From the
NY Daily News. In the picture, on 'Parenthood,' the Braverman family learns Max (Max Burkholder, 2nd l.) has Asperger's. From l.-r., Peter Krause, Monica Potter and Bonnie Bedelia play Max's parents and grandmother.
A storyline on the new NBC sitcom "Parenthood" is raising public awareness of Asperger's syndrome - at least according to Google searches.
"Asperger's" (and various misspellings) were among the top Google trends Wednesday morning after the second episode of the hourlong drama, which features a character with Asperger's, aired Tuesday night.
Asperger's is a form of high-functioning autism often characterized by inability to pick up on social cues, heightened sensitivity, and an intense focus on only one or a few interests. Because it is at the low end of the autism spectrum, people without awareness of the condition may assume someone with Asperger's is simply quirky or socially awkward.
On "Parenthood," parents Adam and Kristina Braverman (played by Peter Krause and Monica Potter) are told their young son Max (played by Max Burkholder) may have Asperger's, and Adam is seen struggling to connect with his son.
"Parenthood" writer and executive producer Jason Katims has a 13-year-old son with Asperger's, and has said NBC was "supportive but wary" about the Asperger's plotline.
"They want to be careful of making something either feel too heavy, or something where you’re not talking to a large enough audience," Katims told the Newark Star-Ledger.
"My hope would be that it normalizes it," Katims continued. "So there's no stigma to it, no mystery to it."
From the NY Daily News. In the picture, on 'Parenthood,' the Braverman family learns Max (Max Burkholder, 2nd l.) has Asperger's. From l.-r., Peter Krause, Monica Potter and Bonnie Bedelia play Max's parents and grandmother.
