There are oftentimes misconceptions that a person with ASD cannot or does not want to have a romantic relationship. This may come from the fact that those diagnosed with ASD tend to have difficulties in communicating and interacting with others. For example, there may be difficulty with eye contact, facial expressions, or maintaining interest and attention in a conversation (Autism Awareness Centre Inc.). However, just because there are social difficulties with ASD, does not mean that individuals with ASD are not interested in pursuing romantic relationships.
Recently, the show “Love on the Spectrum” was released on Netflix. This show goes into the lives of several individuals with varying degrees of ASD. The show clearly displays the message that individuals with ASD are interested in and are capable of pursuing romantic relationships. Although this show promotes awareness and allows for a very basic understanding of autism, there have been a variety of negative critiques. For example, Sara Luterman wrote that the show gives bad relationship advice as well as infantilizes the cast (2020). There are several instances throughout the series where the relationship advisor speaks with both the parents and her client, rather than just the client. In addition, there is an instance in the series where the crew asks an engaged autistic couple if they have “consummated” their relationship. Not only is this inappropriate, but it is ignorant. The infantilization of the cast in this series can be incredibly harmful especially towards the Self-Advocacy movement for people with disabilities.
It is abundantly clear that our TVs are in desperate need of diversity. Although “Love on the Spectrum” was perhaps well-meaning, it creates the harmful and false view that people with disabilities are child-like. Furthermore, romantic relationships among those with developmental disabilities should not be portrayed as unusual or abnormal. Future movies, television series, and more need to present those with developmental disabilities more accurately, especially in a time where the Self-Advocacy movement is incredibly important towards making progress in disability rights.
For more information on this topic, check out these articles:
https://www.autismspeaks.org/blog/10-things-know-about-dating-someone-autism
https://autismawarenesscentre.com/romance-autism-dating-possible-people-asd/
References
Autism Awareness Centre Inc. Romance and Autism: Dating is more than possible for people with ASD. https://autismawarenesscentre.com/romance-autism-dating-possible-people-asd/
Cian O’Clery, creator. Love on the Spectrum. Northern Pictures for the ABC, 2019.
Luterman, S. (2020, August 18). Review: ‘Love on the Spectrum’ is kind, but unpresentative. Spectrum News. https://www.spectrumnews.org/opinion/reviews/review-love-on-the-spectrum-is-kind-but-unrepresentative/
