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The Atypical Blending Of An Atypical

Malavika Murali


The story of Atypical revolves around the character of Sam Gardner, an 18-year-old with ASD (Autism Syndrome Disorder). The show begins with Sam’s new desire as a growing adolescent, the desire to socialize and place himself in the social circle of being a desirable young man. Sam being a kid who is on the spectrum, always shied away from social interaction because he was afraid of not being able to cope with the social cues that he received and was also quite apprehensive of his understanding of social cues and facially expressed emotions. A major part of the show tackles the myth of how people on the spectrum are disinterested in having sexual relationships. Using the above mentioned as one of the central themes/narration of the show, the show does an impressive job in including Sam into the life of neurotypicals (terminology that is widely used by the autistic community to depict people who are not on the autism spectrum), it makes sure to not enforce the ideas and ways of functioning like a neurotypical onto Sam’s life but neither do they isolate Sam from the functioning of the families and the other life experiences that any sixteen-year-old would want to go through. One thing to take into note is that this show deals with Sam who is high functioning on the spectrum. Therefore, it does not account for everybody who falls under the spectrum. This aspect of emphasis on the fact that Sam is high functioning is also well weaved into the show. Sam’s support group meetings are an example of the above. Hence informing the audience that the show is not neglecting the understanding of the spectrum and is making sure that the audience understand which part of the spectrum is being spoken about here. Although the show is a comedy drama, and there is an ample amount of humor that revolves around ASD, there are very few jokes that would be considered insensitive. It is quite evident that there has been a lot of research work that has gone into this show to understand the functions of a person on the spectrum. Most of Sam’s character is quite in accordance to the DSM 5 criteria of what falls under Autistic Syndrome Disorder. There are however a few areas that have disregarded some aspects of the DSM 5. For instance, Sam’s ability to maintain relationships and form friends is something that is considered quite difficult for people who fall under the spectrum. A very important aspect of the show is the beautiful blending of Sam into the world around him while not losing sight of who he is. He does not let his Autism stop him from doing things that he would love to, but at the same time he does not discount his autism and try to live life like everyone around him. This aspect of understanding himself and his position is something that would be very difficult for any child his age, neurotypical or not.
When we talk about the topic of isolation, we usually associate it to people who are mentally ill or people who are unable and unfit to contribute towards the society. Isolation also in most shows or movies or other forms of art, especially through the lens of mental illness, is seen from a third person’s perspective, and through the eyes of the people around the main character, and not through the character themselves. However, in this show the archetype of an isolated person falling under the spectrum is shown more from Sam’s point of view rather than from the world or the society around him. As the show progresses, Sam’s idea of isolation is very well portrayed and his idea of how isolation is more his choice than it being other people’s choice is depicted very cleverly in the show. Of course, this does not discount the factual reality of people on the spectrum being isolated by society, but it is a more double-sided perspective, the side of the neurotypicals and the side of the people on the spectrum. This double-sided perspective allows for thorough understanding of people’s positioning in society, although it is not necessary for one to accept this positioning, it portrays people’s fears and reasons however rational or irrational they maybe. Although there are some inconsistencies in respect to the medical aspect of the condition, the show has tried its best to create a platform for further understanding and insight into this subject, and simultaneously created a platform for future dialogues of the portrayal of such issues.

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