‘Love on the Spectrum’ reveals the challenges of autism representation

Reactions to the beloved Netflix series show how hard it is to capture the intricacies of the autism spectrum

Editor’s Note: This article uses both person-first and identity-first language, in keeping with the latest conversations among autism communities and advocates.  It’s rare to see autism portrayed in media, and rarer still to see representation for adults with autism. The Netflix reality show “Love on the Spectrum,” based on an Australian show with the same name, is arguably the most visible program where people can see what it’s like for real autistic adults to navigate the challenges of life and love. The show follows a group of adults with autism as they navigate the dating world, aided by a relationship coach and the input of their loved ones. Despite its generally warm reception, the show has also received criticism from within adult autism communities. Some see it as a kind, compassionate representation of the social challenges people with autism face. Others see any good faith representation as a step in the right direction, even if it’s incomplete. “‘Love on the Spectrum’ is kind, but unrepresentative,” reads a review of the first season posted on Spectrum, an autism news and research publication. In online forums, some adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have taken issue with production details: A violin plucks a childlike motif when people describe their special interests and hobbies. Descriptions from family and friends, though well meaning, sometimes carry the tone of one speaking about a child rather than a grown adult. Throughout their dating journey, advice the cast receives sometimes encourages a “normalcy” that is, frankly, unnatural to many people with autism. “While it’s nice to see representation, some of the ways they portray people’s behaviors and their likes and dislikes feels like they’re playing into stereotypes of autistic people as being weird or childlike when they’re not,” Krista Ferguson, a 42-year-old with ASD and a member of Reddit’s 342,000-member autism subreddit, told CNN.