WP1 Blog 1: Portrayal of Autism in The Good Doctor

    

    As an overview of the online reviews about Shaun Murphy, the main character of The Good Doctor who was diagnosed as an autist with savant syndrome, comments on the authenticity of the portrayal of autism within the series turns out to be the most prominent of all. With my limited knowledge about the plot, as I’ve only watched the first few episodes of the five-season series, I found myself conflicted about how the director Seth Gordon characterizes autistic people at the workplace throughout the plot. 

    Shaun, an inexperienced yet brilliant young adult relocated from a small town to a prestigious hospital in California, inspired to become a doctor from childhood trauma, has a conventional character background. I believe what makes the series unique is how Gordon pictures the reality of the challenges people with disability would face in the workforce.  

    In social interactions, Gordon highlights the troubles autistic people face in expressing themselves. As Shaun clearly listed all the postoperative complications in front of a patient who just woke up from surgery, leaving the patient frightened, Shaun is portrayed as heavy-handed and lacking teamwork skills. Although one may misinterpret the action as a lack of empathy, I would regard this as Shaun’s blasting urge to help the patient acknowledge his condition. Shaun’s explanation of what inspired him to become a doctor supports my inference by indicating his caring and empathetic nature. Rather than the lack of empathy, the scene shows the lack of ability to read the room when autistic people express their thoughts and emotions. 

   A characterization of Shaun that I dislike throughout the series is the emphasis on his intellect. Since I acknowledge the rarity of savant syndrome, such depiction might foster a stereotype inferring all autistic people as geniuses.

    A quote from Ethan Lisi, an undergraduate diagnosed with autism, in his speech on TED Talk notes “the main problem with living autistic in today’s society is that the world isn’t built for us.” I could recall from a scene in an episode when Dr. Claire Browne, another surgical resident, decided to observe Shaun’s habits in expressions and seek ways to embrace Shaun as a working partner. This example demonstrates an approach to encouraging a more inclusive workplace for people with disabilities.

    At last, I would like to include a quote from Dr. Glassman, the hospital's dean, that I found significant in what Gordon possibly strives to convey through the characterization of Shaun. 

“We hire Shaun and we give hope to those people with limitations that those limitations are not what they think they are. That they do have a shot. We hire Shaun and we make this hospital better for it.”