Representation of Autism in the Media

Representation of Autism in the Media

Introduction

Autism in the west has been a popular concept for more than 70 years, alluding to deviance and other personality categories. In the past few decades, there has been a continuous evolution towards a better comprehension of the disorder. The term ‘autism’ is a coinage of Bleuler in attempts to equate the condition to childhood schizophrenia in 1911(Milton, 2012). The word was later adopted by other scholars who have carried it forth to the modern times, although the process has encountered numerous transformations. Milton recognizes the various shift to include the contemporary drop in the term Asperger Syndrome and the adoption of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (2013). The current definition of the condition by the author implies that there are challenges in individual socialization as exhibited through communication. There are also dissimilarities in sensory processing, which is exhibited through consistent and constrictive behaviors.

Many perceived the condition as rare since a small part of the popular was affected. In efforts to gain better insights into the condition, individuals perceived the disorder in superstitious lines and agreed that it took away children from their parents. The point of view failed to appreciate the possible link between the disorder and the biological elements.  However, an increase in cases of autistic children in the past few decades has been on the rise, with a ratio of 1:100 (Milton, 2012). A contemporary conception of the condition is that it springs from biotic aspects such as genes and cerebrum functions. However, the precise causes of autism remain unclear to psychologists and other scientists, insinuating that research into the concern is ongoing.

Similar to the growing rate of children with autism, the media incorporation of persons with the condition is increasing. The media first recognized the term ‘autism’ in 1969 in the film Change of Habit, featuring Rain Man (Ebben, 2015). Dustin Hoffmann took the leading role as Raymond Babbitt as well as an autistic character. The Elvis Parsley movie played a remarkable role in elevating autism awareness to the public. Therefore, it is agreeable that the media has a central role in enhancing the societal perception of autism over time. Moreover, it iscritical to consider how the media presents autisticpersons to society to have a betterunderstanding of then role the media platform. Withal, it is of equal significance to analyze the convergenceregarding the living experiences of people with autism. An evaluation of the chances and hindrances of autistic individuals’ involvement in research and service development as well as delivery is essential. In the context of the present study, the media’s highlight of autism ranges from autistic person’s acting, relating images to autistic allegories..

Discussion

The media’s initial incorporation of autistic individuals took place in the 20^th century for the first time, as earlier noted, and the effort was successful in bringing autism to societal light. Other than in movies, autism has also appeared in other forms of media such as television series, biographies, documentaries, and magazines. Media’s highlight of people with autism spectrum disorder has helped in changing perceptions about the disease. Before the media take up, people had a myth regarding the disorder as one sourcing from an evil spirit and having detrimental impacts on family relations, in particular, lose the child. However, the accelerated participation of persons with autism in the various media channels has helped change the first aspect to a more practical one. Today, individuals appreciate autism from medical, psychological, and scientific lines.

More recent works that improve the perception of autism include the book, ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.’ Also, the series Community, The Imitation Game, and biographies such as Het BesteVoorKeeshave been critical in the process (Milton, 2012). An extensive media inclusion of autistic individuals has promoted the re-assessment of the disorder’s meaning through processes such as production, and distribution through commercialization between media houses and communities.

The media achieves the goal of presenting a more practical perception of autistic persons by using positive metaphors in describing the individuals or concepts relating to them. Words used to describe the disorder through the media portray the concern as one fitting medical contexts by defeating the previous aspects which identified with non-practical and adverse spatial metaphors. In a similar vein, the media metaphors counter the universal language which the societies use to discuss the autistic population. There are different perceptions of autism observed in the media and reality. Since individuals have much faith in broadcast art, it is easy for them to do away with the traditional perspective.

Milton points out that preliminary concepts of the disorder used unrealistic terms in attempts to explain the causes of the condition (2012). The author exemplifies ‘alien’ and ‘shell’ as among the initial terms which shaped the perception of autism in the then-societies. The terms imply that individuals with autism spectrum disorder were different from other people, and their level of interaction was as well unmatched. From the ‘shell’ perspective, autistic children would tend to keep away from them. Therefore, theoretical considerations into the concepts evoke diverse perspectives in both traditional and present understanding of autism, and most researchers today disagree with the idea.

The media’s representation of autistic persons using metaphors looks forward to designing a typical discussion concerning the causative factors and probable interventions. Favorably, the media gives new insights while illustrating them at the same time. Not only does the better-informed terms and metaphors the press uses to change the societal perspective, but they also emancipate autistic persons. The new image in which the metaphors design is fast for the communities to adopt given that the channels using the terms are popular among the concerned societies. It is worth noting that the concept of metaphors correlates to the creation of mental images, the interplay betweenpersonas and stimuli which the community regularly encounters, with the impetus resulting from a specific point.

Across media work highlighting autism, a substantial number of words and phrases are used concerning the disorder and feature characters diagnosed or indicating a heightened possibility of the disorder. The minds behind the media presentation design an actuality through words and a story plot. Upon completion of their first plot, they review the initial work, aiming to edit the storyline to ensure compelling narration at the end of the process. Media channels, such as the films, mirror the truths within a societal culture irrespective of the perspective the visual theme takes.

As an outcome, every piece of media art considers features in the cultures they seek to address as determining factors of how to incorporate autism. First, the media takes into account how the given society interpretsconcepts in autism to decide what to include in the piece of art. Outstanding media arts exhibit a comprehensible link between what the artists invoke and referred (Milton, 2012). In the autism context, creators of the media work have to sustain the discretionary connection between the term and the disorder.

From the increased number of media arts regarding autism, there are emerging concerns regarding misrepresentation. The claims come from continuous stereotyping in the featured content that presents autistic individuals as biased. It is laudable that vast works strive to portray the daily experiences of the autistic population as well as promote fairness. Nevertheless, some of the media pieces regarding the interest population, despite their correctness level is in keepingwith perspectives highlighting autism as productive and performative (Milton, 2012). Content creators responsible for portraying autism to the media have an active eye through engaging in segregation and categorizing of the autistic population. The processes could be unconscious and similar to daily experiences of the greater society but, in turn, have an impact on the cultural set up on the concept of autism.

In assessing autism-related terms in media highlights, Rain Man best illustrates words affiliating to the condition. In contrast, an earlier term, ‘Asperger’s Disease,’ is well presented in the film Extremely Loud. From both movies, every scene resumes specific editing, verbal diction, and narration (Milton, 2012). Through the assessment, there is limited space for cultural consideration, other than role play and inclusivity in characterization.

References

Ebben, H. (2015). In the constant encounter with one’s environment: Presenting counter-metaphors in the study of the discourse of autism and negotiations of space in literature and visual culture. Radboud University. http://theses.ubn.ru.nl/bitstream/handle/123456789/624/18-08-31%20Ebben%20Thesis.pdf?sequence=1

Milton, D. (2012). So what exactly is autism? http://www.aettraininghubs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/1_So-what-exactly-is-autism.pdf. Chapter one in Milton, D. (2017). A Mismatch of Salience: Explorations of the nature of autism from theory to practice. Hove: Pavilion.

Milton, D. (2013). Why psychiatrists do and do not define ‘me’: the dropping of Asperger syndrome from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Talk About Autism, London, UK.  https://kar.kent.ac.uk/62697/