The Disney+ reboot of The Proud Family has people talking about how one episode portrayed a character’s autism diagnosis in a realistic, thoughtful, and honest way

If you were a fan of the original The Proud Family on the Disney Channel, you probably remember that it was a show that wasn’t afraid to tackle tough issues. Episodes in the original series showed characters dealing with bullying, religious differences—even race relations, which was (sadly) a pretty radical thing to portray in a kids’ cartoon at the time. Now that the show’s reboot has hit Disney+, it’s clear that the tradition of realistically and honestly portraying tough issues will carry on. One clip is going viral for the way it depicts a character’s autism diagnosis—including conveying how many people feel when they’re in that situation and describing how best to love and support a child on the spectrum.

In the video, the Proud family can be seen in a doctor’s office, where their twins, BeBe and CeCe, have just been evaluated. While CeCe is shown to be ahead of her age, BeBe’s evaluation reveals something different: he’s showing early signs of autism.

In the clip, Oscar is at first upset about the news. But as the doctor explains that it simply means BeBe needs different kinds of love and support, he remembers what’s most important: that his son is still the same person and that they love each other.

The clip quickly went viral, with many people praising the show for not only having representation of a Black character with autism but also refusing to shy away from the reality: that people on the spectrum can be met with fear and apprehension, even from people who love them. The only way we’re going to overcome that is through honest, thoughtful portrayals like this one.

https://twitter.com/heyygeorgy/status/1621153442986360835?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1621153442986360835%7Ctwgr%5E647373f3b1177068b43e68cfc1753907f626dc6d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.buzzfeed.com%2Fchelseastewart%2Fthe-proud-family-autism-storyline-reactions

This is the kind of media that kids (and, let’s be honest, many adults) need to see. It addresses a tough issue head-on, and the result is more empathy and understanding. You love to see it.

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