Perception of the Portrayal of Autism in Netflix's Atypical Within the Autism Community.

Background: Fictional portrayals of autism play a role in raising awareness, shaping knowledge, and influencing attitudes toward autism. However, the accuracy of these portrayals is a topic of debate. Limited research has been conducted with the autism community regarding their perceptions of fictional portrayals of autism. This study aimed to explore autistic people's perceptions of the accuracy, educational benefits, and impact of Atypical, a Netflix comedy drama series focused on the experiences of an autistic protagonist. Methods: Participants were 77 members of the autism community (autistic N = 65, parent/partner N = 12), recruited via social media. Participants completed a cross-sectional predominantly qualitative survey. We undertook descriptive statistical analyses on the quantitative data and used a reflexive thematic analysis approach to analyze the qualitative data. Results: The majority of participants described Sam's portrayal as accurate, emphasizing that it was accurate as one example of autism. Family members appeared more likely to perceive Atypical as having informative benefit and being likely to improve attitudes toward autism than were autistic people. The primary concerns identified were the stereotypical representation of a popular media image of autism, the lack of diversity, and the depiction of autism as a burden or challenge for the protagonist and his family. Conclusions: This study builds on previous research on the portrayal of autism in entertainment media by investigating the perception of the autism community regarding one such fictional portrayal. It identifies that for entertainment media to better represent the lived experience of autistic people and improve community understanding of autism, there is a need for increased diversity of portrayals and for the involvement of autistic people in the development and production process.

Why was this study done?: Portrayals of autism on television and in movies may increase autism awareness and knowledge and improve attitudes toward autistic people. However, they may also reinforce autism stereotypes and negative attitudes. Research shows that there are an increasing number of autistic characters in movies and television stories. Some studies find that these portrayals are largely accurate, others that they are misleading, and some that they are mixed. What has not been studied is what members of the autism community think about the accuracy, value, and likely impacts of these fictional portrayals. What was the purpose of this study?: The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of members of the autism community­autistic people and their families­about the Netflix television series Atypical and its autistic main character Sam Gardner. What did the researchers do?: The researchers recruited 77 people who had watched Atypical: 65 autistic people, 10 parents of autistic children, and 2 partners of autistic adults. Participants were recruited through social media and completed an anonymous online survey. Questions addressed their perceptions of the accuracy of the portrayal of Sam as an autistic person, and whether they thought the show would improve autism knowledge and attitudes. What were the results of the study?: The majority of participants thought that Sam's portrayal of autism within Atypical was accurate and that it would have some degree of educational benefit for non-autistic people. Family members appeared more likely than autistic people to think that Sam's portrayal was accurate, to believe that the show had educational benefit, and to agree that the show was likely to lead to more positive attitudes about autism. Participants expressed concern that Sam's portrayal was a stereotypical male representation of autism that was not representative of the broader autistic community and that the show presented a deficit-focused view of autism. What do these findings add to what was already known?: This study provides valuable information regarding the autism community's perceptions of the accuracy of the portrayals of autism, the potential educational benefit, and the likely influence on attitudes. It identifies that for entertainment media to better represent the lived experience of autistic people and improve community understanding of autism, there is a need for increased diversity of portrayals. What are potential weaknesses in the study?: The main weaknesses of the study are the overrepresentation of females (64%), the focus on a single television series with a male protagonist, and the limited detail on the participants' life experiences due to the anonymous nature of the study. How will these findings help autistic adults now or in the future?: This study should assist in advocacy with the producers of entertainment media, enabling them to hear the voices of the autism community and take on board their suggestions for more inclusive and representative portrayals of autism. Doing so has the potential to raise awareness, acceptance, and appreciation of autistic people in the broader community.

Young people's attitudes towards integrating physical activity as part of mental health treatment: A cross-sectional study in youth mental health services.

INTRODUCTION: Due to the significant burden associated with mental disorders that have their onset in youth, there is a critical need to improve treatments and treatment outcomes. Given the evidence for physical activity (PA) as an effective intervention for reducing depression and anxiety symptoms in young people, we examined young people's attitudes towards and acceptability of PA as part of mental health treatment, predictors of current engagement in PA and predictors of attitudes towards PA as a treatment option. METHODS: Participants in this cross-sectional study were 88 young people (15-25 years) who were engaged in treatment at youth mental health services in Melbourne, Australia. RESULTS: Young people's attitudes towards PA as a treatment option were generally positive. The acceptance of PA as a treatment option was predicted by fewer perceived barriers and more benefits to exercise, higher autonomous motivation and lower amotivation; whereas, the only significant predictor of current engagement in PA was autonomous motivation. DISCUSSION: The integration of PA interventions within mental health treatment appears to be acceptable to young people; however, acceptance of PA as a treatment option is influenced by perceived barriers and benefits of PA and autonomous motivation. A focus on increasing autonomous motivation by enhancing the perceived value of PA and choosing preference-based, enjoyable activities may assist in addressing the complex range of factors that impact the ability of these young people to become more physically active. Addressing these factors may assist with implementing PA interventions within psychological treatments for mental disorders.

Mindfulness is associated with reduced barriers to exercise via decreasing psychological distress in help-seeking young adults: A cross-sectional brief report.

AIM: Mental illness is common among young people. Exercise has benefits for mental health; however, young people experience a range of barriers to engaging in physical activity, one of which is psychological distress. Mindfulness is a modifiable factor that can reduce distress and may, in turn, reduce perceived barriers to physical activity. The aim of this work was to explore associations between dispositional mindfulness, psychological distress and barriers to engaging in physical activity. METHODS: We used cross-sectional survey data from young adults aged 15-25 years who attended youth mental health services (headspace centres). Demographic, mindfulness, exercise barriers and wellbeing data were collected. RESULTS: Mediation analysis showed that greater dispositional mindfulness reduced perceived barriers to exercise via reductions in psychological distress among 88 help-seeking young Australians. CONCLUSION: Interventions to increase dispositional mindfulness may be helpful in reducing psychological distress and lessening barriers to exercise engagement, therefore promoting mental health among young people experiencing mental health symptoms.