The Good Doctor

Now that we have looked at some tv shows without labels or specific diagnoses, we are going to look at The Good Doctor, a show that does include specific labels. Despite never seeing the show myself, I knew that the main character of The Good Doctor, Shaun Murphy, was neurodiverse from various previews I’d seen during Grey’s Anatomy commercials and multiple recommendations from friends to watch it. Since I have not seen it yet, I went to ABC’s website and found this brief synopsis: “A young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome uses his extraordinary gifts to save lives and challenge skepticism.” Reading this alone makes me believe this will be a positive piece of media for the neurodiverse community, because by showing a person on the autism spectrum succeeding in a highly complicated and strenuous career field, it is pushing back against the stigma that neurodiverse people are incapable of anything.

I realize that I may have made a mistake in assuming that all of you know what autism is when speaking of it in my previous blog posts. I have discussed briefly how it is a spectrum, meaning everyone’s autism is unique to them. The dictionary definition of autism is “a pervasive developmental disorder that commonly manifests in early childhood, characterized by impaired communication, excessive rigidity, and emotional detachment”(dictionary.com). The other condition this main character has is savant syndrome, “a rare, but extraordinary, condition in which persons with serious mental disabilities, including autistic disorder, have some island of ‘genius’ which stands in marked, incongruence contrast to overall handicap”(Darold A. Treffert). If you remember from my review of the movie Rain Man, Raymond had savant syndrome. Isn’t it interesting that they had to come up with a label for someone who is handicapped but is in “contrast to overall handicapped”? The literal definition uses the words extraordinary and rare, because it is so hard to believe that a neurodiverse individual is capable of great things? Instead of adding another label to our dictionary to describe those who defy the odds, we should give them better odds to start with…

There is a ton of research and conversations to be had over these specific diagnoses, however, for the sake of staying on topic we are going to move on. I have included two links here with further information on each condition if you are interested in learning more:

• Autism:

  • https://www.afhu.org/2017/10/23/what-to-know-about-asd/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw4cOEBhDMARIsAA3XDRi4NZtyzPAVxjfgAs_bYCo4FKxhTG6cYuTl-TK7smgfmhwW-9-fuDYaAq4REALw_wcB

• Savant Syndrome:

  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2677584/#:~:text=Savant%20syndrome%20is%20a%20rare,incongruous%20contrast%20to%20overall%20handicap.

During my research of The Good Doctor, I stumbled across Easterseals DuPage. Easterseals is a national non-profit organization of health and human resources that focus on assisting those with disabilities. It started in Illinois 1942 when a handful of therapists volunteered their time to provide in-home services to 15 families. Their early services included things like providing braces, wheelchairs, and other equipment to public schools. The organization got their name from actual Easter seals, stamp-like seals that were first created in 1934 to raise money for services benefiting children with disabilities. In 1952 they became an official agency and opened an outpatient treatment center in Villa Park. After completing a national campaign in 1999, Easterseals DuPage they opened the doors to a new state-of-the-art facility. They have since opened multiple other facilities to provide services to more people. “Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley serves more than 1,000 infants, children and adults with developmental delays and disabilities each week” (Easterseals.com). Their core services include: physical, occupational, and speech therapies, leading assistive technology therapy, medical nutrition services, behavior therapy, developmental evaluations, audiology, social services, a child care center, specialty clinics, and a continuing education program. I was so happy to see so many people working for not just the neurodiverse community but the entire handicapped community. They have made such an impact and will continue to do so. If you are interested in learning more I will include their link here. As mentioned, they are also a non-profit organization so I highly encourage you, if you are able, to consider donating! https://www.easterseals.com/dfv/who-we-are/history/

Easterseals Mission Statement:

“Our mission is to enable infants, children, and adults with disabilities to achieve their maximum independence, and to provide support for the families who love and care for them.”

Easterseals also has a blog, which is where I found Disability Inclusion in “The Good Doctor” by guest blogger Nic Novicki. Apparently, Easterseals also has a group dedicated to advancing disability representation in media to show disability in a new light (HOW COOL). “We are actively partnering alongside the entertainment industry to advance disability inclusion, break down misconceptions and stigmas, and make sure people with disabilities are included in front of and behind the camera” (Nic Novicki). He mentions several shows that are embracing this change like Speechless, Special, and The Good Doctor. These shows have hired and featured people with disabilities both behind and in front of the camera. “The Good Doctor in particular has been a great example of not only featuring a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome in a lead role, but also continually hiring actors with physical and cognitive disabilities as guest stars on the show” (Nic Novicki). The writing staff for the show includes David Renaud, a wheelchair user who can speak authentically about disabilities as he often does in his episodes. Through Nic’s involvement with the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge he has gotten to work with David and even be a guest star on The Good Doctor. “This is an exciting milestone, and I will continue to do everything I can to make sure others like me have every opportunity in show business, or in life, to do and be whatever it is they dream” (Nic Novicki).

I am extremely impressed by the work being done and the steps shows like The Good Doctor are taking. It may not seem like a big deal to you, but you have to understand that just 20 or 30 years ago, we didn’t recognize autism in our daily lives. There was no way it was going to appear on our tv screens, and definitely not in a positive light. People are creating change. We also have to remember, some of those who are neurodiverse cannot communicate for themselves. It would be very hard for them to stand up alone. We see minority groups banning together on our news channels and in our history books, fighting for their rights, fighting to be seen, fighting to be treated with respect. Have you ever seen a large group of neurodiverse individuals doing that? They can’t. Not all of them are capable and those situations that are usually dangerous become double that for them. So they need help. They need all of us to see them as brothers, sisters, friends, family, human beings. I look back at stories of young women fighting for the right to vote, and I am so proud as a woman myself. But I am also proud of the black community, fighting an even bigger battle for their basic human rights, and I am a white person. But I see the value of these people's lives, I believe in them, and I want to fight for them. I feel just as strongly for the neurodiverse and disabled community. They need my support and deserve it.

From everything I have seen, The Good Doctor seems to be a great show both on the entertainment side and inconsideration of the neurodiverse. They have a strong main character with a neurodiversity as well as multiple employed actors and behind the scenes workers with disabilities in real life. I know a heartfelt tv show is not a march or a new medical center. But what better way to get out a new message than to show it in every house in America.

“The power of quality storytelling is its ability to influence, inspire and change people’s perceptions about who we are, how we see ourselves and how we understand and empathize with other people.” - Nic Novicki