Hollywood shows us a family dealing with Aspergers on Parenthood

Tuesday night I got to watch NBC’s Parenthood, based on the Ron Howard film of the same name. With a cast of wonderful actors the show examines the intertwined lives of of one family and airs on Tuesday nights at 10pm. In last night’s episode one of the adult siblings learns that his son Max has Aspergers Syndrome. While the show will not give you any new information on the disorder it is a wonderful window into how the boy’s behavior affects his family. His older sister seems a bit jealous of all the attention he gets, yet she is the one who knows how to best manage him. His father wrestles to understand that this is a permanent condition and that he can’t just be “cured.” His mother seems to be preparing for what she knows will be a long, hard road. His uncle uses it as an excuse to juggle girlfriends.

The episode mentions some treatment options and therapies when the overwhelmed parents visit another couple with an Aspergers child and pokes fun at how hard it can be to get in to see some specialists. To watch the episode go here. Next week’s episode will feature some of the issues Max has with school.