Infographic by Ca’ren Franklin – Digital & Multimedia Editor

It makes me so happy that autistic representation is becoming more prominent, such as in “Love on the Spectrum U.S.” However, that representation should portray a broader and more diverse group of individuals, including people of color and non-verbal autistic individuals.

I believe we are finally seeing a better representation of autistic individuals in the media through the Netflix TV series, “Love on the Spectrum”, but I do not think it is the best Hollywood can do.

“Love on the Spectrum” U.S. launched in 2022, while season two premiered in January 2024. The portrayal of autistic individuals in the form of a dating show provides the entertainment that society yearns for, all while educating the public about autism. 

But the real question is whether or not “Love on the Spectrum” represents autistic individuals in their best favor.

My uncle David is non-verbal autistic, and his favorite hobby is watching movies. It makes me so happy that autistic representation is becoming more prominent, such as in “Love on the Spectrum U.S.” However, that representation should portray a broader and more diverse group of individuals, including people of color and non-verbal autistic individuals.

“It’s a hard life to live when you’re diagnosed, it’s a hard pill to swallow when you have somebody on the spectrum. My mom didn’t want to accept that at first. She wanted to accept that there was a cure,” sophomore Olivia Filstrup said.

Filstrup said cast members of shows such as “Love on the Spectrum” could be portrayed in the same light as similar dating shows that mostly consist of neurotypical individuals. 

“If you look at all the different media about being on the spectrum, it’s either that representation as a whole or representing only one possible person. Or it’s bad editing, and they give it bad music and bad connotation overall,” Filstrup said.

Fan favorite from season two of “Love on the Spectrum”, Connor Tomlinson, is also autistic. 

“His name was Connor, and they put more of a somber melody to him if you could hear it. And for “Love Island”, when they’re introducing some of the guys, it’s rock ‘n roll music, and it’s empowering,” Filstrup said. 

Autistic individuals belong to a varied and diverse population, and every challenge an autistic individual faces is unique to them. Every one of them has different experiences and different skills, and that is why it is unfair to generalize autistic individuals. 

“It would be really nice, even on that dating show, to see a couple of nonverbal individuals to see how they would navigate, either dating or relationships because oftentimes, they do need more support,” Director of the Autism and Communication Center Edlyn Vallejo Peña said.

Vallejo Peña said about one-third of people who identify on the spectrum are nonverbal or nonspeaking. She said that The Autism and Communications Center of Cal Lutheran supports both children and adults who use different kinds of system technology or augmentative alternative communication methods, like letter words or iPads. 

Vallejo Peña also said we don’t see that represented in television or movies.

In addition to the lack of representation for nonverbal individuals, there is a stigma that autistic individuals mostly encompass one demographic.

“It’s kinda said that they’re all… Have you noticed, white men?” Filstrup said. “I hope we get more people in the studios, in the production rooms approving for these films to be made that are representing us, not just the stereotypical, low functioning, high functioning white man.”

“Love on the Spectrum” portrayed a couple of individuals on who were of color, Subodh Garg and Dani Bowman. However, the majority consisted of non-Hispanic white individuals. The truth is, there are so many individuals of color who never get diagnosed. 

“My understanding is the differences in diagnosis rates are similar across ethnicities,” Vallejo Peña said. “However, usually people of color or underrepresented communities are often diagnosed late, so they receive the diagnosis later which is tragic because that means that those children are not receiving services early.” 

It becomes an entirely new challenge for individuals who get diagnosed at a later age. 

“Because once you’re diagnosed, you change your whole point of view. It’s like stepping into another world,” Filstrup said.

It was a pleasant surprise to see the representation of individuals on the show like Steve Spitz, who was diagnosed much later in life.

Spitz was 63 years old during season one of “Love on the Spectrum” and said he was diagnosed as neurodivergent only a few years before going on the show.

He was open about how he always felt different from everybody, and finding out he was autistic later in life impacted him in many ways, both positive and negative.

“Love on the Spectrum” is not perfect and it is flawed in representing autistic individuals in the best and most accurate light, however, it is the best representation of autism in the media we have as of now. 

“I’m thankful for any representation where we get it. But when it’s just bad representation, it still hurts,” Filstrup said.

I believe “Love on the Spectrum” is a great first step in presenting autism on TV and I hope Hollywood and the media industry listen to their viewers so that they will provide more accurate depictions of autism.