreme, it hits very very close to home in a lot of ways. Its an excellent play in general but the subject manner is handled pretty well and its by no mean's going for the easy emotional beats. Not only that but it does a good job recreating for the audiences what it feels like for an autistic person during a lot of situations.

 

[MugiwaraCole]

Watch Dogs 2 did a pretty good job at it.

Ice Bear agrees with this.

 

[Mick Swagger]

Caught the first two episodes last night. Off to a great start, shits hilarious.

Watching his interactions with people who don’t know he’s on the spectrum reminds me of the interactions I see my cousin go through a lot. Wild.

 

[Ceej]

If they're interested in a realistic portrayal then they need autistic actors to play the roles of autistic people, should be pretty easy to find them. Judging from the trailer though they're more interested in repeating the same old stereotypes and trying to get a laugh along the lines of Big Bang Theory gags

I don't think this is necessarily true, it's called acting for a reason. But what they do need are autistic voices involved in all facets of the process, especially the writing and directing. An autistic actor won't help much if the writing Is way too stereotypical

 

[Vanillalite]

Ha

The female date thing ran soooo true. As some on the spectrum I totally missed the cues with my now wife.

Also sent a link to the trailer to one of my best friends. He was like well gotta watch that now.

Even had a friend literally try the poon city deal. Lol

 

[Rookhelm]

Michael Rappaport....whoo boy...can't stand him, but at least he seems low key in this. I just can't take any sincerity from him seriously.


Everything else looks good from what I can tell, though

 

[Crankshaft]

Just read an interview with the main character. He said he drew from his own personal experiences being around high and low functioning spectrum people.

My son is on the spectrum and a bunch of people have been recommending this show to me. I'm like "ok ok i will, stop telling me about it". I'm not in a huge hurry to watch a show about autism when I already live with it every day.

I am not diagnosed but I suspect. When my son was diagnosed and I started reading up on Autism it was quite the eye opener. I read the books going, "that sounds like me. that sounds like me. I do that. I do that too. That makes sense."

 

[Empyrean Heaven]

This is great. So many people see the Autism spectrum as Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, but this delves into the part of the spectrum that we don't see or hear enough about. While I was never diagnosed with autism, I've lived with social issues my entire life, leading me to believe that if the spectrum was as wide then as it is now, I probably would be. I see a lot of Sam in myself in how I was in school and how I am now.

 

[StrawberryJam]

I feel like the chance of the main actor not talking to people with autism and finding out what their life is like are pretty slim. Hopefully he has and they get the portrayal accurate.

 

[Bubbavelli]

I work with Autistic kids and I didn't like this show at all. Granted I work with very severe cases in comparison to this, I just didn't feel like it's very accurate in its portrayal because it just condenses stereotypes that have been around for decades

 

[deadlast]

I just binge watched the entire season. It was pretty good. There were a lot of impossible situations, but I liked how they took those situations and tried to figure out how someone on the spectrum would react. A lot of things I think were spot on.

 

[DarknessTear]

Another show where I hate the mom.

 

[Vanillalite]

Quick hit hot takes

- Kid feels like he has aspergers
- He is actually high functioning
- Yes he's stereotypical
- Zahid is GOAT
- Feels like a teen series in terms of feel good tone
- I don't like Michael Rapaport IRL but I actually liked him here
- I think you were supposed to hate the mom to a degree
- Shows pretty casual and I can see why many might be bored
- the kid isn't supposed to be severe so don't expect him to be

 

[DiipuSurotu]

Without spoilers, are we expecting a second season?

 

[The One Who Knocks]

I just finished the show and overall, I unfortunately was not a very big fan. The writing was about as subtle as a sledgehammer to the face and I really think the AV Club review was quite accurate. I think the portrayal of autism may be accurate of some individuals on the spectrum, but ultimately when viewing a TV Show I'm looking for more than just an accurate portrayal of something. It was quite a by-the-numbers sitcom. It wasn't particularly funny, the characters weren't particularly well developed or fully realised (even if it had some interesting ideas, it just didn't execute them well), certain aspects of the show seemed out of place, and while I appreciated how things built up over the course of the show, I don't think I would be disappointed if the show didn't return for a second season. If the writing was much stronger I think it could be quite good, but my overall impression was that while it's a watchable and mildly entertaining show suitable to have on in the background while doing something more pressing, it doesn't leave much of an impact.

Without spoilers, are we expecting a second season?

To me, it seems like the story was set up for a second season. Whether it will get one, it's hard to say as I haven't really seen many people talking about the show and I don't think it's had the level of publicity it was perhaps expected to have being a sitcom about autism. Similarly, consensus on it seems quite mixed, both critically and with Netflix users, which makes it tough to say. When Netflix have cancelled a few of their other sitcoms recently it could either be to Atypical's benefit (if they'd keep it going in spite of a lukewarm reaction because they need to maintain a consistent level of original content) or hindrance (if it displays an unwillingness to support shows which won't be big to instead fund new products that might receive the desired reaction). It's tough to say, and especially without knowing the budget I don't think anybody could truly state whether it will be renewed or not.

 

[cubicle47b]

I like the idea of the show, but it either doesn't know what it wants to be (it isn't funny, but the drama has no emotional weight), it's poorly written, or both. Jennifer Jason Leigh's character / storyline, in particular, is a mess.

 

[Chmpocalypse]

High functioning adults have become master of disguises. It's extremely hard to act "normal" around "normal functioning adults". Behaviors and actions that have been engrained as improper behavior are suppressed, especially around strangers. To the untrained eye, it's hard to tell the difference of what is learned behavior from normal autistic behavior. A studio director might be able to pick out one or two odd behaviors, but not realize the extent of the behaviors. Or even begin to remotely understand how it relates to autism.

Ohh and you still wind up digging a hole into hippa and medical privacy. Sometimes that can of worms isn't worth it.

You know what would be really great? If the showrunner for a series about autism was also on the spectrum. I confess, I'm not even sure of how many writers/directors/producers are autistic. But it certainly seems like any excellent ones should get the chance to steer something they have first-hand experience with.

 

[seat]

I'm surprised people here didn't find the show funny. I decided to put it on yesterday on a whim and laughed out loud at least a few times every episode, which I can't say the same for most comedies. Binged the whole thing.

 

[D'ultimate]

I'm surprised people here didn't find the show funny. I decided to put it on yesterday on a whim and laughed out loud at least a few times every episode, which I can't say the same for most comedies. Binged the whole thing.

Same here. I found it funny and interesting.

I don't know how true to form the character is but I think the show will do well.

 

[Vanillalite]

One thing that did bug me wasn't any of the autism stuff.

It was the Mom's story line in that wouldn't someone eventually notice she's like gone for hours and wonder where the fuck she is?

 

[Alphahawk]

I binged like 4 episodes last night and I like it. I think one thing they really did well was to make it really an ensemble peace. Even though Sam is obviously the focus, they really give everyone equal time to shine. Casey's my favorite character, I love the relationship she has with her brother.

It's weird though that Jennifer Jason Leigh is a producer yet is, by design, one of the most unlikeable characters.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

EDIT: Did not know that it was out.

1) I like the increase in the portrayal of autism in the media as not a catatonic state.
2) I heard about this on the radio and the segments they aired showed that the kid had a personality.
3) The humor seems REALLY Big Bang Theory-ish
4) If NetFlix fucks this up, they are going to be in deep shit not just because of 13 Reasons Why.
5) Only one character is played by someone who is actually autistic, and it is a minor character.

Quick hit hot takes

- Kid feels like he has aspergers
- He is actually high functioning
- Yes he's stereotypical
- the kid isn't supposed to be severe so don't expect him to be

I know that you think you're trying to be positive, but putting emphasis on "it's okay, guys, he's not AUTISTIC, just autistic" is really not making you seem like that.

 

[MercuryLS3]

This is going to get a lot of action here lol

 

[ferr]

I think it's really hard to "accurately" portray autism because the spectrum is so wide that no two people are exactly alike.

So by that, they're accurate by default?

 

[Pilgrimzero]

My wife who has a son (my step-son) with autism and we loved the show. Found the character to be very similar to our son (though the character was much more verbal).

 

[Vanillalite]

I know that you think you're trying to be positive, but putting emphasis on "it's okay, guys, he's not AUTISTIC, just autistic" is really not making you seem like that.

I'm on the spectrum.

The biggest shit is people who say if you aren't X then it's not accurate or if you aren't further along on the spectrum then it feels "fake".

Your comment comes off as spiteful honestly.

 

[Alphahawk]

Just finished it, it's kinda disappointing that the season is so short, but I thought they did really well with what they were trying to do.

I'm kinda worried about what they're going to do with Julia next season though.

Spoiler

I really hope the letter she sent was not just a magical fix to everything that happened

 

[Sora the Cat]

Ignore the trailer and watch it. Just finished the season and it was really good, specially towards the end. Not what I expected from that trailer at all.

 

[Jenov]

I just finished watching this the other night. Pleasantly surprised! Started off a bit weak, but each new character was really interesting and fun, and they all got better/more interesting as the series went on. I was sad at how fast it ended at only, what, 7 episodes? Looking forward to a longer season 2.

 

[GhostWriter24]

On the 7th episode. I like it.

 

[Sora the Cat]

I just finished watching this the other night. Pleasantly surprised! Started off a bit weak, but each new character was really interesting and fun, and they all got better/more interesting as the series went on. I was sad at how fast it ended at only, what, 7 episodes? Looking forward to a longer season 2.

I agree, first two episodes are a bit weak IMO, but then it only gets better. Episodes 7 and 8 are really good.

 

[Tankard]

Almost finishing it, it has some good stuff in it, but i just can't stand the Jennifer Jason Leigh acting in this one, it just annoys me so much.

 

[Sunster]

lol mom just keeps going to that bar

 

[Jenov]

Almost finishing it, it has some good stuff in it, but i just can't stand the Jennifer Jason Leigh acting in this one, it just annoys me so much.

I agree, of all the characters she didn't quite fit right, her acting style was off putting too. Most of her lines seemed breath-less? Meh. I think we were suppose to sympathize with her as an overworked special needs mom who needed release, but she wasn't likable at all. Still a fun watch overall.

 

[FalsettoVibe]

This is a great show. Binge watched the whole thing. I hope there is a second season.

 

[mm04]

Just finished watching it after I marathoned it over like two nights. I really enjoyed it and honestly I didn't think I would going into it. I really hope it gets a second season as it's obvious that there are some loose ends. But if it is only a single season it still works for me because Sam is the character I'm most invested in and he developed during the season.