There has been a lot of buzz lately about Netflix’s show Atypical, which revolves around one fictional family’s experiences with an autistic son.
Before the show even aired, there was controversy in the autism community about how Keir Gilchrist, the actor who plays an autistic high school senior named Sam, is not autistic himself.
Autistic actors such as Mickey Rowe, who plays an autistic character on Broadway, commented on the controversy when he reviewed the first episode.
Further, no autistic people were consulted for the show. How could I not want to watch it?
Sam is successfully employed at a computer electronics store. Oftentimes, autistic people are discriminated against in the workplace, or do not have the opportunity to work any job. I sincerely appreciate the moralistic positivity to this detail.
His boss seems understanding of his autism. Sam is even best friends with one of his co-workers and fellow high school student, Zahid. Sam’s relationship with Zahid is positive – Zahid is concerned with Sam’s sex life, and tries to help however he can when it comes to street smarts. Sam’s mother Elsa, sister Casey and Sam’s classmate-turned-girlfriend Paige, are all fierce advocates for Sam, which I applaud greatly.
His mom attends a support group with parents that have autistic kids and helps them understand the spectrum more clearly. Casey stands up to other kids at their high school, makes sure he has lunch money, and tries to protect him from getting hurt by Paige.
I can truly relate to this character as I always try to take care of my younger brother. I also respected when Paige went to the PTA meeting to make the Winter Formal more accessible overall by successfully proposing a silent disco Winter Formal instead of the flashing strobe lights, loud music experience most of us are familiar with at school dances.
Sam’s father Doug makes the most growth throughout the show. There were a lot of touching interactions as Doug aims to better understand his 18-year-old son. Doug is frustrated with his son’s diagnosis.
He initially left the family shortly after Sam’s diagnosis, came back, and after hiding Sam’s diagnosis from a work colleague for years, Doug realizes his internalized shame about Sam. He aims to become the expert – he attends Elsa’s autism parent support group, talks to Sam’s therapist, apologizes to Elsa and works on building a better relationship with Sam.
So many parents are in denial that something is different about their children, and it was touching to see Doug come around and accept that autism is a large part of who Sam is.
This show really raises awareness for families who have autistic children and have concerns about them adulting and moving on with their life. This show highlights equality between those on the spectrum and society.
As someone who knows and has family on the spectrum, I am pleased with the message of this show and highly encourage those to watch and learn something from it.