ASD – Through the Looking Glass: Autism Spectrum Disorder and Misrepresentation in Media

Sydney Hillis

Biography

Hi! My name is Sydney Hillis and I am a fourth-year Professional Communications student with a completed Psychology minor. My university experience has been incredibly insightful and taught me valuable skills that I am eager to take into the professional world. I am graduating as an innovative thinker with excellent communication skills that will help me to achieve success in any position in my future.  Growing up a dancer and participating in Ryerson’s Varsity Dance Team allowed me to develop crucial time-management skills and foster creativity in many ways. Though I have not decided exactly where I want to be in my career, I hope work in a field that allows me to contribute to the positive well-being of others and values creativity.

Research Summary

The focus of this research is to evaluate the extent to which individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are misrepresented in the media, and address future directions to better educate society on ASD to allow for better representation. Misrepresentation of ASD in film and television is problematic for both individuals in the autism community, as well as society as a whole, as it allows stigmatization and discrimination to prevail. Accurately analyzing the issue of misrepresentation of autism spectrum disorder in the media and discovering ways to improve representation will allow society to break down barriers for the autism community.

Tags

film; television; representation; autismspectrumdisorder; ASD;

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