People of all genders can be autistic. According to the data from ‘Autism Speaks‘, approximately 4 out of 100 boys in the United States are diagnosed with autism. However, the number is three times lower in girls. About 1 out of 100 girls in the country is autistic, showing a clear gap between both genders. Because of the big difference, autistic representation in the mainstream media— especially in Hollywood’s TV shows and movies— is male centric, with only a handful of female characters shown as neurodivergent individuals.
Seeing male autistic characters on TV shows and the big screen is recurring, but the female representation of autism still lags behind. With the growing awareness of the autism spectrum in recent years, there has been a slow yet steady shift in featuring female autistic characters in TV shows and films— whether as lead or supporting roles.
1) Wednesday Addams ( Wednesday)
Wednesday is one of the highest-rated shows on Netflix. Played by Jenna Ortega, Wednesday Addams is the lead character of the show, which is titled after her. The beloved daughter of the Addams Family has clear characteristics of an autistic person. Even though neither Addams Family’s original creator Charles Addams nor Netflix has confirmed it, her demeanor and personality are linked to autism by some viewers.
Wednesday’s main character traits include: she is anti-social, struggles to communicate (but not under confident), and possesses concentrated focus in writing books and conducting investigation. She is not good at reading social cues and remains hyper focused on a single objective. Like many autistic children, she fails to make friends easily. All these signs strongly suggest that she may be on the autism spectrum.
2) Matilda Moss ( Everything’s Gonna Be Okay)
‘Everything’s Gonna Be Okay’ was a short-run show, lasting only two seasons and airing from January 2020 to June 2021. The teen comedy show’s lead female character, Matilda Moss, was a neurodivergent girl after being diagnosed at a young age. At three years old— when most children already speak fluently— Moss struggled to form sentences, causing major concern for her father and family.
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Displaying her hyper focus ability, Matilda was an impressive singer in the show— despite her early difficulties in developing speech. As a neurodivergent person, she was intelligent and upfront, but she frequently missed social cues, hindering her social life as a teen. Interestingly, Kayla Cromer, the actress playing Matilda Moss, is openly autistic in real life.
3) Paige Hardway ( Atypical)
‘Atypical’ was a Netflix original show running four seasons from 2017 to 2021. The lead character of the show, Sam Gardner, was autistic, and it centered around his life struggles and setbacks he encountered as a neurodivergent person, highlighting authentic representation of autism. Nevertheless, Sam was the male protagonist. He got into a relationship with Paige Hardway in high school. Though the show didn’t officially confirm Paige’s autism, she showed some strong traits, leading viewers to believe she may be autistic.
Matching Sam’s energy, Paige’s awkwardness in social situations, polarized thinking, and sensory challenges were some obvious signs of the autism spectrum. Her ASD, unlike Sam’s, seemed undiagnosed as a teen. Moreover, she perfectly grasped Sam’s behavior and challenges— perhaps she understood his struggles from a personal perspective.
4) Beth Harmon ( The Queen’s Gambit)
‘The Queen’s Gambit’ released on Netflix and soared in ratings, becoming one of the platform’s most watched shows in 2020. Adapted from the novel under the same name, the show’s protagonist was Beth Harmon— a chess prodigy with a number of personal battles in her life. The series didn’t state Beth was autistic, but her persona deeply connected with female neurodivergent viewers who were certain she had autism.
The first characteristic was Beth’s laser-focus concentration on chess— so much so that it stayed in her mind all day long. She would lay down on her bed and visualize an enormous chess board on her ceiling. Besides her hyper-fixation on chess, she had major social interaction difficulties, remaining unresponsive and showing little emotions in critical situations, including when her mother passed away in a car accident.
5) Charlotte Lukaitis ( The Good Doctor)
Kayla Cromer’s portrayal of an autistic child in ‘Everything’s Gonna be Okay’ was critically acclaimed. Her performance was rewarded with another neurodivergent role a couple of years later. She nailed the character as autistic medical student Charlotte Lukaitis in season 7 of ‘The Good Doctor’.
Despite a supporting role, the show’s mainstream appeal made her one of the famous female autistic characters in TV show ‘The Good Doctor’s seventh season. Charlotte’s parents were protective of her due to the autism hardships she faced in daily life. She worked with fellow neurodivergent surgeon Shaun Murphy, whom she idolized throughout her medical career. Their on-screen chemistry and representation of autistic characters was spot on. Additionally, Kayla became the only real-life autistic actor to play two different characters with the autism spectrum.
While female representation of autistic characters are growing, there is still a long way to go match with the male representation. In the coming years, more female oriented lead characters are anticipated to center stage on TV. Which one of these above-mentioned characters was your favorite?
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