Once I was youthful, I believed I had life all discovered: I used to be the mathematics child, not the social one. That was my lane. I accepted early on that the world noticed me in another way—and handled me that method, too. However that notion began to shift when my sister bought into appearing. Her ardour for the silver display pulled the entire household in, and earlier than lengthy, I caught the acting bug myself. There was one thing liberating about getting into another person’s sneakers, even when just for a scene.
Many of the roles I performed (with one exception—extra on that later) weren’t autistic. That meant studying to carry out as neurotypical. There’s a sure script to it—look folks within the eye, modulate your tone to sound engaged, know when a hug is welcome and when it isn’t. I consider these behaviors as “social lubricants.” They make conversations smoother for everybody concerned, regardless of how your mind is wired.
Over time, I bought actually good at it. With sufficient repetition, what began as a efficiency grew to become a behavior. Now, this sort of communication comes naturally. I don’t have to consider how I’m alleged to sound or the place my eyes ought to go throughout a dialog—it simply occurs. Now, most individuals don’t even know I’m on the spectrum, and I can talk successfully with associates, coworkers, and managers, permitting me to thrive in society with out a crutch. However it seems my story isn’t fully distinctive.
A 2010 study revealed within the Journal of Autism and Developmental Issues discovered that after a full musical theater manufacturing, “[eight children with ASD] confirmed some enchancment in face identification and concept of thoughts expertise.”1
As an actor, I at all times hoped to tackle a job that mirrored my very own life. However these characters are few and much between. So, like Stallone writing Rocky, I made a decision to put in writing the half I’d by no means been given. The outcome was Wally Jackson and the Likelihood of Love and Automobile Accidents—a narrative a couple of heartbroken, math-loving younger man who units out to optimize his probabilities of love by equations and self-improvement.
I attempted buying the script round, however studios wouldn’t solid me because the lead even when they purchased it. That’s the issue: there aren’t sufficient autistic voices in positions of inventive management. If I bought the script, there was no assure the story would keep true to the neurodivergent expertise. The chance of it being diluted—or worse, misrepresented—was too excessive.
So I decided. I used my life financial savings to supply the movie independently. And to my shock, others believed within the mission simply as a lot as I did. A proficient director volunteered her time. A passionate crew got here on board and took diminished pay. And we shot the film. Now we simply need assistance ending it.
As a result of if we would like a future the place autistic characters are portrayed with honesty and depth, we now have to begin by empowering neurodiverse artists in the present day.
Austin James Wolff is an autistic self-advocate and filmmaker. To study extra about him, go to wallyjackson.com.
Footnotes
- Corbett, Blythe A et al. “Transient report: theatre as remedy for kids with autism spectrum dysfunction.” Journal of autism and developmental problems vol. 41,4 (2011): 505-11. doi:10.1007/s10803-010-1064-1
