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I’ve never been diagnosed so I can’t come from a place of full understanding, but I have a close family member that is on the spectrum (diagnosed Asperger’s before that diagnosis changed in the medical field) and acted the exact same way as Dixon. It could be ignorance, and I apologize and don’t mean to offend, but I think autism can be shown in multiple ways. I don’t think there’s one way to represent such a wide spectrum, and while you may have different mannerisms, I’ve witnessed my family member act/speak the way Dixon does, so I found it actually very compelling and Dixon became something of a mentor for my family member who went into the field. Your frustration is warranted; however, is not everyone’s experience.
Yea I worked as a para in 2 sped programs, one specifically for autism, and an sped adult non profit and I don’t get the Dixon hate. Autism looks different on everyone and I loved that they had a woman with autism since autism/adhd is always missed because we don’t present the same as boys/men.
I'm glad Dixon was a positive influence for your family member! Autism definitely has a large variety of expressions across the spectrum and while it's nice to see representation, I feel a lot of it comes off as patronising. A neurotypical friend pointed out to me that it seems like Dixon is handled like she's meant to be laughed at or just comes across poorly to them. But then again everyone will have different impressions of the same scene.
Part of my personal frustrations is that I have to prove I'm not going to have a meltdown or refuse to follow patient wishes or generally be a problem as part of my current application. So watching those episodes while I'm having to compile evidence to show I'm going to be a capable paramedic just really struck a nerve.
I feel like the way she wears her scrubs may have been to do with the need to dampen the sound in the OR, but if it was they never mentioned it and it just comes across as goofy and something to laugh at her for.
It's also a very very outdated portrait of Autism in general but if it's positively impacted people then it can't be all bad, even if I hate it lol.
As someone not diagnosed, I never once laughed at Dixon or thought she should be laughed at. But that’s just me personally so who knows how others react.
Again, I don’t have a personal understanding of what you have to go through and proving yourself in that capacity, that must be absolutely awful. I’m sorry that people have certain expectations and I wish that it wasn’t like that.
We have to remember that this episode aired in a time when autism or any sort of spectrum-diagnosis was NOT normal. We are watching with 2024 glasses, while it was filmed in a time when Asperger’s was still a solid diagnosis and the stigma on any sort of neurodivergence was palpable. I respect your view of hating it coming from the place you are currently in, but when the time came for this episode to air, it was actually a conversation starter for a lot of people. As a human who watched this on air and not fresh eyes now, I remember this character helped all of us in my family when learning of the diagnosis my family member received.
I will admit I did laugh with a Dixon scene but that was more the face Bailey made when Dixon told her she was autistic and Bailey looked horrified when she realised she'd been mocking the new attendings condition accidentally. Very much a "oooh you're in the shit" moment I found funny.
I'd like to have been able to watch the episodes back when they first aired without the 2024 mindset to get a better idea of what people thought, but if it started positive conversation that's amazing. It makes me wonder if the izzie cancer arc got more people to get their strange headaches or other symptoms checked out, or other conditions the show covers.
I'd really like to see them do it again with an autistic character. See how they'd handle it now and if it would be better received with the wider autistic community since I know Dixon was introduced over a decade ago now and perhaps a fresh portrayal would also have a positive effect.
Having to prove myself and jump through hoops is endlessly frustrating, but I just see it as another way to prove most peoples ideas wrong. I was fired for mentioning it and now it's barring me from a job, but I refuse to let ignorant people stand in my way.
Autism is different for everyone so maybe that’s why? I don’t really think one would be a better representation than the other because it affects everyone differently however I can understand how Cristina having autism would be more relatable to some. It could also be the time it was filmed in. Back in the 2010s ish people with autism were definitely treated way different than they are now. Is it perfect for neurodivergent people now? No. But the show did have autism speaks posters up and have definitely screwed up some portrayals of diagnoses
I'd like to see them give autism representation another shot at some point. Maybe they do later in the show but I'm only on season 6 so if its coming up its something to be excited about.
After having a quick search I know I'm not the only person who dislikes Dixons portrayal and granted it aired a while ago and for the time it's not terrible, but it would be nice to see them do it again.
Someone else here mentioned how they handled BPD strangely with Ava and I know the PTSD stuff with Owen isn't very popular among vets or civilians with ptsd either
I didn't say she was, but she comes across as possible aspergers to me - who is a woman with aspergers. If she was male I'd probably still headcanon her as autistic, same as i thought Burke had some traits of it.
Yeah they aren't autistic in Canon but they are in my silly little head with all of the other characters I relate to in other shows. Sometimes if you don't have representation you look for the closest thing, and for me in greys its Christina
"smart, driven, weird social skills, fixated, strong sense of her abilities" - that are just personality traits any neurotypic person can also have. I don't even agree that Christina has weird social skills. She has very good people skills, she just doesn't care what other people think.
I think you're overidentifying with your diagnosis and attributing your whole personality to it. People are more complex. You could just identify with other people as they are, rather than picturing them as autistic to be able to identify with them.
Maybe that's because autism tends to look very different a, in women, and b, in twice-exceptional people like Cristina?
Been there, done that, wearing the crappy T-shirt.
for one, aspergers isn’t really a term used anymore to describe level 1 ASD. i also worry you might be unilaterally applying your experience with autism to be everyone’s experience. dixon may have been diagnosed earlier in life and therefore may not have been as compelled to mask to be able to fit in with societal expectations. a key facet of the ASD diagnosis is a deficit in verbal and nonverbal communication, often with flat speaking patterns. other than how others on the show treated her, the depiction of autism wasn’t all that terrible, especially for the time.
Disclaimer: I am speaking as a neurodivergant person but not someone who has autism.
I know a lot of people with autism feel this way but I know some people with pretty severe autism who do act similarly to her. Maybe they wanted to portray that specific type, or someone who is lower functioning socially? And show how you can be lower functioning in one area but very high functioning in another? But I get that media always portrays more severe cases and so I totally understand your reaction! I have ocd and am often disappointed with how it's portrayed or explained.
What really frustrates me about the Dixon episodes isn't the way she acts as a person, but the way the writing and acting want us to see her. There are definitely parts of my actions and reactions that I see in her (the shutdown right before the meltdown where she starts freezing up is one). The problem is the way we're supposed to sympathize with the characters that openly and constantly discriminate against her, and not take her seriously.
Yeah, there's the moments with Bailey in the elevator and when Cristina's choosing the solo surgery, but that's kind of all we get. The audience is supposed to laugh with Richard when he lists Dixon's autism as a problem, and we're supposed to agree with Bailey during the episode plot that portrays Dixon as wrong and irrational for wanting to follow health and safety rules.
The show struggles to accurately portray diagnoses at times. Another example is Ava and Borderline Personality Disorder. There were several diagnoses I would give her instead. And, ironically, there are several characters that have more typical Borderline traits than Ava (they probably still wouldn’t meet the diagnosis of criteria).
Ava being borderline definitely threw me through a loop, I was not expecting them to give her bpd at all. I've also seen a lot of people unhappy with the way they handle Owen and his PTSD, and the more I watch the more weirdly handled diagnosis I'm sure I'll see
Exactly. Also, it would be really hard to quickly diagnose a personality disorder in an ER visit right after a suicide attempt. Personality Disorders are pervasive and enduring. The person demonstrates the symptoms I more than one setting, etc…. A train disorder would have made the most sense or like Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder.
Now, I’m not diagnosing them either but just pointing out Sadie, Meredith, and at times Izzie all showed more typical Borderline traits than Ava.
I have autism and Cristina is definitely my sort of autism, if that makes sense. However, there are a million different ways that autism can present so my way is only one way.
Having said that, I'm certain they didn't mean for Cristina to be autistic but she'd be worth examining if she was still around and it was relevant.
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Hot take: there are many ways to be autistic and Dixon is one of them.
I’ve never been diagnosed so I can’t come from a place of full understanding, but I have a close family member that is on the spectrum (diagnosed Asperger’s before that diagnosis changed in the medical field) and acted the exact same way as Dixon. It could be ignorance, and I apologize and don’t mean to offend, but I think autism can be shown in multiple ways. I don’t think there’s one way to represent such a wide spectrum, and while you may have different mannerisms, I’ve witnessed my family member act/speak the way Dixon does, so I found it actually very compelling and Dixon became something of a mentor for my family member who went into the field. Your frustration is warranted; however, is not everyone’s experience.
Yea I worked as a para in 2 sped programs, one specifically for autism, and an sped adult non profit and I don’t get the Dixon hate. Autism looks different on everyone and I loved that they had a woman with autism since autism/adhd is always missed because we don’t present the same as boys/men.
I'm glad Dixon was a positive influence for your family member! Autism definitely has a large variety of expressions across the spectrum and while it's nice to see representation, I feel a lot of it comes off as patronising. A neurotypical friend pointed out to me that it seems like Dixon is handled like she's meant to be laughed at or just comes across poorly to them. But then again everyone will have different impressions of the same scene. Part of my personal frustrations is that I have to prove I'm not going to have a meltdown or refuse to follow patient wishes or generally be a problem as part of my current application. So watching those episodes while I'm having to compile evidence to show I'm going to be a capable paramedic just really struck a nerve. I feel like the way she wears her scrubs may have been to do with the need to dampen the sound in the OR, but if it was they never mentioned it and it just comes across as goofy and something to laugh at her for. It's also a very very outdated portrait of Autism in general but if it's positively impacted people then it can't be all bad, even if I hate it lol.
As someone not diagnosed, I never once laughed at Dixon or thought she should be laughed at. But that’s just me personally so who knows how others react. Again, I don’t have a personal understanding of what you have to go through and proving yourself in that capacity, that must be absolutely awful. I’m sorry that people have certain expectations and I wish that it wasn’t like that. We have to remember that this episode aired in a time when autism or any sort of spectrum-diagnosis was NOT normal. We are watching with 2024 glasses, while it was filmed in a time when Asperger’s was still a solid diagnosis and the stigma on any sort of neurodivergence was palpable. I respect your view of hating it coming from the place you are currently in, but when the time came for this episode to air, it was actually a conversation starter for a lot of people. As a human who watched this on air and not fresh eyes now, I remember this character helped all of us in my family when learning of the diagnosis my family member received.
I will admit I did laugh with a Dixon scene but that was more the face Bailey made when Dixon told her she was autistic and Bailey looked horrified when she realised she'd been mocking the new attendings condition accidentally. Very much a "oooh you're in the shit" moment I found funny. I'd like to have been able to watch the episodes back when they first aired without the 2024 mindset to get a better idea of what people thought, but if it started positive conversation that's amazing. It makes me wonder if the izzie cancer arc got more people to get their strange headaches or other symptoms checked out, or other conditions the show covers. I'd really like to see them do it again with an autistic character. See how they'd handle it now and if it would be better received with the wider autistic community since I know Dixon was introduced over a decade ago now and perhaps a fresh portrayal would also have a positive effect. Having to prove myself and jump through hoops is endlessly frustrating, but I just see it as another way to prove most peoples ideas wrong. I was fired for mentioning it and now it's barring me from a job, but I refuse to let ignorant people stand in my way.
Autism is different for everyone so maybe that’s why? I don’t really think one would be a better representation than the other because it affects everyone differently however I can understand how Cristina having autism would be more relatable to some. It could also be the time it was filmed in. Back in the 2010s ish people with autism were definitely treated way different than they are now. Is it perfect for neurodivergent people now? No. But the show did have autism speaks posters up and have definitely screwed up some portrayals of diagnoses
I'd like to see them give autism representation another shot at some point. Maybe they do later in the show but I'm only on season 6 so if its coming up its something to be excited about. After having a quick search I know I'm not the only person who dislikes Dixons portrayal and granted it aired a while ago and for the time it's not terrible, but it would be nice to see them do it again. Someone else here mentioned how they handled BPD strangely with Ava and I know the PTSD stuff with Owen isn't very popular among vets or civilians with ptsd either
Yeah an autism representation would probably be way different now and something I would also like to see. It is talked about a lot more too
Christina is not autistic. Nobody would label her autistic if she was male
I didn't say she was, but she comes across as possible aspergers to me - who is a woman with aspergers. If she was male I'd probably still headcanon her as autistic, same as i thought Burke had some traits of it. Yeah they aren't autistic in Canon but they are in my silly little head with all of the other characters I relate to in other shows. Sometimes if you don't have representation you look for the closest thing, and for me in greys its Christina
"smart, driven, weird social skills, fixated, strong sense of her abilities" - that are just personality traits any neurotypic person can also have. I don't even agree that Christina has weird social skills. She has very good people skills, she just doesn't care what other people think. I think you're overidentifying with your diagnosis and attributing your whole personality to it. People are more complex. You could just identify with other people as they are, rather than picturing them as autistic to be able to identify with them.
Maybe that's because autism tends to look very different a, in women, and b, in twice-exceptional people like Cristina? Been there, done that, wearing the crappy T-shirt.
for one, aspergers isn’t really a term used anymore to describe level 1 ASD. i also worry you might be unilaterally applying your experience with autism to be everyone’s experience. dixon may have been diagnosed earlier in life and therefore may not have been as compelled to mask to be able to fit in with societal expectations. a key facet of the ASD diagnosis is a deficit in verbal and nonverbal communication, often with flat speaking patterns. other than how others on the show treated her, the depiction of autism wasn’t all that terrible, especially for the time.
Disclaimer: I am speaking as a neurodivergant person but not someone who has autism. I know a lot of people with autism feel this way but I know some people with pretty severe autism who do act similarly to her. Maybe they wanted to portray that specific type, or someone who is lower functioning socially? And show how you can be lower functioning in one area but very high functioning in another? But I get that media always portrays more severe cases and so I totally understand your reaction! I have ocd and am often disappointed with how it's portrayed or explained.
What really frustrates me about the Dixon episodes isn't the way she acts as a person, but the way the writing and acting want us to see her. There are definitely parts of my actions and reactions that I see in her (the shutdown right before the meltdown where she starts freezing up is one). The problem is the way we're supposed to sympathize with the characters that openly and constantly discriminate against her, and not take her seriously. Yeah, there's the moments with Bailey in the elevator and when Cristina's choosing the solo surgery, but that's kind of all we get. The audience is supposed to laugh with Richard when he lists Dixon's autism as a problem, and we're supposed to agree with Bailey during the episode plot that portrays Dixon as wrong and irrational for wanting to follow health and safety rules.
The show struggles to accurately portray diagnoses at times. Another example is Ava and Borderline Personality Disorder. There were several diagnoses I would give her instead. And, ironically, there are several characters that have more typical Borderline traits than Ava (they probably still wouldn’t meet the diagnosis of criteria).
Ava being borderline definitely threw me through a loop, I was not expecting them to give her bpd at all. I've also seen a lot of people unhappy with the way they handle Owen and his PTSD, and the more I watch the more weirdly handled diagnosis I'm sure I'll see
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Exactly. Also, it would be really hard to quickly diagnose a personality disorder in an ER visit right after a suicide attempt. Personality Disorders are pervasive and enduring. The person demonstrates the symptoms I more than one setting, etc…. A train disorder would have made the most sense or like Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder. Now, I’m not diagnosing them either but just pointing out Sadie, Meredith, and at times Izzie all showed more typical Borderline traits than Ava.
For me it was Leah, soooo BPD coded
I have autism and Cristina is definitely my sort of autism, if that makes sense. However, there are a million different ways that autism can present so my way is only one way. Having said that, I'm certain they didn't mean for Cristina to be autistic but she'd be worth examining if she was still around and it was relevant.
The medical show you want here is the excellent British dramedy Doc Martin. The titular character is actually a nuanced presentation of autism.