Angeli Gem Almonte

As an autistic young adult, I can say that while I liked the humour, the acting, and the actors, the show was quite ableist and infantilizing in autistic media portrayal. First of all, it was a phenomenal cast. I liked how the staff included neurodivergent people in production and amplified neurodiversity. Glad they added a WOC through Violet. A great start to more autistic representation moving forward. However, it would have been less jaded and no less funny if they had more neurodiverse BIPOC. Autism affects people regardless of race and economic background. Many autistic people don't have the privilege of being born into a supportive family or are even diagnosed themselves. There are also various government supports for people with disabilities that maybe would have allowed for a greater neurotypical understanding of the spectrum's ability to be independent. Yes, many of us need support from our families, but that doesn't mean autistic adults are not adults. The infantilization from Van to Violet and Harrison's parents to him does, unfortunately, happen from some caregivers. Still, an honest autistic portrayal could have shown people with other strengths on the spectrum. That being said, As We See It was definitely more about an ableist, caregivers' perspective believing autistic people are burdens and require constant worrying. Some do require a lot of support, but at the same time, a lot don't. There was less focus on what Violet, Jack, and Harrison could do individually and more on how after 25 years of life, their caregivers haven't realized they're a lot more capable as adults than they realize. It's a great show to unpack and be critical of, as there are a lot of issues. Caregiver's and families of autistics struggle in different ways and that totally needs to be acknowledged. But the STRUGGLE of being autistic is crucial to understanding how to change the world for us. Autistic people ARE NOT a burden. Most people choose to have children and being autistic comes with the package. It's a superpower to be on the spectrum. Having any kid, neurodiverse or not, is a struggle. Don't ignore the autistics in the comments because what they say has a lot more to do about autism than those who don't live in our shoes.