Studies about autism in fiction

The first studies examining portrayals of autism in fiction came out in the early 2000s. Though it remains a very niche field of research, it has grown significantly since then. It includes both qualitative and quantitative research.

General

 * Murray, S. (2006). Autism and the Contemporary Sentimental: Fiction and the Narrative Fascination of the Present. Literature and Medicine, 25(1), 24–45. https://doi.org/10.1353/LM.2006.0025
 * Broderick, A. A., & Ne’Eman, A. (2008). Autism as metaphor: Narrative and counter-narrative. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 12(5–6), 459–476. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603110802377490
 * Draaisma, D. (2009). Stereotypes of autism. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 364(1522), 1475–1480. https://doi.org/10.1098/RSTB.2008.0324
 * Dyches, T. T., Prater, M. A., & Leininger, M. (2009). Juvenile literature and the portrayal of developmental disabilities. Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 44(3), 304–317.
 * Conn, R., & Bhugra, D. (2012). The portrayal of autism in Hollywood films. International Journal of Culture and Mental Health, 5(1), 54–62. https://doi.org/10.1080/17542863.2011.553369
 * Maich, K., & Belcher, E. C. (2012). Using picture books to create peer awareness about autism spectrum disorders in the inclusive classroom. Intervention in School and Clinic, 47(4), 206–213. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053451211424600
 * Young, L. S. (2012). Awareness with Accuracy : An Analysis of the Representation of Autism in Film and Television. Research Papers. Paper 256., 1–66. http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/gs_rp/256
 * Garner, A. R. (2014). What’s showing: film industry portrayals of autism spectrum conditions and their influences on preservice teachers in Australia. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/4282
 * Maich, K. (2014). Autism Spectrum Disorders in Popular Media: Storied Reflections of Societal Views. Brock Education Journal, 23(2), 97–115. https://doi.org/10.26522/brocked.v23i2.311
 * Maich, K., & Belcher, E. C. (2012). Using picture books to create peer awareness about autism spectrum disorders in the inclusive classroom. Intervention in School and Clinic, 47(4), 206–213. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053451211424600
 * Hannam, K. (2014). The portrayal of autism in film, post Rainman. Goud Autism Practice, 15(1), 91–99. https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/bild/gap/2014/00000015/00000001/art00011
 * Garner, A., Jones, S., & Harwood, V. (2015). Authentic representations or stereotyped ‘outliers’: using the CARS2 to assess film portrayals of Autism Spectrum Disorders. International Journal of Culture and Mental Health, 8(4), 414–425. https://doi.org/10.1080/17542863.2015.1041993
 * Nordahl-hansen, A. (2018). En Empirisk Studie av Autisme på Film og TV. Tidsskrift for Norsk Psykologforening, 55(12). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329364192_En_Empirisk_Studie_av_Autisme_pa_Film_og_TV_Tidsskrift_for_Norsk_Psykologforening_Vol_55_No_12
 * SHE’S A LITTLE DIFFERENT": AUTISM-SPECTRUM DISORDERS IN PRIMETIME TV DRAMAS. - Free Online Library. (n.d.). Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://www.thefreelibrary.com/SHE%27S+A+LITTLE+DIFFERENT%22%3A+AUTISM-SPECTRUM+DISORDERS+IN+PRIMETIME+TV...-a0562370462
 * Nordahl-Hansen, A., Tøndevold, M., & Fletcher-Watson, S. (2018). Mental health on screen: A DSM-5 dissection of portrayals of autism spectrum disorders in film and TV. Psychiatry Research, 262, 351–353. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PSYCHRES.2017.08.050 - Open access preprint version
 * Nordahl-Hansen, A., Øien, R. A., & Fletcher-Watson, S. (2018). Pros and Cons of Character Portrayals of Autism on TV and Film. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(2), 635–636. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3390-z
 * Morgan, J. (2019). Has autism found a place in mainstream TV? The Lancet Neurology, 18(2), 143–144. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(18)30236-9
 * Tharian, P. R., Henderson, S., Wathanasin, N., Hayden, N., Chester, V., & Tromans, S. (2019). Characters with autism spectrum disorder in fiction: where are the women and girls? Advances in Autism, 5(1), 50–63. https://doi.org/10.1108/AIA-09-2018-0037
 * Dean, M., & Nordahl-hansen, A. (2020). Film and Television Representations of ASD : It’s Not Just about Hollywood. June.
 * Ejaz, K. (2020). By any other name: portrayals of autism across international film remakes. Disability and Society, 35(5), 783–810. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2019.1647146
 * Dean, M., & Nordahl-Hansen, A. (2021). A Review of Research Studying Film and Television Representations of ASD. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 0123456789. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-021-00273-8

Specific characters and works

 * Jackson, L. K., & Atance, C. M. (2008). Autism: The Musical. Journal on Developmental Disabilities, 14(3), 94–97.
 * McCulloch, J. (2008). The Black Balloon. Australasian Psychiatry, 16(4), 292–292. https://doi.org/10.1080/10398560802140071
 * Veltman, C. (2009). After Rain Man. BMJ, 339. https://doi.org/10.1136/BMJ.B3416
 * Holton, A. E. (2013). What’s wrong with max? Parenthood and the portrayal of autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Communication Inquiry, 37(1), 45–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/0196859912472507
 * Kanani, N. (2014). Precarious Inclusions; Re-Imagining Disability, Race, Masculinity and Nation in My Name Is Khan. Review of Disability Studies, 10(1,2), 40–50.
 * Dergisi, S. (2015). Beni̇m Adim Khan Fi̇lmi̇: Oti̇zmi̇n Medyadaki̇ Yansimasi/Reflections of Autism on Media: My Name Is Khan. Sosyoloji Dergisi, 1(3), 381–395.
 * Selimovic, I. (2015). The Social Spaces in Mutation: Sex, Violence and Autism in Albertina Carri’s La rabia (2008)*. Journal of Latin American Cultural Studies, 24(4), 517–533. https://doi.org/10.1080/13569325.2015.1091297
 * Nordahl-Hansen, A. (2017). Atypical: a typical portrayal of autism? The Lancet Psychiatry, 4(11), 837–838. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(17)30397-8 - Open access
 * Pasha, S. B., & Qadir, T. F. (2017). Sesame Street’s recognition of autism. The Lancet Psychiatry, 4(7), 520–521.
 * Baños, J. E., Cambra-Badii, I., & Guardiola, E. (2018). A physician with autism in a TV series. The Lancet Neurology, 17(10), 844. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(18)30317-X
 * McHugh, K. (2018). The Female Detective, Neurodiversity, and Felt Knowledge in Engrenages and Bron/Broen. Television and New Media, 19(6), 535–552. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527476418767995
 * Raya, I. (2018). La construcción de los perfiles adolescentes en las series de Netflix Por trece razones y Atípico/The construction of the teenager profile on Netflix Tv Shows 13 Reasons Why and Atypical. 37, 131–143. https://doi.org/10.5354/0719-1529.2018.48631
 * Rourke, B., & McGloin, R. (2019). A Different Take on the Big Bang Theory: Examining the Influence of Asperger Traits on the Perception and Attributional Confidence of a Fictional TV Character Portraying Characteristics of Asperger Syndrome. Atlantic Journal of Communication, 27(2), 127–138. https://doi.org/10.1080/15456870.2019.1574797