By Alan Sepinwall, [Newark] Star-Ledger

NBC’s new drama “Parenthood,” premiering Tuesday night, features a family whose son is diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. It’s among an increasing number of television shows that are trying to depict characters with the disorder, and is one of the first to acknowledge the diagnosis. An excerpt:

… the storyline — a personal one for one of the show’s creators — has the potential to be a breakthrough in how television depicts characters with a condition that’s increasing in prevalence, both nationwide and in New Jersey.

“I am always happy when I see characters on TV who are portrayed with Asperger’s, when it’s done correctly,” says Lori Shery, president and co-founder of ASPEN, a national Asperger support and education group based in Edison. “We need to change the cultural perception.”

See also:

Off-kilter characters: TV shows feature kids (and adults) with what looks like Asperger’s — Ellen Gray in the Philadelphia Daily News

In a wide-ranging interview with the Wall Street Journal, Temple Grandin shares some of the insights she’s gained as “easily the most famous autistic woman in the world.” Among the nuggets:

– Parents should not stop vaccinating kids because of autism fears, although they might space out the vaccinations.

– She’s not convinced that autism’s on the increase. “You know the geeks have always been here,” she says.

– She’s seen some “very big improvements”  with special diets, but she doesn’t think there’s a “magic cure” for the disorder.

– Kids with autism need 20 to 30 hours weekly of intense, one-on-one learning time, coupled with high expectations.

– People with autistic traits make important advancements, particularly in engineering, science and technology.

By Larry Abramson on National Public Radio:

A proposal by the American Psychiatric Association to include the diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome within the broader autism spectrum could have far-reaching effects, experts say, potentially changing the way families get special education services for their children.

Some educators say the change could make it easier for students with the disorder to qualify for special education services, while others worry that it could limit student access to services and make it harder for teachers to tailor services to students’ individual needs.

The proposal is available for public comment until April 20.

See also:

Asperger’s advocates debate proposed diagnosis change — CNN.  An excerpt:

“Autism tends to be defined as a deficit, and people with Asperger’s see themselves as having an advantage in life,” said Eileen Parker, 46, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, who has Asperger’s. That is why the community is split over the … issue, she said.

Asperger’s officially placed inside autism spectrum — NPR

From the Newark Star-Ledger:

Ari Ne’eman, a 22-year-old man with Asperger’s syndrome, has been nominated by the president to sit on the National Council on Disability. Ne’eman’s appointment has been criticized by some autism advocates who say he is “not quite autistic enough.” He is the first person with autism to be nominated for a seat on the NCD and, if confirmed, would be the youngest person to serve on that board in at least two decades.

The founder of the Autism Self-Advocacy Network, Ne’eman has been aggressive in his criticism of some of the best-known autism advocacy groups, including Autism Speaks.

The exclusive focus on a cure, Ne’eman contends, amounts to medically engineering people like him out of existence. “We should be spending at least as much money on improving our quality of life instead of trying to get rid of us,” he said.

From MSNBC:

Some revolutionary companies around the globe are leading a new movement to transform the unique attributes of high-functioning autism into sought-after job skills.

Companies like Specialisterne in Denmark and the non-profit Aspiritech in Chicago train people with autism to be software testers, data entry personnel and assembly workers. Such positions, which might be boring and monotonous for many, can capitalize on the detail orientation and repetitive nature that are often displayed by people with autism.

“My career would not have existed at all without the autism,” says Ron Brix (above), a longtime computer systems developer for Wrigley.

Robert Austin, a professor at Copenhagen Business School, wrote about Specialisterne for the Harvard Business School and says, “there’s no reason this couldn’t work in the United States.” He says that redefining conditions like autism as differences, rather than disabilities, is important for a developed economy.

… Austin says we need to recognize special abilities in people, realize that these may come with challenges to working in a traditional workplace, and find a way to minimize disabilities and take advantage of differences.

(MSNBC photo)

Writing the New York Times ‘Diagnosis’ column,  Dr. Lisa Sanders ponders whether Sherlock Holmes might have had Asperger’s syndrome. The fictional private eye, to be featured in an upcoming film starring Robert Downey Jr., had many symptoms of the syndrome, she says, including an obsessive focus on narrow subjects, mood swings and an apparent inability to relate to others.

Sanders says author Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes’ creator, trained as a physician and filled his stories with realistic medical description. Could he have based Holmes on patients he observed? “We may never know,” she says, “but clearly Holmes’s peculiarities have a persistent appeal.”

(Movie poster from imdb.com)

From the [UK] Guardian:

Nicola Clark, the mother of a British actress with Asperger’s syndrome, has launched a campaign to stop non-disabled actors from portraying characters with disabilities. Her daughter Lizzy, 14, plays a character with Asperger’s in a highly praised BBC television film.

… Nicola Clark has said that employing actors who are not mentally disabled to play characters with neurological impairments should stop. It is the “blacking-up of the 21st century”, she said. “We need to break down these barriers. They’re unacceptable and indefensible in a modern-day society, especially when there are so many good, disabled actors who are both ready, eager and able to take on these parts.”

The BBC has begun efforts to raise the profile of performers with disabilities, and next week will launch a nationwide talent search. The network’s popular EastEnders series recently introduced David Proud, an actor with spina bifida who uses a wheelchair in real life.

On the UK’s Channel 4, a video interview with Nicola Clark. An excerpt :

Q: Can you explain, as a viewer, what I’m going to get from watching Lizzy play somebody with Asperger’s that I won’t get from an ordinary actor?

A: Authenticity … authenticity and importing the story and the characterization with the truth, I think.

(Photo of Nicola Clark from Channel 4 video)