Why Chloe Bennet Changed Her Name (Somewhat Political)

FB is like smoking to me. It's bad for my health. It's addictive. And I can't quit it. (But atleast it doesn't give me lung cancer).

I meant to expand my reply to you, DoTheMath , by saying that Hollywood has work to do on multiple fronts to fix their representation problem.

For instance: If I see one more 'Rain Man'-esque representation of an autistic person, I will need an aspirin from banging my head against the wall. Same goes for representaions of high functioning autistic people as always having an iPad, handheld game system, headphones, and baggy/soft clothes but no tics and no social problems.

If I see one more person on TV or movies who is supposed to be severely dyslexic but only transposes letters I will need a second aspirin.

If I see one more person who is supposed to be OCD (and it's not meant as a joke) but has none of the anxiety I will need a third aspirin.

If I see one more person who is meant to have any number of learning disorders, but is shown to be successful and *never* struggles *ever*, I'll need a fourth.

If I see one more person wih Tourette's presented as shouting obscenities or flailing wildly, I'll need a fifth.

If I see one more right handed actor playing a person with special needs play them as *left handed* I'll probably be unconscious.

Sure these things may seem trivial but they're so prevalent that every day people think they understand people with these conditions or think they can 'tell' that someone has a condition when they don't and can't.

Autistic people aren't all savants. Yes some can have savant capabilities, but that number is actually low because savantism is its own condition. Most diagnosed savants are average functioning individuals with no autistic tendencies whatsoever. Just because people *appear* autistic does not mean they are.

*I* appear autistic. I am not. I have autistic tendencies but was found to be 'too social' to fit the criteria in its entirety. There are also people who have the sensory issues that are associated with Autism but are not Autistic.

Dyslexia is not just a disorder where letters are transposed, rearranged, or blurred together. It can also affect your ability to determine direction (left/right/north/south/east/west) and your *speech*. Acting as if dyslexia is only mixing up a few letters does a disservice to we who struggle with it every day. I can't remember left from right unless I think about what hand I write with.

OCD is characterized as an anxiety disorder. It is not just a condition where you like everything clean and organized and are maybe afraid of germs. It's one where you may feel like something terrible will happen unless you wash your hands 15 times in a row or flip a light switch 100 times. It's also one where you have obsessive intrusive thoughts that don't easily go away.

Showing characters who have learning disorders but never struggle and are always succesful feeds the idea that people with those disorders shouldn't struggle and therefore aren't worthy or needing of help, an idea harmful to those who do struggle every day and are rarely successful.

Verbal tics are rather uncommon in Tourette'S Syndrome. Most people with Tourettes work hard to manage their tics so that they are not distracting or bothering those around them. Also, their tics are *voluntary* on average. Not 'ticking' is uncomfortable but therapy can help change that. Following through with a tic brings a feeling of relief.

I'll admit the left handed thing can be chalked up more to my own personal pet peeve than to a real issue. However, there is enough evidence that making issues of the brain solely a left handed problem poses a risk of not recognizing or diagnosing right handed children assumed to be 'normal'.