Breaking Type: The Reality Of High Functioning Autism

Rain Man, the 1988 blockbuster that is credited with bringing Autism to a mainstream audience for the first time may have made use of the worst possible vehicle with which to do so.

Rain Man gave a global audience their first look at a condition which now affects 1 in 59 people. Unfortunately, by presenting the image of the autistic savant – a section of the spectrum representing less than 10 percent of the autistic population – they created an unrealistic image that haunts those with high functioning autism to this day.

Stigma Within, Stigma Without

Since the turn of the millennium, there have been significant strides in representing the broader nature of the autistic spectrum in media, but there remains a nagging savant stereotype among the neurotypical population that perpetuates one of the many myths of the condition. Most high functioning autistics experience many of the negative impacts of their condition: social, intellectual and emotional; they do not, however always manifest these symptoms outwardly in ways that productions like Rain Man would have us expect. Because of this, many high functioning autistics are simply labelled jerks, or worse, accused of using an autism diagnosis as a crutch to excuse inappropriate behaviour.

To compound matters, such thinking has permeated the autistic community itself. Many support groups on social media and blogs are rife with judgement from parents of lower functioning autistics about the validity of the difficult journeys faced by their high functioning counterparts. This often degenerates into a downward spiral of competitive self-pity and comparative misery.

Because of these seemingly self-perpetuating stereotypes, high functioning autistics and their families are often left with few places to turn for comfort and support. High functioning autistics, sufficient to function in regular schooling, often experience tremendous painful bullying which continues on into their working and adult social lives.

Where Do We Go From Here

While media continues to make progress in representing the broad range of the autistic spectrum, until we take it upon ourselves to challenge these stereotypes and stop perpetuating the Rain Man mythos, millions of autistic men, women and children will continue to face derision, misunderstanding and judgement.

For those of us who have suffered much of our lives under the yolk of the Rain Man mythos, we educate, we hope and we wait for the day we can all find the same understanding.

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