[Sunrise]

An interesting video, and it's made me think about how autism is represented in popular culture and I think it's pretty awful really. You just tend to think of ridiculous caricatures like Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory who to me wouldn't be a typical representation of an autistic person because I don't think there really is such a thing. It can affect people with a much wider range of personality types than tends to be represented, and certain symptoms will affect some people more than others which is something that isn't really shown. And the social awkward genius stereotype does my head in, I think it's actually really damaging and is the sort of thing that can stop people seeking a diagnosis or support because they're not a geeky caricature.

I'd class an autistic person as an ordinary person who sees the world a bit differently. I can watch a video of someone like her and I can really relate to her experiences, and that's how I see her and that's how it should be.

Simon Baron Cohen has a lot to answer for and I'm glad that we seem to be moving away from some of his theories. I don't think there is such a thing as a typical representation of autism and there was far too much emphasis on the idea that there was in the past. I think it set back the way autism is understood years, and a lot of people missed out on support they should have been given as a result.