All My Children Negatively Shows Autism
How One Television Show Has Created a Stereotype
In Missouri, autism rates have increased over 850 percent since 1991. In California, 26,000 young individuals receive treatment for autism. In 1993, it was 5,000. In fact, one out of every child born is born with some form of autism. For every five boys diagnosed with autism, one girl is diagnosed. Autism has been recognized as an epidemic in this country.
ABC has found a way to capitalize on autism and have created a character on their daytime television show, All My Children. At first, hopes were high that this character would represent the struggles of autism both individually and for caregivers of autistic children. Unfortunately, ABC has taken autism and produced an ugly stereotype of what it means to be autistic and the behaviors of autistic children. I guess we should have expected more, since this is daytime television and it is known for its outrageous storylines. However, it has taken one of the most serious issues facing children today and turned it into an offensive cartoon.
On April 24, 2005, All My Children aired a Cure Autism Now Public Service Announcement. However, airing a PSA does not leave All My Children without responsibility in portraying autism. And this is what they have. The autistic character, Lily Montgomery is played my Leven Rambin. In the April 25, 2005 episode of All My Children, we viewed Lily rocking back and forth and counting, being taunted by other children, getting into a physical confrontation with another, and talking about seeing red. Although these can be behaviors of autistic children, it has done with such over-acting and inappropriateness that is nothing but offensive.
What damage does this do? It's just a soap opera, right? Wrong. If I knew nothing about autism and I watched this show, my impression of autism would be much different than what the reality is. I would view autism with fear. The character is portrayed as someone with absolutely no coping skills, no social skills, and unable to control rages. The character is portrayed as violent. The character is portrayed as cognitively slow. In reality, many autistic children, by the age of high school, have learned coping mechanisms to help them in social situations. Many autistic children have learned how to interact socially thanks to professional intervention and therapies. Many autistic children have learned how to control rages. And many, many autistic children are incredibly intelligent, despite being autistic. I should know. I am raising two autistic children.
A bigger issue is the treatment of special needs children in mainstream classes. In the same episode, the "principal" of the imaginary school makes a comment about Lily being a special needs child and how someone who was defending her was simply not helping her because of her special needs. This brings to question an argument that has been fought in many schools across this country. Should special needs children are isolated from mainstream students? With negative stereotypes like this, the answer could automatically be yes. Some feel that special needs children are violent and a danger to their children because they are unaware of the issues these children face. Others believe that special needs automatically equates being intellectually inferior and would create a classroom that would not challenge their children. Truth is, special needs children are no different than you and I. There are just areas were they need more help.
I am really ashamed of ABC and the portrayal they have created of Autism. ABC, owned by a company known for its dedication to children, Disney, has done a great disservice to autistic children and adults everywhere. They have created a character that will only increase the general public's ignorance and have generalized a very complex disorder that over 4 million Americans will live with if diagnosis rate continues in the future at the rate it is today.
And this is the same channel that produces SuperNanny and hosts the Wonderful World of Disney? Please!
For more information on autism, please visit the Autistic Society at http://www.Autism-society.org
ABC has found a way to capitalize on autism and have created a character on their daytime television show, All My Children. At first, hopes were high that this character would represent the struggles of autism both individually and for caregivers of autistic children. Unfortunately, ABC has taken autism and produced an ugly stereotype of what it means to be autistic and the behaviors of autistic children. I guess we should have expected more, since this is daytime television and it is known for its outrageous storylines. However, it has taken one of the most serious issues facing children today and turned it into an offensive cartoon.
On April 24, 2005, All My Children aired a Cure Autism Now Public Service Announcement. However, airing a PSA does not leave All My Children without responsibility in portraying autism. And this is what they have. The autistic character, Lily Montgomery is played my Leven Rambin. In the April 25, 2005 episode of All My Children, we viewed Lily rocking back and forth and counting, being taunted by other children, getting into a physical confrontation with another, and talking about seeing red. Although these can be behaviors of autistic children, it has done with such over-acting and inappropriateness that is nothing but offensive.
What damage does this do? It's just a soap opera, right? Wrong. If I knew nothing about autism and I watched this show, my impression of autism would be much different than what the reality is. I would view autism with fear. The character is portrayed as someone with absolutely no coping skills, no social skills, and unable to control rages. The character is portrayed as violent. The character is portrayed as cognitively slow. In reality, many autistic children, by the age of high school, have learned coping mechanisms to help them in social situations. Many autistic children have learned how to interact socially thanks to professional intervention and therapies. Many autistic children have learned how to control rages. And many, many autistic children are incredibly intelligent, despite being autistic. I should know. I am raising two autistic children.
A bigger issue is the treatment of special needs children in mainstream classes. In the same episode, the "principal" of the imaginary school makes a comment about Lily being a special needs child and how someone who was defending her was simply not helping her because of her special needs. This brings to question an argument that has been fought in many schools across this country. Should special needs children are isolated from mainstream students? With negative stereotypes like this, the answer could automatically be yes. Some feel that special needs children are violent and a danger to their children because they are unaware of the issues these children face. Others believe that special needs automatically equates being intellectually inferior and would create a classroom that would not challenge their children. Truth is, special needs children are no different than you and I. There are just areas were they need more help.
I am really ashamed of ABC and the portrayal they have created of Autism. ABC, owned by a company known for its dedication to children, Disney, has done a great disservice to autistic children and adults everywhere. They have created a character that will only increase the general public's ignorance and have generalized a very complex disorder that over 4 million Americans will live with if diagnosis rate continues in the future at the rate it is today.
And this is the same channel that produces SuperNanny and hosts the Wonderful World of Disney? Please!
For more information on autism, please visit the Autistic Society at http://www.Autism-society.org
Published by Amanda Stevens
Amanda is a full-time freelance writer, focusing on humorous essays and home and family articles. Soon she can be seen in Altar Magazine. View profile
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8 Comments
Post a CommentI just want to add one more thing. I am profoundly grateful to the writers of that show. I was a loser nobody at the time I was watching it. As a result of watching the show, I got up off the couch and started living life.
I just want to add that I watched the show in the 2004 time frame, and that the writers did a fantastic job. I really don't get how the average viewer of All My Children is somehow being misled by the show. I think the writer is getting the trees confused with the forest here.
I actually watched the show regularly. What I learned was that autism is far more subtle then what I had believed up until then. Lily was shown as seeming pretty normal most of the time. If it had not been for the show, I would not have figured out that I had similar problems. I did not figure this out until I was about fifty years old.
This makes me so mad - thanks for opening my eyes to this story!
I don't know anything about auyism, but I was under the impression, that they aren't into their looks, wear makeup, or get emotionally involved as she did on the show with Johnathan, but like I said I don't know much about autism. I do know about mentally challenged.
I myself was a little shocked at the way she is portrayed on AMC.
I whole-hearted disagree with all of your comments about the negative light AMC places on Autism through Lily's portrayal. I too, have an autistic six year old and it is difficult to know what to expect with Autism. Lily's portrayal is a real possibility because this is a Spectrum disorder. I watched Lily long before my son was born,and because I did, I was a lot less afraid of the disorder. By far she does not represent the worst case scenario. She is one of my favorite characters on the showw and I have seen a lot less of her probably because of the ill-founded commemtary of people who so desire to be activist that they cause writers to avoid putting a face on this disorder. With the rise in Autism diagnosis becoming more widespread, I hope to see portrayals of various spectrums of Autism through people of all ages, sexes, races, and economic levels, so that the world will be better acclimated to the best and worst case scenarios and changes that need to be implemented now to bett
I agree that ABC's "Lily" character is over-stereotyped and does little to promote actual autism spectrum disorders which are as vast and varied as the individuals who exhibit them. It is sad that a character which could do so much for autism awareness is cloistered in old school thought on autism and its manifestations.
The United States of Leland is a movie that depicts a "mercy killing" of a child with autism. People often misinterpret Rain Man and Mercury Rising, coming to believe that all autists are savants.
I see many inaccurate media portrayals in movies and books.
I didn't know about AMC's character, but it doesn't surprise me much.
I also have two daughters with autism. They are six years old.