BBC Young Reporter @ LCS

Throughout history, media has been utilised in order to represent a wide variety of topics and controversies. However, one topic that has often been underdeveloped across TV, film, websites and books is the autism spectrum.

The first depiction of autism within film was the 1988 drama "Rain Man", with Tom Cruise staring alongside Dustin Hoffman, who brought to life the first canonical autistic film character in Raymond. However, despite the ground-breaking moment for the industry, a large majority of the autistic community have voiced severe opposition to Raymond's character. Organisations such as Creased Puddle (A British Neurodivergence Awareness organisation) state that many autistic views found it "dated" and "inaccurate" and such it is difficult to truly pinpoint the impact of "Rain Man" and other films featuring autistic characters at the time.

So, now the question must be asked. How should neurodiversity be presented? 

It is a sensible choice to be cautious of the media. Its sheer power subliminally and physically has been forced into the minds of the public time and time again. The sheer destructive potential of an inaccurate portrayal could potentially reset decades of progress within a tenth of the time; but a lack of exposure may have the same effect. We cannot expect to achieve the perfect understanding of autism through one opportunity but providing an educated example may enable positive discussion to propagate amongst a wide variety of social groups.

However, it is simple fact that autism doesn't often sell well. Even with its revolutionary portrayal, the film was overshadowed drastically from the moment of its release; it is difficult to suggest a suitable way for these views to be expressed whilst still adhering to the often non-negotiable standards imposed by major players within the industry.