The autistic doll, the latest invention in the Barbie universe of the Mattel group, has not gone unnoticed and certainly not because of its cartoon-like structure: eyes slightly averted from direct visual contact; behaviors of stimming, that is, repetitive movements or gestures that help you calm down or concentrate; noise canceling headphones, small anti-stress objects (fidget spinner), tablets with communication symbols; clothes suitable for sensory sensitivities. To protect itself from potential criticism, Mattel also announced that it had created its doll in collaboration with theAutistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), an organization led by autistic people, who helped avoid purely paternalistic portrayals of the new doll.
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Let's also take the intentions of the autistic Barbie as good ("to raise awareness of autism and bring those with this problem closer to playing with dolls" say Mattel executives), which among other things comes after the blind Barbie, the one in the wheelchair and the one with the diabetes of type 1, but it is certainly not a coincidence that the entire world of voluntary associations that deal with autism and various scientific communities of doctors who treat this serious pathology, have been indignant at the clearly commercial choice of the Mattel group, from "easy receipt" under the sign of "politically correct” and of social marketing driven by the turbo engines of advertising and article promotion budgets.
And the collective indignation is not generic, but very well-substantiated, and this makes it even more credible.. The autistic Barbie, according to these objections, is merely a stereotype, devoid of any basis in reality, as each person with autism has their own specific characteristics. Furthermore, autism, to be understood, cannot be reduced to a doll with gadgets, and social relationships—the true heart of the diagnosis—are not represented by the Mattel doll. "A very incorrect operation, which sugarcoats reality and at the same time freezes stereotypes," defines it Gianluca Nicoletti, journalist and writer, father of Tommy, an autistic boy, and always committed to voluntary linked precisely to autism. And the word most pronounced by the chorus of indignation is also the adjective that best defines the autistic doll: grotesque.
Image source: Mattel/Instagram
Read also:
- Pizzaut: the pizzeria run by autistic children
- A home for autistic children in Coredo
- Dopodinoi: the Bastia Umbra residence for young autistic people who decide on furnishings and common areas.
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