Arun Arun
the good doctor 2017 movie: Dr Shawn Murphy’s experience as a resident at St. Bonaventure Hospital in San Jose, California, is depicted in the television series The Good Doctor. One of the top residents in the hospital is Dr. Murphy, a surgeon with extraordinary talent. The only thing that distinguishes Shawn from the other residents is that he has an ASD or autism diagnosis. Film and television typically don’t depict autism. It is much more uncommon to see a person with autism shown in a successful role, such as a surgeon. This has led to high expectations for the show, in the hopes that it will adequately depict the difficulties that individuals with ASD face on a daily basis. Through watching the show and researching what experts I can say that The Good Doctor does a good job of accurately portraying autism. Not only does the show display the mannerisms of autism correctly, it also shows that people with autism are not one-dimensional and that autism is not what defines them.
the good doctor 2017 movie
The assertion that The Good Doctor accurately depicts autistic persons is not shared by all people with autism, though. The Good Doctor is not only bad for autistic individuals, it is rude and destructive, according to autistic author Jay Tee Rattray (Rattray). She thinks that Freddie Highmore’s autism symptoms have been grossly exaggerated. Shawn in the episode possesses savant abilities, which allow him to vividly picture the body’s parts and blood veins.
This is depicted in the presentation by using visual effects to project human body schematics onto the screen. Together with the visual aids, all other sounds in the scenario have been muddled into murmurs while Shawn is contemplating. Shawn is cut off from the outside world by the absence of sound, which also emphasises his poor communication abilities. Although Shawn in the show finds being able to envision the human body’s parts to be extremely helpful, Rattray contends that this promotes the myth that all autistic persons possess some sort of “gift.”
One prominent critique of The Good Doctor is that the actor who plays Doctor Murphy, Freddie Highmore, is not autistic in real life. Kerry Magro, an autistic award-winning motivational speaker, has remarked that Freddie does well in his debut and exhibits a number of traits that are associated with an autism diagnosis (Magro). “Social discomfort, lack of eye contact, [and] toying with his hands during difficult situations” are some examples of these traits (Magro).
This is primarily represented in the show through sound; in one episode, Shawn has a breakdown and abruptly loses concentration while performing surgery. Shawn’s face is shown in greater detail as the audio gradually deteriorates and rises to a high-pitched ringing. This demonstrates how Shawn has shut out the outside world and is just thinking about himself. Magro and I both hold the view that a person’s autism does not define them, and The Good Doctor does a wonderful job of highlighting Shawn’s life outside of his autism. For instance, a challenge that Shawn faces throughout the show is his lack of communication skills. Instead of just accepting that he will never communicate as well as other doctors Shawn improves his skills showing that he can overcome his autism and be more than just an autistic person.
Every person with autism is unique, which is another problem with The Good Doctor and any other media that tries to depict them. As no two autistic people have the same symptoms, it is hard to create a persona that accurately represents the entire autistic population. This is particularly true in The Good Doctor since Shawn not only has a very normal life, which is not always the case for those with autism, but he also possesses savant syndrome, which is incredibly uncommon in those with autism.
Even though Shawn might not be the most relatable character for everyone with autism, I believe it is important that people with autism see characters with autism in the media. Seeing that it is possible to achieve great things even if you have autism could inspire someone to do great things, possibly to even become a surgeon one day.
Also, The Good Doctor does a wonderful job of illustrating how autistic persons are treated differently by people who are not autistic. Due of Shawn’s autism, the parents of an autistic child who needs surgery do not trust him to be included in the procedure in season 1 episode 7. This is only one illustration of how Shawn’s condition causes people to mistrust him in the series. This specific example is the one I used because it demonstrates how even those who are very close to autistic persons can harbour prejudices against them. In the end, Shawn gains the parents’ trust by connecting with their son and drawing on his experience with autism.
The power dynamics between those with autism and those without it are a further topic that The Good Doctor addresses. The first season of the sitcom has a significant focus on Shawn gaining the respect of his superiors and coworkers. Shawn is first refused assistance where other residents would be permitted by senior surgeons at the hospital because they don’t trust him. Unfortunately, this portrayal of people with autism is accurate. People are unaware that folks with autism can lead normal lives because of a lack of education.
The power dynamics between those with autism and those without it are a further topic that The Good Doctor addresses. The first season of the sitcom has a significant focus on Shawn gaining the respect of his superiors and coworkers. Shawn is first refused assistance where other residents would be permitted by senior surgeons at the hospital because they don’t trust him. Unfortunately, this portrayal of people with autism is accurate. People are unaware that folks with autism can lead normal lives because of a lack of education.
I experienced similar feelings to some of the other doctors in The Good Doctor while writing this paper. I had to get over my bias towards autistic people and learn that there is so much more to them than their limitations. This insight has reaffirmed for me that The Good Doctor is a good programme that accurately portrays autistic individuals. I think more people will come to the same conclusions as mine if there are more TV series and movies with autistic characters. Realizing that persons with autism are not limited by their handicap and can do everything they set their minds to is a liberating understanding.
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