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"title": "Autism in 《Extraordinary Attorney Woo》 S1 E01",
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"plaintext": "Note: These reflections on 《Extraordinary Attorney Woo》 (《이상한 변호사 우영우》)'s depiction of autism and autistic persons are imported from a community forum. The original format and my initial thoughts remain largely unchanged for this archive."
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"plaintext": "Disclosure: I do not speak for the autistic community as a whole. My goal is to share explanations rooted in my own lived experience and the stories and concerns shared by other autistic individuals."
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"plaintext": "Spoiler Alert!"
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"plaintext": "So far, the writer and director got everything correctly and there were no exaggerated/sensationalized scenes re: autistic and autism, in general or otherwise."
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"plaintext": "My hopes are high they will maintain this \"pureness\" instead of adding things that does not represent us autistics."
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"plaintext": "The kid moving (or hopping) left and right at a sationary position"
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"plaintext": "Accurate. I do that myself. Other autistics do it differently, like swaying forward and backward (which I sometimes do myself)."
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"plaintext": "This is the first time I saw this depicted in a show. Usually they use \"murmurs\", when an autistic talks to himself/herself; or scratches their arms. While there are autistics who do that, it is not always the case."
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"plaintext": "Kudos to episode 1 for showing a different one."
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"level": 2,
"plaintext": "Having a lot of pillows (or anything soft) at bed"
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"plaintext": "Yet another trait rarely seen in shows. The most common depiction is having a lot of toys or a thick blanket (and they even use the wrong type of blanket!) In episode 1, they decided to depict the less seen in a show, lots of pillows."
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"plaintext": "While many autistics prefer weighted blankets or sensory blankets, not everyone does. Some simply prefer to have a lot of soft things around them."
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"plaintext": "Again, kudos for choosing to show this instead of the overly used toys and incorrect blankets."
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"plaintext": "Sensory overload or sensory sensitivity"
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"plaintext": "They did well in expressing sensory overload or sensory sensitivity in a simple, natural way. These were:"
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"plaintext": "Most of us autistics have varying degrees of sensory sensitivity, and when there is simply too much, we enter into sensory overload situation."
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"plaintext": "For example, in the train scene, the crowd and the nearness of people creates a sensory overload. There are different ways that we autistics cope with it and if we fail at that … we need to run as far away from the crowd, the noise, and everything else, otherwise we're going to have a meltdown—by that it means, our energy will be completely drained."
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"plaintext": "In the train scene, the character's way of coping with it is to listen to whale sounds. This is actually a common coping mechanism: draining one's senses of something to help tune out everything else. For example, one of my coping mechanism is to fill my thoughts with a particular problem that is not easy to solve. Or, if I am with someone, I will keep on talking about \"senseless\" things to help me drown out everything else."
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"plaintext": "We even get irritated at small sounds most non-autistics can not hear. I hate those small sounds myself, it can wake me up too, but most people don't hear it."
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"plaintext": "Seeing things non-autistic people don't see/hear"
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"plaintext": "Ooh, I love this one. Almost all neurotypicals (a.k.a. so-called \"normal\") fail to see things already right in front of their faces. Almost all austistics see what they can not."
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"plaintext": "This was perfectly exemplified with that iron that does look like a whale. At first it was meaningless but later in the case, it was a stepping stone which led to the solution."
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"plaintext": "That is accurate. And because we see (and hear) a lot of things, it is one reason why we experience sensory overload. (Yeah it's interconnected.)"
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"level": 2,
"plaintext": "Ways to brace oneself before doing something a person doesn't normally do; or something challenging"
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"plaintext": "In the show, this was depicted as counting down before entering her supervisor's office. It's like preparing herself for something. Taking a deep breath. Getting her nerves ready."
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"plaintext": "This is a common trait amongst us autistics, although in varying degrees. If an autistic can not find a way to cope up with this, it practically paralyzes us from doing anything."
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"plaintext": "For example. Neurotypicals get nervous when going to interviews."
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"plaintext": "Many autistics don't just get nervous. It's like pushing a huge rock uphill for many of us. It usually starts with applying. It's too hard to send our CV because we already know (1) they are going to call us (which many of us hates); (2) we have to shake hands (which many of us hates); (3) we have to make eye contact (which again many of us hates); (4) when we arrive at the interview schedule, they'll make us wait (which we hate big time); and the list goes on. So, if we can't push ourselves to do it, it paralyzes us."
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"plaintext": "In the show, the character also observed first before meeting them (hospital scene). It helps in preparing herself and to anticipate things, then took a deep breath. For non-autistics, they'll dismiss it as \"she's bracing herself because she knew the husband and was afraid of him\". Maybe, maybe not. Personally, I'm more inclined that she was not afraid of him … at all. She knew she might lose it once the husband starts his tirade."
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"plaintext": "Echolalia"
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"plaintext": "Whenever this is depicted in a show, it usually is presented as something annoying, bad, evil, and rude. In this particular show, I like how they did not do that. They turned it into something light, something people noticed but did not make a huge fuss about it."
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"plaintext": "In the court scene, they even made it a little comedic scene because the judge answered back after she repeated what he said. In other shows, they'll probably have the judge reprimand her and probably ask for her dismissal for making his court a \"monkey court\"."
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"plaintext": "Doesn't want to be touched and hugged"
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"plaintext": "This is very true with almost all autistics, and often this is depicted wrongly and in a very bad way in shows where there is an autistic character"
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"plaintext": "It is not so much about personal space, as neurotypicals argue about, it is about sensitivities. Yes, we do care about personal spaces but that isn't our primary concern why we don't want to be touched and hugged without our permission. Again, take note, without our permission."
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"$type": "app.offprint.block.text",
"plaintext": "For some autistics, they have touch sensitivities and if you do not inform them beforehand, it may (or may not) cause a serious spike or energy drain."
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{
"$type": "app.offprint.block.text",
"plaintext": "For some autistics, they have sensitivities on bacteria and germs. Take note: not because you have this sensitivity does it mean you are autistic; no not all. However, this is also a common trait for some autistics."
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"plaintext": "For some autistics, they highly value boundaries. Usually at work and at home, you'll see this trait reflected as well … there are literal and non-literal boundaries."
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"plaintext": "So, if you know a person is autistic, do not touch them nor hug them without their permission. If they say no, don't take it personally, it has nothing to do with you, it has to do with them."
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"$type": "app.offprint.block.text",
"plaintext": "If you do not know if a person is autistic and they reacted in a way that YOU think was rude or YOU think you offended them, again do not take it personally. They probably are autistic and doesn't feel comfortable in disclosing it. Again, it is NOT about you."
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"plaintext": "Disclosing that one is in the Autism Spectrum"
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"plaintext": "Now, many neurotypicals whine about \"it's not our fault, if they disclosed they are autistic then we would not have acted that way\". Seriously?"
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"plaintext": "What this tells us is that you'll give us a fake you just because you know we are autistic. And then later, when you get tired, you will still blame us and hope we disappear from your life—or if you decide to move/resign, you'll blame us and speak about us to people we do not know."
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"$type": "app.offprint.block.text",
"plaintext": "There is prejudice against autistics. In the show, I was afraid they'll turn the court into something against autistics, with the challenges the autistic attorney is facing, the judge could have said, \"replace her, she's turning my court into a joke and she's taking too much time\". (I'm glad they did not do that.)"
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"plaintext": "Autistics don't have feelings, emotions, sympathy, and empathy"
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"$type": "app.offprint.block.text",
"plaintext": "A common false misconception thanks to obsolete information from [old] psychologists. This is NOT true."
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"$type": "app.offprint.block.text",
"plaintext": "We do have feelings, emotions, sympathy, and empathy, we just process and express it in a different way neurotypicals do not understand or refuses to acknowledge."
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"plaintext": "In the show, this was expressed in the hospital scene where the autistic attorney dissected \"love\". That short talk enabled her to stand firmly on the case for her client because she understood her client loves her husband. That is how we usually process and express it."
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"plaintext": "Fascination with one particular subject, like whales"
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"plaintext": "This is true. If someone you know is autistic (diagnosed; not diagnosed; unknown) fascination with one particular subject is a very common trait. We know almost everything about a subject we focus on. In the show, the autistic attorney's favourite subject are whales."
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"plaintext": "Clarity: While I identify as autistic and draw from shared community experiences, these views are my own and do not represent the entire autistic population."
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"description": "A breakdown of autism in 《Extraordinary Attorney Woo》 (《이상한 변호사 우영우》) Season 1 Episode 01 by an Autistic person.",
"publishedAt": "2022-06-29T16:41:00+00:00",
"textContent": "📁 Note: These reflections on 《Extraordinary Attorney Woo》 (《이상한 변호사 우영우》)'s depiction of autism and autistic persons are imported from a community forum. The original format and my initial thoughts remain largely unchanged for this archive.\n♾️ Disclosure: I do not speak for the autistic community as a whole. My goal is to share explanations rooted in my own lived experience and the stories and concerns shared by other autistic individuals.\n‼️ Spoiler Alert!\nSo far, the writer and director got everything correctly and there were no exaggerated/sensationalized scenes re: autistic and autism, in general or otherwise.\nMy hopes are high they will maintain this \"pureness\" instead of adding things that does not represent us autistics.\nThe kid moving (or hopping) left and right at a sationary position\nAccurate. I do that myself. Other autistics do it differently, like swaying forward and backward (which I sometimes do myself).\nThis is the first time I saw this depicted in a show. Usually they use \"murmurs\", when an autistic talks to himself/herself; or scratches their arms. While there are autistics who do that, it is not always the case.\nKudos to episode 1 for showing a different one.\nHaving a lot of pillows (or anything soft) at bed\nYet another trait rarely seen in shows. The most common depiction is having a lot of toys or a thick blanket (and they even use the wrong type of blanket!) In episode 1, they decided to depict the less seen in a show, lots of pillows.\nWhile many autistics prefer weighted blankets or sensory blankets, not everyone does. Some simply prefer to have a lot of soft things around them.\nAgain, kudos for choosing to show this instead of the overly used toys and incorrect blankets.\nSensory overload or sensory sensitivity\nThey did well in expressing sensory overload or sensory sensitivity in a simple, natural way. These were:\n- wearing of ear plugs (waking up scene)\n- taste sensitivity (breakfast scene)\n- too much awareness of one's surroundings (train scene)\n\nMost of us autistics have varying degrees of sensory sensitivity, and when there is simply too much, we enter into sensory overload situation.\nFor example, in the train scene, the crowd and the nearness of people creates a sensory overload. There are different ways that we autistics cope with it and if we fail at that … we need to run as far away from the crowd, the noise, and everything else, otherwise we're going to have a meltdown—by that it means, our energy will be completely drained.\nIn the train scene, the character's way of coping with it is to listen to whale sounds. This is actually a common coping mechanism: draining one's senses of something to help tune out everything else. For example, one of my coping mechanism is to fill my thoughts with a particular problem that is not easy to solve. Or, if I am with someone, I will keep on talking about \"senseless\" things to help me drown out everything else.\nWe even get irritated at small sounds most non-autistics can not hear. I hate those small sounds myself, it can wake me up too, but most people don't hear it.\nSeeing things non-autistic people don't see/hear\nOoh, I love this one. Almost all neurotypicals (a.k.a. so-called \"normal\") fail to see things already right in front of their faces. Almost all austistics see what they can not.\nThis was perfectly exemplified with that iron that does look like a whale. At first it was meaningless but later in the case, it was a stepping stone which led to the solution.\nThat is accurate. And because we see (and hear) a lot of things, it is one reason why we experience sensory overload. (Yeah it's interconnected.)\nWays to brace oneself before doing something a person doesn't normally do; or something challenging\nIn the show, this was depicted as counting down before entering her supervisor's office. It's like preparing herself for something. Taking a deep breath. Getting her nerves ready.\nThis is a common trait amongst us autistics, although in varying degrees. If an autistic can not find a way to cope up with this, it practically paralyzes us from doing anything.\nFor example. Neurotypicals get nervous when going to interviews.\nMany autistics don't just get nervous. It's like pushing a huge rock uphill for many of us. It usually starts with applying. It's too hard to send our CV because we already know (1) they are going to call us (which many of us hates); (2) we have to shake hands (which many of us hates); (3) we have to make eye contact (which again many of us hates); (4) when we arrive at the interview schedule, they'll make us wait (which we hate big time); and the list goes on. So, if we can't push ourselves to do it, it paralyzes us.\nIn the show, the character also observed first before meeting them (hospital scene). It helps in preparing herself and to anticipate things, then took a deep breath. For non-autistics, they'll dismiss it as \"she's bracing herself because she knew the husband and was afraid of him\". Maybe, maybe not. Personally, I'm more inclined that she was not afraid of him … at all. She knew she might lose it once the husband starts his tirade.\nEcholalia\nWhenever this is depicted in a show, it usually is presented as something annoying, bad, evil, and rude. In this particular show, I like how they did not do that. They turned it into something light, something people noticed but did not make a huge fuss about it.\nIn the court scene, they even made it a little comedic scene because the judge answered back after she repeated what he said. In other shows, they'll probably have the judge reprimand her and probably ask for her dismissal for making his court a \"monkey court\".\nDoesn't want to be touched and hugged\nThis is very true with almost all autistics, and often this is depicted wrongly and in a very bad way in shows where there is an autistic character\nIt is not so much about personal space, as neurotypicals argue about, it is about sensitivities. Yes, we do care about personal spaces but that isn't our primary concern why we don't want to be touched and hugged without our permission. Again, take note, without our permission.\nFor some autistics, they have touch sensitivities and if you do not inform them beforehand, it may (or may not) cause a serious spike or energy drain.\nFor some autistics, they have sensitivities on bacteria and germs. Take note: not because you have this sensitivity does it mean you are autistic; no not all. However, this is also a common trait for some autistics.\nFor some autistics, they highly value boundaries. Usually at work and at home, you'll see this trait reflected as well … there are literal and non-literal boundaries.\nSo, if you know a person is autistic, do not touch them nor hug them without their permission. If they say no, don't take it personally, it has nothing to do with you, it has to do with them.\nIf you do not know if a person is autistic and they reacted in a way that YOU think was rude or YOU think you offended them, again do not take it personally. They probably are autistic and doesn't feel comfortable in disclosing it. Again, it is NOT about you.\nDisclosing that one is in the Autism Spectrum\nNow, many neurotypicals whine about \"it's not our fault, if they disclosed they are autistic then we would not have acted that way\". Seriously?\nWhat this tells us is that you'll give us a fake you just because you know we are autistic. And then later, when you get tired, you will still blame us and hope we disappear from your life—or if you decide to move/resign, you'll blame us and speak about us to people we do not know.\nThere is prejudice against autistics. In the show, I was afraid they'll turn the court into something against autistics, with the challenges the autistic attorney is facing, the judge could have said, \"replace her, she's turning my court into a joke and she's taking too much time\". (I'm glad they did not do that.)\nAutistics don't have feelings, emotions, sympathy, and empathy\nA common false misconception thanks to obsolete information from [old] psychologists. This is NOT true.\nWe do have feelings, emotions, sympathy, and empathy, we just process and express it in a different way neurotypicals do not understand or refuses to acknowledge.\nIn the show, this was expressed in the hospital scene where the autistic attorney dissected \"love\". That short talk enabled her to stand firmly on the case for her client because she understood her client loves her husband. That is how we usually process and express it.\nFascination with one particular subject, like whales\nThis is true. If someone you know is autistic (diagnosed; not diagnosed; unknown) fascination with one particular subject is a very common trait. We know almost everything about a subject we focus on. In the show, the autistic attorney's favourite subject are whales.\n\nI'll end this here, there are more but it's too long now.\n🤝🏽 Clarity: While I identify as autistic and draw from shared community experiences, these views are my own and do not represent the entire autistic population.\n\n\n---\n\n\n\nThese reflections on 《Extraordinary Attorney Woo》 (《이상한 변호사 우영우》)'s depiction of autism and autistic persons were first shared on MyDramaList on 2022-06-30 at 07:41 UTC+8.\nContent license (2026-02-01): CC-BY-SA 4.0 International; see Legal Notice for more details."
}