“As We See It” is a new Amazon Prime original series that stars three autistic young adults. As an individual on the autism spectrum myself, I was braced for a show full of the usual stereotypes, but what I ended up getting was one of the best on-screen depictions of autism I’ve ever seen. All three of the main characters– Harrison, Jack, and Violet– are well-developed and relatable at various points. But what I’ve never before seen portrayed so accurately is Jack’s efforts to pass as neurotypical and how he reacts when his act is unsuccessful.

Like me, Jack has Asperger’s. This is a high-functioning form of autism, but people like us still find the neurotypical world difficult to navigate– especially in terms of social interaction. Jack struggles when it comes to communicating with others, often coming off as a jerk more than he likely intends to– an experience that hits close to home for me. However, high-functioning autistics can often still pass as “normal”-- or at least, not autistic– to the untrained eye. And we see in the show that due to his internalized ableism, this is very important to Jack. 

Jack dates a woman named Ewatomi, a kind and matter-of-fact nurse who works at a hospital taking care of Jack’s father (whose health is rapidly declining). When Ewatomi makes a comment revealing that she is aware that Jack is on the spectrum, he is greatly offended; to him, it is important that he can pass as “normal”. But Ewatomi reassures him that he should just be himself. She is one of the few people who sees Jack for who he really is: someone a lot more caring than his abrasive exterior often suggests. To Jack, this is a new idea.

For a long time, my autism was not information I was willing to share with many, because I felt most people just wouldn't understand. I remember hanging out with a kid at YMCA camp who, before meeting me, had heard rumors at school that I was autistic (this was of course correct but perhaps unintentionally; the word is sadly sometimes used as just an insult or joke). However, now that he was meeting me in person, he said that he could see that this wasn’t true. I told him that I was technically on the spectrum, but he said I “wasn’t like that”. Evidently he was imaging me as the type of kid who requires an aide at all times and goes to school in a special classroom, as opposed to an apparently “regular” person like me. Conversely, a few months later, an Aspie at school, who was out with his autism, told me that I was “definitely on the spectrum”-- and, not going to lie, at the time, I felt a little bit disappointed. I really thought that I was fully passing as neurotypical. At the time, I thought this was a good thing. However, I have since grown to become more proud of who I am, despite the stigma and struggles.

Although the character Violet doesn’t seem to think as much about passing as Jack does, she shows her desire to fit in by being obsessed with dating someone “normal”. She rejects Douglas, who is also autistic, in favor of pursuing romance with a neurotypical man. Seemingly, she gets her wish when she hooks up with Julian, a hot guy from work. Afterwards, she is crushed to realize that he was just a player who doesn’t really care about her. Later, Douglas tries once more and asks Violet out again. Initially, she rejects him a second time, giving her mantra about wanting to be with a “normal” man. However, Douglas asks her what’s so great about being normal, and this causes her to rethink things. They share a kiss, and agree to go on a date in the future. Though it’s not what she thought she wanted, Violet seems happy and relieved.

Because society is less empathetic towards those who are different from the norm, many high-functioning autistics feel the need to act as “normal” as possible to avoid others thinking we are just plain weird. Thus, we make an effort to pass as neurotypical– though our social ineptness will often end up betraying us as “different” anyway. And it is exhausting to do. In an ideal world, we would never feel the need to have to act neurotypical– just like people of color shouldn’t have to feel the need to pass as white, gay people as straight, etc. We should strive for a world where everyone is as accepting of our differences as Ewatomi is. Shows like As We See It are an important step for achieving that goal. When more people like me –portrayed authentically by people like me– become visible on-screen, the rest of the world will finally start to understand us. Like Jack and Violet, we will feel  can finally be ourselves.