Autistic

Barry is... well, what? Borderline autistic and obsessive-compulsive, with serious anger management issues and a dangerous behavioural disorder that in the real world would get him a one-way ticket to the rubber room.

imagine being this autistic over a fictional character

If our definition of empathy were to require we take the human cognitive norm (overwhelmingly influenced by neurotypical cognition) as the absolute standard by which to measure empathy, then indeed we would have to conclude autistics do not instinctively possess a good sense of empathy.

Yet because of the history and proliferation of the supercrip in films in television shows – not only with autism but supercrips with other disabilities as well – viewers are primed for the supercrip autistic and are therefore not expecting (in some ways) a view of autism that comes across to many in the autism community as more realistic or honest.

After reading this book, medical professionals should be able to develop an understanding of some of the challenges that autistics are experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic.