Parenthood : Questin about Max

pgsuperfan
[1]Feb 23, 2011
member since: 02/04/06
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Does anyone know if the kid who plays Max really is autisic ?
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boom-moo
[2]Mar 2, 2011
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pgsuperfan wrote:

Does anyone know if the kid who plays Max really is autisic ?

I don't think he is. I have seen him in other shows and he didn't seem to be autistic at all.
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Charlie183
[3]Mar 4, 2011
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No, he's definetly not. He has played normal kids until now. I saw an interview (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2aYR6Lgw-4) and he said, that there is an aspergers doctor on the set who tells them how Max would react to certain things.
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tsode
[4]Mar 8, 2011
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It's pretty obvious that he isn't. He's also a pretty mediocre actor, thus making his portrayal of the violent, unpredictable Max somewhat disturbing. He comes across more like a spoilt little brat most of the time, than a kid you can empathize with for his condition.
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boom-moo

[5]Mar 8, 2011

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Charlie183 wrote:

No, he's definetly not. He has played normal kids until now. I saw an interview (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2aYR6Lgw-4) and he said, that there is an aspergers doctor on the set who tells them how Max would react to certain things.

Thanks for the link

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pgsuperfan
[6]Mar 23, 2011
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Thanks all for the info
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txgirl75

[7]Mar 24, 2011

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tsode wrote:

It's pretty obvious that he isn't. He's also a pretty mediocre actor, thus making his portrayal of the violent, unpredictable Max somewhat disturbing. He comes across more like a spoilt little brat most of the time, than a kid you can empathize with for his condition.

He really does come off as spoiled brat.

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boom-moo
[8]Mar 29, 2011
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I like it that they show both sides of Mac: his tantrums, obssessions and picky ways but also his intelligence, memory and the knowledge he's got about those topics that interest him.
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bg-vienna
[9]Mar 11, 2012
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As the mother of an Asperger's autistic son, I can assure you that Max's behavior is right on target! Unfortunately, these behaviors look like those of a spoiled brat, making forays into the public a nightmare for both the child (who is often overwhelmed), and the parent (who is judged as having poor parenting skills). I'm so glad to have found "Parenthood". Finally, a show that depicts issues I can relate to!
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paryah
[10]Sep 15, 2012
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Yeah, I'm really happy with the way they've depicted Asperger's here. I don't know why people would think he's being a spoiled brat when it's constantly connected to the autism.
Edited on 10/17/2012 11:02pm
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cwbybri

[11]Dec 7, 2012

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bg-vienna wrote:

As the mother of an Asperger's autistic son, I can assure you that Max's behavior is right on target! Unfortunately, these behaviors look like those of a spoiled brat, making forays into the public a nightmare for both the child (who is often overwhelmed), and the parent (who is judged as having poor parenting skills). I'm so glad to have found "Parenthood". Finally, a show that depicts issues I can relate to!

I am a step-father to a teenager with Aspergers. I started to date my wife just after Parenthood premiered. This show has been great because it helped me create a dialogue in order for me to learn about my son. Most of the time, the answer is, "he used to be like that, but has improved".

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boom-moo
[12]Dec 17, 2012
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In case anyone is interested, here's an interview in which Max Burkholder talks about his character's Asperger.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/10/parenthood-christmas-max-burkholder_n_2273798.html
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cwbybri
[13]Dec 20, 2012
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Thanks Boom! That was a great interview.

I still don't know everything about Aspergers, but after raising a child the last three years that has it, I am learning. My son is more high functioning than Max is. So it's not exactly the same. But in a lot of ways, it is. If that makes any sense.
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boom-moo
[14]Dec 30, 2012
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It does, cwbybri. I have a friend with Aspergers and I can relate a lot, the show does a great job at raising awareness. Plus Max Burkholders makes it absolutely believable, I would have never suspected that they have so many meetings to discuss Max's portrayal and the amount of work that is put behind his storylines.
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