The Changing Face of Autism and the Media
- CG Judd
- Apr 3
- 4 min read
Do you wonder if you may be on the autistic spectrum?
According to professor and author Temple Grandin, whose life story was told in an award-winning HBO movie, we are all somewhere on the spectrum. If you are curious, take the Autism-Spectrum Quotient, or AQ test to measure the extent of autistic traits in adults. In Temple’s book The Autistic Brain, Thinking Across the Spectrum, an AQ test can be found in the appendix. The test can also be found online.
Only in the last few years have we seen openly autistic people featured in front of the camera and behind the scenes in films and on television. Even before neuro-diverse people were identified in the media, a few were acting, but we didn’t know they were on the autistic spectrum.
You may be surprised to learn that actor Anthony Hopkins is on the spectrum. Diagnosed with Asperger's in his 70s, well after his award-winning performance in The Silence of the Lambs in 1991, Anthony has said that his autism diagnosis helped him understand why he didn't have many friends and did not like going to parties. His autism diagnosis helped him improve his acting, giving him a better understanding of some of the characters he played.
People being diagnosed later in life is very common, especially those who were born before we knew as much about autism as we do now.
A friend in my autism social group wasn't diagnosed as an “Aspie” (Asperger Syndrome) until his 80s. In his younger years, he was misdiagnosed and lived in many institutions until he was rescued by a cousin who changed his life.
When actress Daryl Hannah was diagnosed as being on the spectrum as a young girl, doctors told her mother that she also belonged in an institution. Her mother refused.
Daryl, who played Madison the mermaid in Splash in 1984, said one of the reasons she loves acting is that it is a refuge and an escape from the real world. Much of the real world is overwhelming for her, which is why she has always been terrified of attending parties and movie premieres.
Some of the autistic traits Daryl says she experiences are stimming (repetitive, self-soothing behaviors), rocking, and having a special interest in old movies.
Daryl’s role in Splash is the only example I can remember of a “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” (MPDG), typically a young, quirky woman, who portrays the romantic interest for a male protagonist with the main purpose of teaching him to embrace life. While these roles have historically been played by neuro-typical women, Madison in Splash is played by an autistic spectrum woman.
MPDG characters possess autistic female coded traits, including behaviors or language that are stereotypically associated with women and girls on the autistic spectrum. Some examples of this coding are unique ways of dressing that may be non-gender specific; seeing the world in a different way; and having special interests. These kinds of characters were the only role models for autistic girls growing up in the early 2000s.
Boys on the spectrum, including Aspies, were coded in the media as nerds. They used their intellect to solve issues, and their special interests allowed them to fix whatever they faced in the movie or television show. Think of House, The Good Doctor, or Sherlock Holmes.
In recent years, more openly neurodiverse people have gone into acting, writing, and filmmaking. One talent of this newer generation is Chloe Hayden, an actress and YouTuber. Chloe has acted in 22 films even though she is currently only 28 years old. She has won a SAG award for her role in the Netflix show Heartbreak High. She also has her own YouTube channel as well being an autism advocate.
Another example of the new autistic talent is singer and songwriter Jennifer Msumba whose songs include I Didn’t Think We’d Grow Up and Wildflower. Her music is on iTunes and Apple music, and she has several EPs including one called “This Light.”
Jennifer, who is also a filmmaker, has already created and released four films. She uses her platform to bring awareness to the Stop the Shock movement which is one of the biggest civil rights movements in the neurodivergent community today.
The Judge Rotenberg Education Center founded in 1971 serves students with behavioral, emotional, and psychiatric problems, as well as those with intellectual disabilities or who are on the autistic spectrum, including nonverbal kids on the spectrum. Jennifer attended the school, located in Canton, Mass.
The school was founded by Matthew Isreal, a controversial American behavioral psychologist and inventor of the Graduated Electronic Decelerator (GED). According to Wikipedia, a GED is “a device used by the center on disabled students and condemned as torture by advocacy groups and the United Nations Special Rapparteur on Torture.”
in an interview on CBS Evening News. Jennifer reveals her experience at this school and how they used the GED on her. She sued the JRC and testified before the FDA that shock devices should be banned.
The issue is coming up for a vote in Congress in September 2025. I encourage any parent or educator of neurodivergent children to join Jennifer and the Autistic Self Advocacy Network in the Stop the Shock movement to get this barbaric practice outlawed for good. Any GED device has no place in the education of any child!
In Jennifer Msumba’s autobiography Shouting at Leaves, she talks about her life on the autism spectrum and having OCD. Her book explores her healing from the JRC trauma and how she found happiness again doing what she loves which includes music and filmmaking.
These actors, film makers, and advocates on the autistic spectrum show us how loving and forgiving they are, having faced great adversity and ableism. No matter where any one of us falls on the spectrum, they inspire us to be all we want to and can be!
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