Autistic character
Autistic character
Does anyone want a character diagnosed with autism to join the main cast?
- Leonard Meltsner
- I'm memorable
- Posts: 1542
- Joined: January 2010
- Location: Odyssey, of course!! Isn't that implied in the name of the forum?
One might make such an argument for Eugene, or at least could've, at some point in the past.
What I wonder about is how an autistic character would play on the radio.
Last edited by Laurie on Sun Oct 28, 2012 1:45 pm, edited 2 times in total.
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." Abraham Lincoln
-
- Gold Member
- Posts: 67
- Joined: November 2009
I think it would be easier to portray the full character and dimension of an autistic character visually...unless you found a really, really good actor.
- JesusFreak777
- Expecting a battle
- Posts: 4999
- Joined: April 2005
- Location: In the arms of my Father
I doubt Eugene has autism, but he could have aspects of Aspergers, though he'd have to be EXTREMELY high functioning if that is the case...
A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man would have to seek Him to find her.
JF, JesusFreak777, and JF777 are all copyrighted by this user. Any violators will be fined and prosecuted. Thank you.
JF, JesusFreak777, and JF777 are all copyrighted by this user. Any violators will be fined and prosecuted. Thank you.
Actually......I think it would be neat to have an autistic character in Odyssey. I think they could do some interesting lessons.
- Leonard Meltsner
- I'm memorable
- Posts: 1542
- Joined: January 2010
- Location: Odyssey, of course!! Isn't that implied in the name of the forum?
Well unless I'm mistaken, Aspergers is the extreme end of the Autistic Spectrum. Also, great to see you on, Sarah!JesusFreak777 wrote:I doubt Eugene has autism, but he could have aspects of Aspergers, though he'd have to be EXTREMELY high functioning if that is the case...
- Laura Ingalls
- Half Pint
- Posts: 11494
- Joined: April 2005
- Location: Suburbia
My cousin is slightly autistic, and I don't know quite how you would portray that with audio. A lot of indicators, like not making eye contact, little nervous tics, having to have everything exactly the same, etc. would be difficult to communicate, I would think.
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance. ♡
- Jesus' Princess
- Country Girl
- Posts: 4973
- Joined: April 2011
- Location: on the farm
I think it would be pretty hard to portray autism, or any disability really, on the radio without explaining it via a character. For instance someone could ask Whit "what's wrong with him" or something, but it would still be pretty hard to come across well, without being offensive or anything
- JesusFreak777
- Expecting a battle
- Posts: 4999
- Joined: April 2005
- Location: In the arms of my Father
Actually, its the opposite: Aspergers is on the mild end of it. People with Aspergers are quite high functioning, just very socially awkward. They are extremely literal and often have a hard time with pop culture/colloquialisms. Most have trouble dealing with change, though many have learned to adapt. They have find social gatherings difficult, and many cannot read body language or tone of voice very well causing social misunderstandings. Often they ruminate or hyper-focus on a specific problem or subject, and some become quite brilliant in one area of study (though not all). They have other problems with learning and change, but can generally adapt into normal society. (Bones on the TV show of the same name is an example, as is Sheldon from Big Bang Theory, to name a few).Leonard Meltsner wrote:Well unless I'm mistaken, Aspergers is the extreme end of the Autistic Spectrum. Also, great to see you on, Sarah!JesusFreak777 wrote:I doubt Eugene has autism, but he could have aspects of Aspergers, though he'd have to be EXTREMELY high functioning if that is the case...
Autism on the other hand has a very broad spectrum, the worst being no ability to communicate at all.
A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man would have to seek Him to find her.
JF, JesusFreak777, and JF777 are all copyrighted by this user. Any violators will be fined and prosecuted. Thank you.
JF, JesusFreak777, and JF777 are all copyrighted by this user. Any violators will be fined and prosecuted. Thank you.
- Leonard Meltsner
- I'm memorable
- Posts: 1542
- Joined: January 2010
- Location: Odyssey, of course!! Isn't that implied in the name of the forum?
Huh. I may need to look over my analysis of Sheldon and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime from English 12, and see if I then got all my info on autism backwards...JesusFreak777 wrote:Actually, its the opposite: Aspergers is on the mild end of it. People with Aspergers are quite high functioning, just very socially awkward. They are extremely literal and often have a hard time with pop culture/colloquialisms. Most have trouble dealing with change, though many have learned to adapt. They have find social gatherings difficult, and many cannot read body language or tone of voice very well causing social misunderstandings. Often they ruminate or hyper-focus on a specific problem or subject, and some become quite brilliant in one area of study (though not all). They have other problems with learning and change, but can generally adapt into normal society. (Bones on the TV show of the same name is an example, as is Sheldon from Big Bang Theory, to name a few).Leonard Meltsner wrote:Well unless I'm mistaken, Aspergers is the extreme end of the Autistic Spectrum. Also, great to see you on, Sarah!JesusFreak777 wrote:I doubt Eugene has autism, but he could have aspects of Aspergers, though he'd have to be EXTREMELY high functioning if that is the case...
Autism on the other hand has a very broad spectrum, the worst being no ability to communicate at all.
- JesusFreak777
- Expecting a battle
- Posts: 4999
- Joined: April 2005
- Location: In the arms of my Father
I'm not quite sure what your post is referring to, but for helpful info on Aspergers, check the wikipedia page for more info. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asperger_syndrome - Aspergers is similar to or the same as (debated by dr.'s) High Functioning Autism.
A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man would have to seek Him to find her.
JF, JesusFreak777, and JF777 are all copyrighted by this user. Any violators will be fined and prosecuted. Thank you.
JF, JesusFreak777, and JF777 are all copyrighted by this user. Any violators will be fined and prosecuted. Thank you.
- Leonard Meltsner
- I'm memorable
- Posts: 1542
- Joined: January 2010
- Location: Odyssey, of course!! Isn't that implied in the name of the forum?
That must be it. I must've interpreted "high-functioning" as "high on the spectrum". I was referring to an essay I did in English 12 on Aspergers, comparing Sheldon Cooper and Christopher John Francis Boone (from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime).
But yes, I did get it wrong. To clarify, that last post of mine wasn't sarcastic, I really did have everything backwards.
But yes, I did get it wrong. To clarify, that last post of mine wasn't sarcastic, I really did have everything backwards.
Last edited by Leonard Meltsner on Mon Nov 05, 2012 5:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- JesusFreak777
- Expecting a battle
- Posts: 4999
- Joined: April 2005
- Location: In the arms of my Father
Its all good, thanks for clarifying...so back to the topic at hand...
A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man would have to seek Him to find her.
JF, JesusFreak777, and JF777 are all copyrighted by this user. Any violators will be fined and prosecuted. Thank you.
JF, JesusFreak777, and JF777 are all copyrighted by this user. Any violators will be fined and prosecuted. Thank you.
- King Butter Turtle
- Expecting a battle
- Posts: 4706
- Joined: March 2008
- Location: Marus
- Contact:
I don't think Eugene is socially awkward, he just... has little in common with most people (most notably Connie) but, he's anything but awkward around Katrina, Whit, Jason and the group he hangs out with in 'Third Degree' when Bernard's in jail (especially noteworthy since it's a large group social setting). So, no, I don't think Eugene has autism, or aspergers for that matter.
AIO has featured several characters with mental/social/learning disabilities including Oscar, Charles VanHorn (Natural Born Leader) and Lester but, I agree with what seems to be the consensus that it would be to hard to convey with a regular character. It's certainly something worth addressing but, I would think it'd be quite tricky to handle both writing-wise and audio-wise.
AIO has featured several characters with mental/social/learning disabilities including Oscar, Charles VanHorn (Natural Born Leader) and Lester but, I agree with what seems to be the consensus that it would be to hard to convey with a regular character. It's certainly something worth addressing but, I would think it'd be quite tricky to handle both writing-wise and audio-wise.
Lisa Hammit - 1991-2011 - Forever strong in Christ
- JesusFreak777
- Expecting a battle
- Posts: 4999
- Joined: April 2005
- Location: In the arms of my Father
Sorry to bump this, but I was listening to old Christmas episodes and I hit on "The Reluctant Rival" featuring Jenny Whitaker-Dowd, Whit's granddaughter. I think she of any character thus far falls under the Autism-Aspergers spectrum. And they handle her character quite well for the record.
A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man would have to seek Him to find her.
JF, JesusFreak777, and JF777 are all copyrighted by this user. Any violators will be fined and prosecuted. Thank you.
JF, JesusFreak777, and JF777 are all copyrighted by this user. Any violators will be fined and prosecuted. Thank you.
- Leonard Meltsner
- I'm memorable
- Posts: 1542
- Joined: January 2010
- Location: Odyssey, of course!! Isn't that implied in the name of the forum?
Nice catch, I didn't even think of Jenny.JesusFreak777 wrote:Sorry to bump this, but I was listening to old Christmas episodes and I hit on "The Reluctant Rival" featuring Jenny Whitaker-Dowd, Whit's granddaughter. I think she of any character thus far falls under the Autism-Aspergers spectrum. And they handle her character quite well for the record.
- King Butter Turtle
- Expecting a battle
- Posts: 4706
- Joined: March 2008
- Location: Marus
- Contact:
Yeah - good thought, especially with her violin... prodigiousness (yes, that's a word - I looked it up - )JesusFreak777 wrote:Sorry to bump this, but I was listening to old Christmas episodes and I hit on "The Reluctant Rival" featuring Jenny Whitaker-Dowd, Whit's granddaughter. I think she of any character thus far falls under the Autism-Aspergers spectrum. And they handle her character quite well for the record.
Lisa Hammit - 1991-2011 - Forever strong in Christ
- Leonard Meltsner
- I'm memorable
- Posts: 1542
- Joined: January 2010
- Location: Odyssey, of course!! Isn't that implied in the name of the forum?
And her inability to perform for others unless her part is perfect in Scattered Seeds.
There's a huge difference between being highly intelligent (and in Jenny's case, a perfectionist) and having a hard time dealing with average intelligence people than being on the Autism spectrum. I think it would be very hard to get a good radio portrayal of autism, and as has already been mentioned, there's such a range (hence, spectrum).