Research Meets Reality TV: How the Media Stigmatizes Autism and Why it Matters

• By: Valerie Gaus, PhD Psychologist Amy Gravino, MA, CAS Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services Jill Krata, PhD, CLC Evolve Autism and Family Coaching
• July 9th, 2025
• adults, advocacy, autism representation, inclusive, lived experience, media, neurodiversity, research, stigma, Summer 2025 Issue
• 1796    1

Depictions of autism in the media—whether fictional or nonfictional—influence the wider public’s perception of autism, both positively and negatively. Two of the more well-known portrayals of autism are Sheldon Cooper from the Big Bang Theory as well Raymond Babbitt, the historically common...