The Autism Society has been celebrating April as Autism Awareness month since the 1970s, and the U.S. recognizes April as a month to educate the public about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as well as issues the autism community may face. This April, MTV’s series True Life seeks to do just that: educate viewers about issues people with autism face, while also helping them realize these are similar issues people without disabilities face.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is neurologically caused and affects people primarily in their communication and social interactions with others. Many people who are diagnosed with ASD are considered to have a severe disability; however, as implied by the word spectrum, the range of abilities of people with ASD is broad. Additionally, although about 70% of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder can be classified as also having an intellectual disability, not all people with ASD have an intellectual disability, as is sometimes assumed by the general public.
True Life’s upcoming episode “True Life Presents: The Benjamins” is a docu-special that delves into the lives of two brothers, Brad and Kenny, with high-functioning autism. Kenny has Social (Pragmatic) Communication disorder, which until last year was known as “Asperger’s Syndrome” and considered a disorder within a group of Autism Spectrum Disorders. The two brothers live with their parents in Maryland and are taking steps to gain greater independence, including finding work and a new place to live, as well as looking for romantic relationships. Throughout the episode, they learn to shop for groceries and cook their own meals, prepare to get their driver’s licenses, and host a dinner party to increase their social interaction.
This isn’t the first time True Life has featured individuals with autism in one of their episodes. In 2007, they premiered “True Life: I Have Autism,” which featured the lives of three teens; ages 16, 17, and 19; with autism (You can watch it here). However, the upcoming 2014 episode of True Life is unique in that by featuring people in their 20s who have autism (Brad is 24, and Kenny is 23), it will highlight the issues that are unique to young adults, rather than teenagers. Moreover, it is unique from “True Life: I have Autism” in wanting to highlight the similarities between people with autism and people without disabilities, rather than their differences. Conversely, in the 2007 True Life episode, many people used words like “normal” and “typical” when referring to individuals without disabilities, and one of the mothers in the episode even referred to her son as “plagued with autism.”
According to MTV, the soon-to-premiere docu-special is meant to be “uplifting and eye-opening,” seeking to raise awareness about autism, as well as remove the stigma society has about the developmental disability. The brothers hope to illustrate that people with autism have more in common with people without autism than they might first think. In an interview with PEOPLE, Brad explained, “We want the people to show great respect for autistic people… not to be called names. We have the same problems as other normal people do. We have challenges that can make it harder.”
You can watch the trailer here and be sure to watch the premiere on Saturday, April 26th at 7 p.m. (EST)!
Article Sources:
http://autism-society.org/get-involved/national-autism-awareness-month
http://act.mtv.com/posts/for-autism-awareness-month-true-life-will-explore-autism-in-young-adults
http://mtv.com/videos/true-life-i-have-autism/1554937/playlist.jhtml