I asked you to diagnose your favorite autism- or Asperger's-like TV characters, and three readers have whipped out their virtual DSM-IVs and made their assessments:
+ Reader Laura notes in SpongeBob SquarePants such sure signs as "concrete/literal thinking, poor social skills, inability to read non-verbal cues, can't detect sarcasm, strict adherence to the rules, and obsessive interest in Jellyfish resulting in an encyclopedic knowledge of same." She also thinks Henry the Penguin from the kid's show Oswald is on the spectrum.
+ Reader Jp names Bob Melnikov of ReGenesis as a character whose disorder was mentioned on the show. "The actor did a good job of portraying some of the behavior that I have seen in some of the people that I know on the spectrum -- difficulty in catching nuance, emotional cues as learned behavior, hyperinterest on specific issues."
+ Reader Analogia diagnosesBrick Heck on The Middle. "He's a quirky little guy with a little more quirks than your average quirky sitcom kid. Of note: his tendency to repeat words in a low-nodded whisper." (Of course,there's another special-needs connection with Brick -- the actor who plays him, Atticus Shaffer, has osteogenesis imperfecta.)
Where are you seeing autism on TV these days, whether the character creators intended it or not? Check out my list (updated now with the three above), and then add your own.
Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Is SpongeBob on the Spectrum?
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