I haven’t watched season 4 of Atypical yet, but I’m looking forward to it. And while I’m not interested in deeply debating the quality or lack thereof regarding the show, I would like to say something positive about it…
When I showed Atypical to my probably autistic kid, who was really struggling with middle school, they were suddenly willing to consider taking measures like using sound-cancelling headphones to help them navigate challenging places, a strategy they had resolutely refused before.
Even imperfect representation can make a big difference. When my kid saw another kid — even a fictional one in a show — using noise-cancelling headphones, it suddenly seemed like an okay thing to try. Nothing any of the adults around them said was able to make that difference.