It’s only natural to want to see yourself and your life reflected back from the world around you. It’s part of human nature and allows us to see ourselves as a vital and active part of society in general.
Much has been discussed — and, thankfully, continues to be discussed like this and this — about why #RepresentationMatters. For the autistic community, reflections in the media are hard to come by. For autistic people of colour, gender-expansive people, and to a lesser extent women, finding ourselves on screen has been next to impossible.
Until autistic characters are routinely portrayed *and identified as such* in film, television, theatre, fiction, memoir, graphic novels, video games, and in all the other ways we entertain and inform ourselves, not only will society’s misinformed attitudes and behaviours remain unevolved but #ActuallyAutistic adults may continue blaming ourselves, being shamed for “failing”, and never knowing our true selves.
Here are some of the popularly available ways to see yourself –or at least parts of yourself — as an autistic person and member of a historically marginalized community, represented on screen. All synopses are from IMDB.
AS WE SEE IT
Series. 2022-.
Three autistic room-mates find a way to live together and strive for similar things in life. Authentic casting sees Sue Ann Pien, Rick Glassman, and Albert Rutecki starring.
#AutisticBIPoC
#ActuallyAutistic Casting
#Intentional Autistic Character(s)
BLACK BOY JOY
Short Film. 2019.
#AutisticBIPoC
#Intentional Autistic Character(s)
CHOCOLATE
Film. 2008
An autistic girl with powerful martial art skills looks to settle her ailing mother’s debts by seeking out the ruthless gangs that owe her family money.
#AutisticBIPoC
#Intentional Autistic Character(s)
THE CHOSEN
Series. 2017-.
The Chosen see how Jesus works His first miracles and embarks on His ministry to change the world. See Him through the eyes of those who knew Him. Paras Patel plays Matthew the Tax Collector, an autistic character.
#AutisticBIPoC
#Intentional Autistic Character(s)
EXTRAORDINARY ATTORNEY WOO
A.K.A. WEIRD LAWYER WOO YOUNG WOO
Series. 2022-.
#AutisticBIPOC
#Intentional Autistic Character(s)
GEEK GIRL
Series. 2024-
Supporting character Toby Pilgrim is coded autistic as is possibly Yuji Lee. The lead role of Harriet is played by autistic and dyspraxic actor Emily Carey. Series author Holly Smale is autistic and dyspraxic.
#AutisticBIPoC
#ActuallyAutistic Casting
#Coded Autistic Character(s)
For Izzy
Film. 2018.
The lives of a recovering addict and her single mother change forever when they move in next door to a widowed father and his adult daughter with autism.
#Intentional Autistic Character(s)
HOLLYOAKS
Series. 1995-.
Hollyoaks takes a look at the lives, loves, and careers of a group of teenage friends and their families as they graduate through GCSEs, A-Levels, and College into the world of work. Tylan Grant plays Brooke Hathaway.
#AutisticBIPOC
#ActuallyAutistic Casting
#Intentional Autistic Character(s)
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay
(Saikojiman Gwaenchanha)
Series. 2020-.
An extraordinary road to emotional healing opens up for a selfish, antisocial children’s book writer and a selfless psych ward caretaker when they cross paths.
The Moon Sang-tae character is autistic.
#AutisticBIPOC
#Intentional Autistic Character(s)
The last black man in san francisco
Film. 2019.
A young man searches for home in the changing city that seems to have left him behind. The character of Montgomery Allen is heavily coded as autistic.
#AutisticBIPoC
#Coded Autistic Character(s)
Loop
Short Film. 2020.
#AutisticBIPoC
#ActuallyAutistic Casting
#Intentional Autistic Character(s)
The OUtsider
Series. 2020.
When an insidious supernatural force edges its way into a murder case, it leads the investigators to question everything they believe in. The character of Holly Gibney (not specified as autistic) is a major character in this series.
#AutisticBIPoC
#Coded Autistic Character(s)
The Reason I Jump
Documentary. 2020.
Based on the book by Naoki Higashida, this immersive film explores the experiences of non-speaking autistic people around the world.
#AutisticBIPOC
#ActuallyAutistic Casting
#Intentional Autistic Character(s)
Sesame Street
Series. 1969-.
Episode “Meet Julia”. 2017. On a special inner city street, the inhabitants, human and muppet, teach preschool subjects with comedy, cartoons, games, and songs. (Julia is a four-year-old girl muppet who is autistic.)
#AutisticMuppet
#Intentional Autistic Character(s)
REPRESENTATION OF GENDER-EXPANSIVE CHARACTERS
REPRESENTATION OF AUTISTIC WOMEN (NOT ALREADY ABOVE)
A KIND OF SPARK
Series. 2023-
Addie, an autistic girl tries to get her village to make a memorial to the women who were put on trial for witchcraft there whom she believes were likely just autistic like her. Addie Darrow and Ella Maisy Purvis play autistic characters.
#ActuallyAutistic Casting
#Intentional Autistic Character(s)
BONES
Series. 2005-2017
Forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan and cocky F.B.I. Special Agent Seeley Booth build a team to investigate murders. Quite often, there isn’t more to examine than rotten flesh or mere bones.
#Coded Autistic Character(s)
Bron/BROEN (THe Bridge)
Series. 2011-2018
When a body is found on the bridge between Denmark and Sweden, right on the border, Danish inspector Martin Rohde and Swedish Saga Norén have to share jurisdiction and work together to find the killer.
#Coded Autistic Character(s)
Dinosaur
Series. 2024-
Nina’s world is shaken when her sister Evie, also her best friend, hastily decides to get engaged, threatening to upend the dynamics of their close relationship.
#ActuallyAutistic Casting
#Intentional Autistic Character(s)
EVERYTHING’S GONNA BE OKAY
Series. 2020-2021.
After their father’s untimely death, Nicholas and his two half-sisters are left to cope with not only a devastating loss, but also the realization that Nicholas is the one who must rise to the occasion and hold it all together.
The show creator, Josh Thomas as well as actors Kayla Cromer, Lillian Carrier, and Carsen Warner identify as autistic adults. They each play autistic characters.
#ActuallyAutistic Casting
#Intentional Autistic Character(s)
The girl with the dragon tattoo
Film (Swedish). 2009.
Film (American). 2011.
A journalist is aided by a young female hacker in his search for the killer of a woman who has been dead for forty years.
#Coded Autistic Character(s)
The Good WifE
Series. 2009-2016
Alicia has been a good wife to her husband, a former state’s attorney. After a very humiliating sex and corruption scandal, he is behind bars. She must now provide for her family and returns to work as a litigator in a law firm. (Look for lawyer Elsbeth Tascioni, an autistic-coded character.)
#Coded Autistic Character(s)
HEARTBREAK HIGH
Series. 2022-.
#ActuallyAutistic Casting
#Intentional Autistic Character(s)
Jane Wants A Boyfriend
Film. 2015.
A young woman with Asperger’s tries to find her first boyfriend with a little help from her older sister.
#Intentional Autistic Character(s)
KEEP THE CHANGE
Film. 2017.
A New York City romantic comedy, Keep the Change is the unlikely love story of two people who meet in a support group. Both lead actors, Samantha Elisofon and Brandon Polansky, identify as autistic adults.
#ActuallyAutistic Casting
#Intentional Autistic Character(s)
MOLLY
Film. 1999.
A bachelor becomes the unwilling guardian of his autistic, intellectually disabled sister; then an experimental treatment works a dramatic change in her brain and his attitude.
#Intentional Autistic Character(s)
Mozart and the whale
Film. 2005.
A love story between two savants with autism, whose conditions sabotage their budding relationship.
#Intentional Autistic Character(s)
MUSIC
Film. 2021
Zu is newly sober when she receives news that she is to become the sole guardian of her half-sister named Music, a young girl on the autism spectrum. The film explores two of Sia’s favorite themes: finding your voice and creating family.
#Intentional Autistic Character(s)
Please Stand By
Film. 2017.
A young autistic woman runs away from her caregiver in an attempt to submit her manuscript to a “Star Trek” writing competition.
#Intentional Autistic Character(s)
The QUEEN’S GAMBIT
Mini Series. 2020.
#Coded Autistic Character(s)
Snow Cake
Film. 2006.
A drama focused on the friendship between a high-functioning autistic woman and a man who is traumatized after a fatal car accident.
#Intentional Autistic Character(s)
Temple Grandin
Film. 2010.
A biopic of Temple Grandin, an autistic woman who has become one of the top scientists in the humane livestock handling industry.
#Intentional Autistic Character(s)
THIS IS NOT ABOUT ME
Documentary. 2021.
The story of Jordyn Zimmerman, a non-speaking autistic girl caught in a system that unintentionally turned her life into a living nightmare. At the age of 18, with the help of educators who see her differently, she manages to turn her fate and flourish.
#ActuallyAutistic Casting
#Intentional Autistic Character(s)
YOUNG ROYALS
Series. 2021.
Prince Wilhelm adjusts to life at his prestigious new boarding school but following his heart proves more challenging than anticipated. In this Swedish teen drama, Frida Argento plays Sara, an autistic teen with ADHD.
#ActuallyAutistic Casting
#Intentional Autistic Character(s)