The Good Doctor has long helped promote positive ideas about autistic people, but its newest storyline could undermine this message if not handled carefully. The Freddie Highmore-led series has followed autistic doctor Shaun Murphy through career and personal challenges for the past seven years. Shaun was initially a resident who had to prove he could do the job, but he has progressed over the years and is now an attending physician who teaches student doctors. The Good Doctor thus has come full circle by allowing Shaun to be the supervisor who has to deal with an autistic student.
The series has also followed Shaun’s relationship with Lea, who went from neighbor to girlfriend to wife over the years. The Good Doctor is ending after season 7, and the final year has focused on a significant change for Shaun: he is now a father. Shaun and Lea have often butted heads over how to raise baby Steve. A new storyline involving the baby could be one of The Good Doctor’s most powerful, but there is a danger the series could accidentally reinforce dangerous tropes about autism as it proceeds.
The Good Doctor Focuses on Autistic Inclusion
The Series Has Worked Hard to Change the Way Autistic People are Depicted on Television
The Good Doctor has changed the television landscape for autistic people. It was not the first primetime series to feature an autistic character but shows that came before it tended to focus on how difficult autism made the life of the autistic character and their family. Shaun was the first non-tragic autistic character in primetime. Rather than being limited by autism, Shaun proved the naysayers wrong and succeeded in a challenging career, promoting the idea that autistic people could live fulfilling lives.
During season 7, The Good Doctor has taken its commitment to positive autistic representation a step further by adding the character of Charlie (Kayla Comer), the first autistic character in a primetime series to be played by an autistic actress. There have been some missteps with how Charlie has been written, but The Good Doctor fixed her problematic storyline quickly and turned her into another example of an autistic character who has positive contributions to offer.
Shaun’s Concerns About Steve’s Potential Autism Could Accidentally Reinforce Negative Stereotypes
Steve’s Symptoms Are Not On The List Of Typical Autistic Behaviors For Infants
Shaun’s concerns stemmed from learning that Steve didn’t cry when left at daycare at the hospital for the first time. Not responding negatively to strangers or being separated from their parents is not one of the symptoms doctors generally advise parents to look out for in babies Steve’s age (via UCSD School of Medicine). It is important for The Good Doctor to make it clear that Shaun’s concern does not match typical medical advice to avoid reinforcing inaccurate stereotypes about how autistic babies behave.
Shaun has unusual medical insight, as well as his lived experience as an autistic person, so his concerns aren’t necessarily misplaced. His concerns likely have been brewing for a while and only came to the surface when he learned that Steve did not behave like the other children in the daycare center. If the deeper reasons for Shaun’s conclusion are explained well, that should negate any potential stereotypes caused by the odd reason for his initial suspicion.
The Good Doctor Must Be Careful Not To Shift the Focus Inappropriately During The Steve Storyline
Shaun and Lea Must Demonstrate How Parents Should Handle a Potential Autism Diagnosis
There was always a chance that Steve would be autistic since his father is, and if handled correctly, the series could depict Shaun and Lea giving Steve the acceptance Shaun never had as a child. In addition, there are early interventions such as speech therapy and occupational therapy that can help autistic children gain skills without attempting to make them neurotypical. The Good Doctor could help educate people about how to help autistic children through this storyline.
The Baby Steve storyline could provide a realistic picture of how families deal with having an autistic child. However, the series must be careful not to accidentally slip back into stereotypes about autism being a tragedy for the family. Shaun has not been very tolerant of Charlie’s autistic traits at work, to say the least, and if he is unaccepting of his son’s autism or is upset that he “ruined” Steve’s life by passing on autistic genes, that could send the wrong message.
The Good Doctor Must Tell a Nuanced Story In Limited Time
The Series Has Only a Few Episodes Left Before It Ends
It will be more challenging to tell this story properly because of the limited time left. The Good Doctor must wrap up all of the series’ loose ends while developing this story and taking it to its logical end within May, as the series finale will air sometime during the month. This leaves little time for focus on the nuances of dealing with Steve’s potential autism diagnosis. If this storyline is rushed because of the limited time remaining, that increases the chances of The Good Doctor making mistakes that accidentally reinforce negative stereotypes.
One way The Good Doctor could handle this is by jumping into the future for the finale. If Steve is depicted as a happy, well-adjusted child in the future and Shaun and Lea demonstrate love and acceptance, that could send a powerful message about the challenges and joy inherent in raising an autistic child. Alternatively, Shaun could work through his fears and accept and love Steve for who he is. If The Good Doctor takes either of these routes, Steve’s potential autism could be a strong, positive final story that strengthens the series’ legacy.
The Good Doctor season 7 trailer promises a heartbreaking series finale, but Steve’s being autistic should not be a painful story. This new storyline could explore the challenges of learning that Steve is autistic without slipping into negative stereotypes if done well. The Good Doctor took a risk by including this story, especially with such little time left, and must be careful to write it correctly so that it doesn’t accidentally undermine its legacy of pro-autism messaging.
