#overdoing it this way pushes some people to the complete other end of the spectrum where they don't even want to acknowledge holidays

[novadreii]

is anyone else in their late 20's/30's just over the holidays or am i just a bitter childless shrew with no love or joy in her heart.

[diwyllianwrites]

CHARACTER CHART:

Character’s full name: Matías Felipe Belmonte Reason or meaning of name: The meaning of the name “Matias” is: “Gift of God”. Additional information: The boy name Matias is a biblical name, a Spanish and Finnish form of Matthew, from the Greek Matthaios, found in the New Testament of the Bible, used for the Evangelist and Apostle Matthew, the author of the first Gospel. Character’s nickname: None, thus far Reason for nickname: -- Birth date: August 17

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE:

Age: 38 How old does he/she appear: About the same, I’d say.  Height: 169 cm  Eye color: Brown Glasses or contacts: Has to wear glasses whilst driving Skin tone: Olive  Distinguishing marks: Has some older scars on his arms/wrist area from his teenage years of dealing with his OCD. Anxious scratching. He doesn’t really try to hide them but also doesn’t wave it around either.  Predominant features: Freckles, his chin Hair color: Black Type of hair: Thick and wavy, almost curly Hairstyle: Usually has his hair styled up one way or another Disabilities: OCD, anxiety and color blindness  Usual fashion of dress: Dapper, but in a casual sense. Wears clean and pressed shirts and dress pants. Tries not to overdo it with colors since he can’t see them.  Favorite outfit: Opposite to what he usually wears though, Matías owns a rather colorful suit that he brings out on the occasional fancy meet and greet. It’s usually for exhibits and other tidbits when he feels like it’s more necessary for him to match up with his art.  Jewelry or accessories: Wears a bracelet Pollux gave him after he moved in. 

PERSONALITY:

Good personality traits: Generous, Loyal, Patient, Creative Bad personality traits: Compulsive, Anxious, Naïve, Insecure Mood character is most often in: He’s most often in a good mood Sense of humor: Depends on who he’s with, but usually he’s on the humble side. He likes to poke fun at social standards, gender roles and sometimes do those type of jokes you’d expect from an older person. His jokes are often harmless and doesn’t come at the expense of others.  Character’s greatest joy in life: Art and his family Character’s greatest fear: Not being able to fend for said family.  Why?: Being an artist is time consuming and sometimes doesn’t pay well. He’s the one that has offered his children a home and he wants them to be able to grow up in a stable environment. His OCD often play on this fear of his, especially when it comes to his own art and the level of perfection he feels he has to meet.   What single event would most throw this character’s life into complete turmoil?: Character is most at ease when: At home in his studio, working or watching a movie with any of the kids.  Most ill at ease when: Dealing with deadlines, talking about his older brother, when his OCD act up Enraged when: It’s really hard to make Matías enraged?? He’s usually annoyed or disappointed at best, you’d have to push it damn far for that.  Depressed or sad when: Same with this  Priorities: Getting an income and making sure the kids have a good childhood.  Life philosophy: Matías generally likes to live by the golden rule, of giving what he wants given.  If granted one wish, it would be: He’d like to get rid of his OCD. It’s not as big of a hindrance as it used to be, but still gets him in trouble sometimes. Why?: Because it gets in the way of him enjoying his own work and steals a lot of time. It basically forces him to go through a ritual before and after he works on his art pieces and if he messes up or if someone interrupts he could end up trashing the whole art piece -- thus needing to start over. It’s expensive at that, art supplies don’t come cheap.  Character’s soft spot: I feel like that’s obvious by now.  Is this soft spot obvious to others?: Yes. Greatest strength: His patience and generosity towards people, he’s overall a great person to lean on if you got troubles or need help with anything.  Greatest vulnerability or weakness: However, it’s also a weakness as it’s easy to take advantage of a soft soul and his brother already proved that point.  Biggest regret: Letting his brother set up business through him, thus helping him network and possibly scam others.  Minor regret: He always lowkey regets throwing away his art work, but it cannot be helped.  Biggest accomplishment: His career! Minor accomplishment: Keeping his house tidy with five people living in it Character’s darkest secret: Matías doesn’t really have a dark secret, unless you count his brother being in jail etc.  Does anyone else know?: It was definitely in the news at the time of his arrest so I’d say a lot of people know, at least if they’re from Kelowna. 

GOALS:

Drives and motivations: Besides his family and career, Matías is highly driven towards pushing more information about color blindness and making society more accessible to those that have a harder time reading and seeing colors. He does the occasional speech and educational seminar when he has time to spare.  Immediate goals: Catch up with all his deadlines.  Long term goals: Have a stable future, watch his kids grow up, work on his OCD.  How the character plans to accomplish these goals: Hard work and dedication.  How other characters will be affected: Not much, it’s mostly a thing of his own. 

FAVORITES:

Color: Matías mostly see the world in tints of red with some green mixed between and thus he tend to appreciate his narrow color spectrum as a whole. Music: Honestly, he will play anything by Gloria Estefan and Tina Turner on repeat. Food: Can always go for a good meat stew or an avocado toast Literature: Perfume by Patrick Süskind, but usually tend to read magazines rather than books. Form of entertainment: Reads, paints, sometimes tries to further some skill he’s been trying out.  Mode of transportation: Walks whenever he can, otherwise a car

HABITS:

Hobbies: Same as with his entertainment.  Plays a musical instrument?: He doesn’t play one fully, but he has definitely tried a few out of curiosity. Flute, guitar and harmonica for some.  Plays a sport?: Nope. How he/she would spend a rainy day: Probably working in his studio or helping the kids with their homework. He also tends to do some crafting with Lillian or listens to Pollux as he rants on about astrology.  Spending habits: Stays within his budget, doesn’t buy thing he doesn’t need just for the sake of having it.  Smokes: Water pipes yes. Drinks: On the occasion, not a huge fan.  Other drugs: Only medication.  What does he/she do too much of?: Dwell and worry about petty things.  What does he/she do too little of?: Speak up and take space.  Extremely skilled at: Painting Extremely unskilled at: Decorating Nervous tics: Scratching or pulling/fiddling Usual body posture: Seems relaxed but tend to sit and stand upright, open and welcoming  Mannerisms: Calm and collected, pensive

TRAITS:

Optimist or pessimist?: Optimist Introvert or extrovert?: Ambivert  Daredevil or cautious?: Cautious, but doesn’t stray away from trying new things Logical or emotional?: Logical but can let emotions override depending on the situation  Disorderly and messy or methodical and neat?: Methodical and neat Prefers working or relaxing?: Working Confident or unsure of himself/herself?: Unsure  Animal lover?: Yes! He doesn’t have time for animals but Natalie has a pair of rats and Pollux owns a hamster he tend to help out with. 

SELF-PERCEPTION:

How he/she feels about himself/herself: Matías feels neutral when it comes to himself. He doesn’t hold hold himself to a standard of importance but neither is he riddled with self-hatred. He finds that he fills the role of support for a lot of people and quite often so enjoy it.  One word the character would use to describe self: Caring What does the character consider his/her best personality trait?: Being level headed What does the character consider his/her worst personality trait?: Being naïve How does the character think others perceive him/her: Matías thinks other people view him as someone who has his whole life in order, someone who is lucky to have a career that he loves and a big family to rely on. He’s a person with a warm aura and wise thoughts to share. Most end up fond of him and find him reliable.  What would the character most like to change about himself/herself: Besides the OCD etc I feel like Matías would like it if he gained some more courage and the ability to stand up to himself. He’s not really the type of person who wants to jump into conflicts or argue with people. Due to his childhood he prefers to stay low and out of the way of others. 

RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS:

Opinion of other people in general: He enjoys the company of others, especially those that hold similar values or ways of life.  Does the character hide his/her true opinions and emotions from others?: Yes, as mentioned he doesn’t like conflicts and prefer to paint over or avoid a subject if it’s a cause of problem. He, of course, has matters he’s vocal about but generally so he keeps it on the low and on the friendly side.  Person character most hates: He cannot stand his brother any longer.  Person character goes to for advice: Miguel  Person character feels responsible for or takes care of: His adoptive children Person character feels shy or awkward around: None, yet Person character openly admires: His best friend Silas Person character secretly admires: None, yet

[transastronautistic]

I have some friends that watch the good doctor and I’ve only seen one episode but I wanted to know if you think it’s good representation of autism and if there is anything I should know before I watch it because it looks really good?

Ah yes hello!! Overall I think The Good Doctor is a fantastic portrayal of one autistic person – it does not try to represent All Autistic People, and that’s a good thing. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty great. I find a lot of Shaun’s actions and experiences very relateable as an autistic person.

I’ll start with some general content warnings so that you know what to watch out for when starting the show; then I’ll go through the pros and cons of its portrayal of autism.

Content warnings for the show:

Anti-autistic ableism. Other characters are often ableist towards Shaun. This is usually portrayed well, in my opinion – it’s what I would expect from other surgeons and from some patients when an autistic surgical resident comes into a hospital; but it’s not always fun to watch. As the season has gone on, ableism from the main characters has (mostly) decreased, luckily! They’re learning. However, spoilers for a later episode, one character pushes Shaun into a meltdown at one point

Abuse, animal cruelty. In some of the earliest episodes, there’s emotional abuse of Shaun by his dad as well as very cruel bullying from his peers, and there’s also brief animal cruelty.

Death of a sapphic woman. In one episode, a sapphic woman dies after being injured and we see her wife grief. That was really hard for me to watch; if you message me I can tell you which ep and give you more details.

Death and surgical gore stuff, as you would expect in a medical drama.

Weaknesses in its portrayal of autism:

Non-autistic actors and consultants. Shaun is played by Freddie Highmore, who is not autistic. It definitely would have been cooler to have an actually autistic actor. And the main “autism consultant” of the show is Melissa Reiner, who isn’t autistic herself but works with “families who have children on the Autism spectrum.” (The explanation of her work with autistic kids is not worded super great but at least aba isn’t mentioned, so hey, maybe her therapy is actually good?) Still, the portrayal of autism feels real and accurate enough that I’m surprised that the actor and consultant are not autistic; wherever they’re getting their information, it’s working for them.

Not a diverse portrayal of autism. Shaun is a white man, most likely cis and probably straight – just like most portrayals of autism already in fiction. Some people genuinely don’t realize that people other than white men can be autistic, and lack of diverse representation doesn’t help fight that misconception. The only other canonically autistic character so far was also white and male. (I do want to note that the actual show has a lot of racial diversity and some great female characters, though. So it’s not horrible in terms of overall diversity.)

Claiming Shaun has savant syndrome. I don’t think Shaun has any traits that can’t be explained simply by autism; they didn’t have to give him savant syndrome. I feel like they did it just to explain his high intelligence…as if autistic people…can’t be smart? idk. What do other autistic folks think about that?

Functioning labels are used in the show. I don’t recall Shaun ever calling himself high-functioning, but other characters sometimes call him that.

Infringements on Shaun’s agency. A character who is near and dear to Shaun keeps pushing Shaun to get a caregiver despite Shaun clearly not wanting one, and it’s annoying me. Still, if the overall message ends up being that this is a bad thing (the arch isn’t complete yet so I’m not sure if it will or won’t), then I’d move this point over to the show’s strengths.

Strengths in its portrayal of autism:

Switching between person first and identity first language. Since autistic people ourselves will often switch around saying we’re autistic, have autism, or are on the spectrum, I like that the characters switch around their language too. I tried to keep count of which language Shaun used most, I think it was fairly evenly split between have autism and autistic. 

Autistic traits without overdoing it. Some fiction crams a ton of traits into one character as if to be autistic you have to express the whole list of traits…I don’t feel like this show does that with Shaun. But here are some of the traits he does express:

 sensory overload – Shaun responds to unfamiliar and/or overwhelming environments by rocking or fiddling with his toy knife, and seems to be semi-verbal during them: unable to answer questions but able to reply to statements. He rocks when distressed.

special interests – it is clear that human anatomy is a special interest for Shaun; when a traumatic thing happens engaging in this interest is the only comfort he has. I write more on the show’s treatment of special interests in this post (with show spoilers).

routine

samefoods!

high spatial intelligence

difficulty understanding sarcasm and flirting

trouble expressing to others what he plans to do sometimes

uncomfortable with physical contact, though he usually tolerates it and at at least one point initiates it on his own terms

at least one shutdown and one meltdown are depicted

repeating phrases – some being instances of echolalia, others being an attempt to make people understand

fixation on what needs to be done; he calls it perseveration – he won’t stop thinking about a thing if it spikes his interest or seems out of place to him or is a puzzle to be solved

Stimming! The word stimming has only been used one time in the show so far; I do wish it was used more often, especially since the one instance of its use was for the behavior of the teen-aged autistic patient featured in one episode – that was an example of anxious, overwhelmed stimming, so it would be nice to have them use that word to name an instance of positive stimming as well, in my opinion. But anyway, whether or not they call it stimming Shaun stims a lot! It’s usually in more subtle ways, which gives me the feeling he’s been taught to repress more overt stims, which makes sense with his history of abuse and bullying. Some of his main stims include holding his hands folded, pacing, and rocking. When he’s upset or overstimulated he raises his hands near his head and at one point when melting down hits his head.

Breaking down some stereotypes.

Even though they call him “high functioning,” Shaun does not fit the usual definition of that label. He needs less support for some things, and more for other things. There are times when he is selectively verbal.

Shaun evinces deep compassion for people, which is nice when “emotionless, heartless robot” is a common stereotype about autistic people. At the same time, the way he expresses that compassion and his emotions is not a neurotypical way, and some characters miss it.

Shaun gets crushes and seems to have a sex drive. Fiction tends to make autistic characters completely desexualized or else over-sexualized in a creepy way (like in Netflix’s Atypical, where the guy doesn’t respect boundaries or consent). While I personally am not a fan of some of the ways they portray Shaun’s sexuality, it is cool that they’re trying to dismantle the usual stereotypes.

Shaun is able to establish meaningful relationships, contrary to a really hurtful stigma about autistic people. His relationship with his brother as a kid, his relationship with Dr. Glassman, and his friendship with Claire are some examples. Something I appreciate about his friendship with Claire is that she doesn’t expect him to make all the effort at communicating her way – she tries to communicate his way, too.

Portraying anti-autistic ableism as a civil rights issue. In the first episode, the discussion around whether an autistic person should be “allowed” to be a surgeon is framed as a civil rights issue – Aaron talks about how not long ago a Black surgeon or a woman surgeon would not have been accepted at the hospital, and it’s likewise bigoted to reject a surgeon simply for being autistic. He notes how the same arguments were used – did they have the emotional control, what would the patients think – to bar women and Black people that the hospital is now using against Shaun.

Do other autistic folks have any thoughts on the pros and cons of autistic representation in The Good Doctor?

[orthographewrites]

MATIAS BELMONTE - HC CHART

CHARACTER CHART:

Character’s full name: Matías Felipe Belmonte Reason or meaning of name: The meaning of the name “Matias” is: “Gift of God”. Additional information: The boy name Matias is a biblical name, a Spanish and Finnish form of Matthew, from the Greek Matthaios, found in the New Testament of the Bible, used for the Evangelist and Apostle Matthew, the author of the first Gospel. Character’s nickname: None, thus far Reason for nickname: – Birth date: August 17

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE:

Age: 38 How old does he/she appear: About the same, I’d say. Height: 169 cm Eye color: Brown Glasses or contacts: Has to wear glasses whilst driving Skin tone: Olive Distinguishing marks: Has some older scars on his arms/wrist area from his teenage years of dealing with his OCD. Anxious scratching. He doesn’t really try to hide them but also doesn’t wave it around either. Predominant features: Freckles, his chin Hair color: Black Type of hair: Thick and wavy, almost curly Hairstyle: Usually has his hair styled up one way or another Disabilities: OCD, anxiety and color blindness Usual fashion of dress: Dapper, but in a casual sense. Wears clean and pressed shirts and dress pants. Tries not to overdo it with colors since he can’t see them. Favorite outfit: Opposite to what he usually wears though, Matías owns a rather colorful suit that he brings out on the occasional fancy meet and greet. It’s usually for exhibits and other tidbits when he feels like it’s more necessary for him to match up with his art. Jewelry or accessories: Wears a bracelet Pollux gave him after he moved in.

PERSONALITY:

Good personality traits: Generous, Loyal, Patient, Creative Bad personality traits: Compulsive, Anxious, Naïve, Insecure Mood character is most often in: He’s most often in a good mood Sense of humor: Depends on who he’s with, but usually he’s on the humble side. He likes to poke fun at social standards, gender roles and sometimes do those type of jokes you’d expect from an older person. His jokes are often harmless and doesn’t come at the expense of others. Character’s greatest joy in life: Art and his family Character’s greatest fear: Not being able to fend for said family. Why?: Being an artist is time consuming and sometimes doesn’t pay well. He’s the one that has offered his children a home and he wants them to be able to grow up in a stable environment. His OCD often play on this fear of his, especially when it comes to his own art and the level of perfection he feels he has to meet.   What single event would most throw this character’s life into complete turmoil?: His brother being released from jail, who knows what he can get up to or decide for his daughter. Character is most at ease when: At home in his studio, working or watching a movie with any of the kids. Most ill at ease when: Dealing with deadlines, talking about his older brother, when his OCD act up Enraged when: It’s really hard to make Matías enraged?? He’s usually annoyed or disappointed at best, you’d have to push it damn far for that. Depressed or sad when: Same with this Priorities: Getting an income and making sure the kids have a good childhood. Life philosophy: Matías generally likes to live by the golden rule, of giving what he wants given. If granted one wish, it would be: He’d like to get rid of his OCD. It’s not as big of a hindrance as it used to be, but still gets him in trouble sometimes. Why?: Because it gets in the way of him enjoying his own work and steals a lot of time. It basically forces him to go through a ritual before and after he works on his art pieces and if he messes up or if someone interrupts he could end up trashing the whole art piece – thus needing to start over. It’s expensive at that, art supplies don’t come cheap. Character’s soft spot: I feel like that’s obvious by now. Is this soft spot obvious to others?: Yes. Greatest strength: His patience and generosity towards people, he’s overall a great person to lean on if you got troubles or need help with anything. Greatest vulnerability or weakness: However, it’s also a weakness as it’s easy to take advantage of a soft soul and his brother already proved that point. Biggest regret: Letting his brother set up business through him, thus helping him network and possibly scam others. Minor regret: He always lowkey regrets throwing away his art work, but it cannot be helped. Biggest accomplishment: His career! Minor accomplishment: Keeping his house tidy with five people living in it Character’s darkest secret: Matías doesn’t really have a dark secret, unless you count his brother being in jail etc. Does anyone else know?: It was definitely in the news at the time of his arrest so I’d say a lot of people know if they’re from the area.

GOALS:

Drives and motivations: Besides his family and career, Matías is highly driven towards pushing more information about color blindness and making society more accessible to those that have a harder time reading and seeing colors. He does the occasional speech and educational seminar when he has time to spare. Immediate goals: Catch up with all his deadlines. Long term goals: Have a stable future, watch his kids grow up, work on his OCD. How the character plans to accomplish these goals: Hard work and dedication. How other characters will be affected: Not much, it’s mostly a thing of his own.

FAVORITES:

Color: Matías mostly see the world in tints of red with some green mixed between and thus he tend to appreciate his narrow color spectrum as a whole. Music: Honestly, he will play anything by Gloria Estefan and Tina Turner on repeat. Food: Can always go for a good meat stew or an avocado toast Literature: Perfume by Patrick Süskind, but usually tend to read magazines rather than books. Form of entertainment: Reads, paints, sometimes tries to further some skill he’s been trying out. Mode of transportation: Walks whenever he can, otherwise a car

HABITS:

Hobbies: Same as with his entertainment. Plays a musical instrument?: He doesn’t play one fully, but he has definitely tried a few out of curiosity. Flute, guitar and harmonica for some. Plays a sport?: Nope. How he/she would spend a rainy day: Probably working in his studio or helping the kids with their homework. He also tends to do some crafting with Lillian or listens to Pollux as he rants on about astrology. Spending habits: Stays within his budget, doesn’t buy thing he doesn’t need just for the sake of having it. Smokes: Water pipes yes. Drinks: On the occasion, not a huge fan. Other drugs: Only medication. What does he/she do too much of?: Dwell and worry about petty things. What does he/she do too little of?: Speak up and take space. Extremely skilled at: Painting Extremely unskilled at: Decorating Nervous tics: Scratching or pulling/fiddling Usual body posture: Seems relaxed but tend to sit and stand upright, open and welcoming Mannerisms: Calm and collected, pensive

TRAITS:

Optimist or pessimist?: Optimist Introvert or extrovert?: Ambivert Daredevil or cautious?: Cautious, but doesn’t stray away from trying new things Logical or emotional?: Logical but can let emotions override depending on the situation Disorderly and messy or methodical and neat?: Methodical and neat Prefers working or relaxing?: Working Confident or unsure of himself/herself?: Unsure Animal lover?: Yes! He doesn’t have time for animals but Natalie has a pair of rats and Pollux owns a hamster he tend to help out with.

SELF-PERCEPTION:

How he/she feels about himself/herself: Matías feels neutral when it comes to himself. He doesn’t hold hold himself to a standard of importance but neither is he riddled with self-hatred. He finds that he fills the role of support for a lot of people and quite often so enjoy it. One word the character would use to describe self: Caring What does the character consider his/her best personality trait?: Being level headed What does the character consider his/her worst personality trait?: Being naïve How does the character think others perceive him/her: Matías thinks other people view him as someone who has his whole life in order, someone who is lucky to have a career that he loves and a big family to rely on. He’s a person with a warm aura and wise thoughts to share. Most end up fond of him and find him reliable. What would the character most like to change about himself/herself: Besides the OCD etc I feel like Matías would like it if he gained some more courage and the ability to stand up to himself. He’s not really the type of person who wants to jump into conflicts or argue with people. Due to his childhood he prefers to stay low and out of the way of others.

RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS:

Opinion of other people in general: He enjoys the company of others, especially those that hold similar values or ways of life. Does the character hide his/her true opinions and emotions from others?: Yes, as mentioned he doesn’t like conflicts and prefer to paint over or avoid a subject if it’s a cause of problem. He, of course, has matters he’s vocal about but generally so he keeps it on the low and on the friendly side. Person character most hates: He cannot stand his brother any longer. Person character goes to for advice: Miguel Person character feels responsible for or takes care of: His adoptive children Person character feels shy or awkward around: None, yet Person character openly admires: Open for plotting Person character secretly admires: Open for plotting