Autistic (Aspergers?) boy on the show Parenthood

[NellieKatz]

Hi all. I just saw the show Parenthood for the first time last night. There was some kind of marathon and I watched three episodes in a row. The little boy, Max, is supposedly autistic, but I have not seen enough of the show to really see a lot of his character.

Has anyone seen this show? Does Max seem realistically autistic? In the episodes I saw, I could not see that much that was different about him.

[BookGoddess]

I watch the show whenever I can.

I think Max has Asperger's Sydrome which is on the Autism Spectrum. People with Asperger's have typical language skills. Asperger's is autism without a critical language delay. Also, people with AS tend to be of average to above average intelligence. Max fits that profile. He is obviously quite high-functioning, but if you look at his behavior closely - and those of us with trained eyes can see it - he has rigid behaviors, social skills deficits, and sensory issues that are characteristics of people on the spectrum.

Originally Posted by NellieKatz

Has anyone seen this show? Does Max seem realistically autistic? In the episodes I saw, I could not see that much that was different about him.

Each child on the spectrum is different so he's just one representation of what it means to be autistic.
When I saw him ignore a relative's "Hi" greeting to him only to launch into a lengthy response about insects, I could tell he was on the spectrum.

[laurata]

Originally Posted by BookGoddess

I watch the show whenever I can.
<snip>
When I saw him ignore a relative's "Hi" greeting to him only to launch into a lengthy response about insects, I could tell he was on the spectrum.

LOL! Totally. I can totally see my ds doing that only with cars in a year or two.

I'm really glad they showed a high functioning child as opposed to the more stereotypical "Rainman."

[Teensy]

I've always assumed the character of Brick, the youngest son, on ""The Middle" was an aspie also.

The actor who plays brick, Atticus Schaffer, has type IV osteogenesis imperfecta, so I guess he deserves a shout out in Special Needs anyway.

I haven't watched Parenthood since the pilot. Maybe I'll have to check out season two.

[BookGoddess]

You know which TV character screams "aspie" to me? Sheldon from Big Bang Theory. I don't know if the producers have ever mentioned if he has AS, but it's so obvious he does. He's a textbook case of Asperger's Syndrome.

[Aridel]

Originally Posted by BookGoddess

You know which TV character screams "aspie" to me? Sheldon from Big Bang Theory. I don't know if the producers have ever mentioned if he has AS, but it's so obvious he does. He's a textbook case of Asperger's Syndrome.

Did you see the episode where he made the friendship flow chart? I can't even tell you how much I was laughing! He is a textbook Aspie.

[Lollybrat]

The earlier episodes of Parenthood go into more detail of Max's challenges and how the family is learning to work with him.

Originally Posted by BookGoddess

You know which TV character screams "aspie" to me? Sheldon from Big Bang Theory. I don't know if the producers have ever mentioned if he has AS, but it's so obvious he does. He's a textbook case of Asperger's Syndrome.

IIRC, the producers have said that Sheldon does have a lot of Asperger's traits, but since his mother never sought a diagnosis, they won't either.

Jim Parsons has said that he read Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's by John Elder Robinson and has incorporated some of what he learned from that into his potrayal of Sheldon.

I love Sheldon!

[BookGoddess]

I love Sheldon too!

I didn't see the friendship chart. Was it an episode from this past season?

[Aridel]

Originally Posted by BookGoddess

I love Sheldon too!

I didn't see the friendship chart. Was it an episode from this past season?

Season 2, I think it's called the Friendship Algorithm.

[Kristine233]

I haven't seen either of these shows! I may have to actually watch more TV now, lol.

[Emmeline II]

I see things in Sheldon that ds does, like patting distressed people on the shoulder and saying "there, there" because he knows it's expected but doesn't really empathize.

[junipermuse]

This thread is really funny. Does anyone watch Bones? I've always thought Dr. Brennan is on the Spectrum as well. Does anyone else see that?

[mrsfru]

Originally Posted by junipermuse

This thread is really funny. Does anyone watch Bones? I've always thought Dr. Brennan is on the Spectrum as well. Does anyone else see that?

Yep, I totally do!

[BookGoddess]

I think Dr. Brennan is somewhere on the spectrum too, but she has much better social skills than Sheldon on Big Bang Theory.

Sheldon tells people when he's made a joke "That was a joke" so that they'll laugh.

Aridel - I'm going to look for that Season 2 episode. Thanks.

[kme]

I think Parenthood has done a really good job depicting Asperger's and in particular the parents' reaction to it. Some of the earlier episodes showed the son's Asperger's pretty clearly like in school he flipped out b/c of the noise from the fish tank, he often ignores greetings, he had trouble with sports teams, etc. But he is obviously not profoundly affected and I like that they are portraying a more moderately affected kid as opposed to Rain Man (as someone else commented.)

I also LOVE Brick from The Middle. My husband and I watch that and crack up b/c our son does the same repeating words in a whisper that Brick does. I love how they made him lovable and funny and not tragic.

I have never seen The Big Bang Theory. If it is still on this season, I will have to check it out; it sounds funny.

[joensally]

We started letting the kids watch Big Bang last year - we own the first two seasons, and they caught much of last season when it was on. We were at a point last year of more discussions about whether or not DS has ASD and I was watching BBT a fair bit seeing so many quirky similarities. If not for the regular references to sex and seeking out sex (they're young men, after all), it's a great example of quirky guys getting along in the world. They all have jobs, advanced degrees, friends, sometimes date, messed up family relationships at the time of life when they're finding their way as adults...

One of the main characters also has selective mutism.

[celtic_angel]

Originally Posted by BookGoddess

You know which TV character screams "aspie" to me? Sheldon from Big Bang Theory. I don't know if the producers have ever mentioned if he has AS, but it's so obvious he does. He's a textbook case of Asperger's Syndrome.

My DH and I just had a lengthy conversation about this the other evening !

[BookGoddess]

Originally Posted by joensally

If not for the regular references to sex and seeking out sex (they're young men, after all), it's a great example of quirky guys getting along in the world. They all have jobs, advanced degrees, friends, sometimes date, messed up family relationships at the time of life when they're finding their way as adults...

Yes! That's why I love the show. They live on their own, they have each other, they're brilliant scientists with good jobs. What's not to like?

Originally Posted by kme

I have never seen The Big Bang Theory. If it is still on this season, I will have to check it out; it sounds funny.

It's still on. Check it out. It's on CBS. The new season will start on September 23rd at 8/7 Central Time.

Here's a link.
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/big_bang_theory/

[Emmeline II]

Originally Posted by BookGoddess

I think Dr. Brennan is somewhere on the spectrum too, but she has much better social skills than Sheldon on Big Bang Theory.

Sheldon tells people when he's made a joke "That was a joke" so that they'll laugh.

Aridel - I'm going to look for that Season 2 episode. Thanks.

Here is the scene in question The Big Bang Theory - The Friendship Algorithm

[shelbean91]

Parenthood does a great job, IMO - it makes me cry because it hits SO close to home.

Sheldon is SO on the spectrum - there was the episode about gift giving and Penny trying to explain why we give gifts. Ended up with Leonard telling him 'it's a mandatory, social obligation' and Sheldon saying 'oh, well why didn't you say so?'. Hysterical!