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TV shows highlight Neurodiversity Celebration Week
Five shows about neurodivergent lived experiences
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By Peter Clark (Senior Editor, Autism Info Center) Monday 16th March 2026 |
To coincide with Neurodiversity Celebration Week, Influence has highlighted five television programmes that are helping to change the way the public perceives neurodivergent people.
Featured shows include the Channel 4 drama 'Patience', starring Ella Maisy Purvis, an autistic actor who uses her own lived experience to portray a police archivist with a keen eye for patterns.
The list also includes the BBC iPlayer docuseries 'Inside Our Minds', presented by Chris Packham, which allows neurodivergent people to use creative films to explain how their brains work.
These programmes are praised for moving away from stereotypical savant tropes and instead focusing on the daily realities of sensory differences, social interactions, and workplace navigation.
The article emphasizes that inclusive casting and authentic storytelling are vital for fostering genuine understanding in society.
Other mentioned shows include 'I Swear' on Netflix and the animated series 'Ready Eddie Go!' on Sky Kids, which helps younger audiences understand autism through the eyes of a six-year-old boy.
This media focus reflects a growing trend in the UK towards much better representation of neurodiversity.
Source: Influence (UK)
https://influenceonline.co.uk/2026/03/13/
Further reading, listening and viewing...
Have you seen our books about Autism and Neurodiversity?
Written by an autistic author, this book explains what autism is, what it isn't, and how to support autistic people with kindness and consideration. It aims to help the friends, family and carers of autistic people, as well the general public, educators, healthcare providers, employers, authorities, and anyone else who might interact with autistic people. It clearly and concisely shows them what autism can 'look like', how to recognise it, how to sensitively offer support, and how to advocate for greater awareness, acceptance and inclusion in society.
The Autism Manifesto provides a vital 'lived perspective' on autism and advocates for greater understanding, inclusion, and integration for autistic people in society. The manifesto challenges outdated views of autism as a deficit or something to be 'cured', instead presenting it as a natural human variation, and highlights the fact that different ways of thinking only serve to enrich society. Its core lies in the 10 Pillars of Inclusion, which offer direct, practical steps that everyone can take to improve the lives of autistic people in every walk of life, at home, at work, at school, in the community, in government, and in the authorities and legal systems.
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This is a comprehensive guide to addressing bullying whether it's at home, school, work, in clubs, in public, or online. It provides safe and ethical strategies to handle all the different bullying tactics from subtle manipulation to outright harassment and physical threats. It equips you to recognise bullying, deal with it safely but assertively, set proper boundaries, and document and report bullying wherever it finds you. Learn how to use support networks, safe ways of reporting bullying, and understand your legal rights to protect yourself and find the right way to deal with bullies without starting a war on your own doorstep!Copyright ©2026 Peter J. Clark T/A Autism Info Center / Influence (UK). All rights reserved worldwide. This information may not be copied, reproduced, excerpted, stored, indexed or distributed without the express written permission of the publisher, author, and copyright holder.
