Abstract
Sensationalized representations of autistic families in film and other media frequently feature violent encounters between mothers and sons. This essay analyzes two media stories and three films that suggest how limited—and therefore misleading—popular representations of the autism family are. Except for one of the films, these representations blame the problem of adult autistic dependency on either monstrous autism or bad mothering. Doing so elides collective social responsibility for autism care and denies the reality that autistic adults continue to have complex dependency needs that families cannot always meet. Narratives that sensationalize youth and adults with autism or scapegoat their maternal caregivers also diminish opportunities for social inclusion and for autistic people to live fully and dependently.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
“Age of Autism Awards: Memorial for Trudy Steuernagel.” 2009. Age of Autism, December 29. http://www.ageofautism.com/2009/12/2009-age-of-autism-awards-memorial-for-trudy-stuernagel.html.
Aleccia, Jonel. 2014. “Desperate Act: Mom Accused of Trying to Kill Autistic Daughter” NBC News, September 2. http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/desperate-act-mom-accused-trying-kill-autistic-daughter-n155816.
Anderson, Kristy, Paul Shattuck, Benjamin Cooper, Anne Roux, and Mary Wagner. 2014. “Prevalence and Correlates of Postsecondary Residential Status among Young Adults with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.” Autism 18 (5): 562–70.
“Autistic Teen Accused of Killing Mom.” 2009. CBS News, February 14. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/autistic-teen-accused-of-killing-mom/.
Balonen-Rosen, Peter. 2015. “For Students with Disabilities, Transition from High School Brings Unique Challenges.” Learning Lab – WBUR, July 6. http://learninglab.wbur.org/2015/07/06/for-students-with-disabilities-transition-from-high-school-brings-unique-challenges/.
Bascom, Julia. 2014. “ASAN Statement on Dr. Phil Episode Featuring K. Stapleton.” Autistic Self Advocacy Network, September. http://autisticadvocacy.org/2014/09/asan-statement-on-dr-phil-episode-featuring-k-stapleton/.
Bauer, Ann. 2009. “The Monster inside My Son,” Salon, May 26. http://www.salon.com/2009/03/26/bauer_autism/.
Bisplinghoff, Gretchen. 1992. “Mothers, Madness and Melodrama.” Jump Cut 37:120-126. http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC37folder/MomsMadnessMelodrama.html.
Carpenter, Siri. 2015. “For Adults with Autism, a Lack of Support When They Need It Most.” The Washington Post, March 23. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/for-adults-with-autism-a-lack-of-support-when-they-need-it-most/2015/03/23/cd082c64-b396-11e4-854b-a38d13486ba1_story.html.
Catsoulis, Jeannette. 2011. “A Difficult Family Relationship: Fly Away.” New York Times, April 15. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/15/movies/fly-away-movie-review.html.
Collins, Patricia Hill. 1998. “It’s All in the Family: Intersections of Gender, Race, and Nation.” Hypatia 13 (3): 62-82.
Connors, Joanna. 2009. “Kent State Professor Trudy Steuernagel’s Fierce Protection of Her Autistic Son, Sky Walker, Costs Her Life: Sheltering Sky.” Cleveland Blog, December 9. http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/12/kent_state_professor_trudy_ste.html.
“Domestic Violence, Mothers, Children and Autism.” 2013. Looking for Blue Sky. September. http://www.lookingforbluesky.com/2013/09/domestic-violence-mothers-children-and.html.
Dr. Phil Show. 2014. “Exclusive: Kelli Stapleton: A Mother’s Worst Nightmare.” September 16. CBS. http://www.drphil.com/shows/show/2257/.
Ehrenreich, Barbara and Deidre English. 1978. For Her Own Good: 150 Years of the Experts’ Advice to Women. Garden City: Anchor Press.
Exodus Fall. 2011. Directed by Ankush Kohli and Chad Waterhouse. Santa Monica: Hulu, 2016. http://www.hulu.com/watch/461251.
Fly Away. 2011. Directed by Janet Grillo. Los Angeles: Flatiron Films. DVD.
“Fly Away Movie.” 2016. http://flyawaymovie.com/the-film/.
Gallick, Tom. 2009. “Sky Walker Ruled Incompetent to Stand Trial by Judge,” KentWired, September 15. http://www.kentwired.com/latest_updates/article_d2756c1c-8003-5089-b75c-dcddba29082b.html.
Gordon, Renée and Dr. Barry Gordon. 2014. “What Can Be Done to Help Parents of Autistic Adults?” PBS News Hour, September 30. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/adults-autism-deserve-system-allows-thrive/
Temple Grandin. 2010. Directed by Mick Jackson. New York: HBO Films, DVD.
Hagloch, Susan B. 2011. “Fly Away: When Love Means Letting Go.” Library Journal 136 (12): 48. General OneFile Web.
Henderson, Tom. 2011. “Movie Tells Story of Mother and Her Autistic Daughter.” The Autism News, April 21. http://helpcd.com/theautismnews/2011/04/21/movie-tells-story-of-mother-and-her-autistic-daughter/.
Kittay, Eva Feder. 1999. Love's Labor: Essays on Women, Equality and Dependency. New York: Routledge.
------. 2001. “When Caring Is Just and Justice Is Caring: Justice and Mental Retardation.” Public Culture 13 (3): 557–79.
Lee, Eunice. 2013. “Best-Kept Secret Sheds Light on Autistic Youth in Newark,” Star-Ledger, May 3. http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2013/05/best_kept_secret_documentary_s.html.
Lutz, Amy S. F. 2014. “Why Has Kelli Stapleton Polarized the Autism Community?” Psychology Today, October 10. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/inspectrum/201410/why-has-kelli-stapleton-polarized-the-autism-community.
Magro, Kerry. 2013. “The Best-Kept Secret Discovered.” Autism Speaks. September 23. https://www.autismspeaks.org/news/news-item/%E2%80%9Cbest-kept-secret%E2%80%9D-discovered.
Matson, Johnny L. and Paige E. Cervantes. 2014. “Assessing Aggression in Persons with Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Overview.” Research in Developmental Disabilities 35 (12): 3269–3275.
McClintock, Anne. 1995. Imperial Leather : Race, Gender, and Sexuality in the Colonial Contest. New York: Routledge.
Parker, Rosemary. 2013. “Autism Anguish: Does Sympathy for Kelli Stapleton Put People with Autism at Risk?” MLive, September 14. http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2013/09/hold_autism_anguish_sympathy--.html.
Pateman, Carole. 1988. The Sexual Contract. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Petersen, Carrie. 2006. “Charge Increased in Autistic Teen’s Fire Death,” Corvallis Gazette-Times, May 23. http://www.gazettetimes.com/news/local/charge-increased-in-autistic-teen-s-fire-death/article_c5efa078-9c0e-52d5-8a61-d6014e3220c5.html.
Ronan, Amanda. n.d. “The Emotional Turmoil Surrounding Extremely Aggressive and Violent Behavior in Your Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder.” The ORP Community. Accessed September 1, 2015. http://www.orplibrary.com/posts/the-emotional-turmoil-surrounding-extremely-aggressive-and-violent-behavior-in-your-child-with-autism-spectrum-disorder.
Rosin, Hanna. 2014. “Kelli Stapleton Can’t Forgive Herself for Trying to Kill Her Violent, Autistic Daughter. Can You?” New York Magazine, October 19. http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/10/kelli-stapleton-issy-stapleton.html.
Simplican, Stacy Clifford, 2015. “Care, Disability, and Violence: Theorizing Complex Dependency in Eva Kittay and Judith Butler,” Hypatia 30 (1): 217-233.
Stagliano, Kim. 2009. “18 Year Old with Autism Faces Murder Charges.” Age of Autism, February 12. http://www.ageofautism.com/2009/02/18-year-oid-with-autism-faces-murder-charges.html.
The Best-Kept Secret. 2013. Directed by Samantha Buck. PBS. DVD.
Truesdell, Jeff. 2014. “Kelli Stapleton Sentenced to 10-22 Years for Attempt on Daughter with Autism’s Life.” People, October 8. http://www.people.com/article/kelli-stapleton-sentenced-prison.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Allen, H. Bad Mothers and Monstrous Sons: Autistic Adults, Lifelong Dependency, and Sensationalized Narratives of Care. J Med Humanit 38, 63–75 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10912-016-9406-4
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10912-016-9406-4