The autism projectThe autism project
All In The Mind
Socially awkward Professor Don Tillman was the protagonist in the best-selling novel The Rosie Project, a book which built awareness of and helped to reduce the stigma around autism. The final book in author Graeme Simsion's Rosie trilogy has Don and his wife Rosie raising their 11-year-old son, who may have autism.
29:06•17 Feb 2019
Autism, Empathy and The Rosie Project: Graham Simpson on Rethinking "Normal"
Episode Overview
- Popular fiction like The Rosie Project can shift public attitudes by portraying an autistic-like character as different but good.
- Autism stereotypes, especially the idea of lacking empathy, are strongly questioned and reframed as mutual misunderstanding.
- Parents face a fine line between helping a child fit in and preserving their core personality; practical skills are favoured over trying to change who they are.
- Autism diagnosis can be both helpful and troubling, offering explanation for some while also feeding labels and tribal thinking.
- Moving beyond simple awareness toward full acceptance of human diversity is presented as the real goal for autistic and marginalised people.
“We don't want awareness. We want awareness, but that's only a precursor to acceptance.”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? Here, the focus is autism, stigma and how fiction can shift how people think. ABC RN’s All In The Mind sits down with writer Graeme Simsion / Graham Simpson, whose Rosie trilogy features the much‑loved, socially awkward geneticist Don Tillman.
Through talking about his latest book, The Rosie Result, he explains how Don and 11‑year‑old Hudson give a fresh look at autism, school life and parenting in a changing social climate.
He talks about creating Hudson by revisiting his own memories: “I remembered the year that I was 11 in my own life very, very clearly… and I can use that as the basis for writing Hudson, who is autistic.” That process sparked uncomfortable questions about his own childhood traits and whether, by today’s standards, teachers might have pushed for an autism assessment. The conversation tackles common myths, especially the idea that autistic people lack empathy.
Simpson is blunt: “I would say from all of my observations that is utterly untrue,” arguing that mutual misunderstanding between autistic and non‑autistic people gets mislabelled as a one‑sided problem. Parents and carers will recognise the struggle he describes: how much do you shape a child to fit in, and how much do you let them be themselves?
His current view is to “give them the skills to be themselves, but to interact with the rest of the world,” without trying to erase their nature. There’s also a candid look at diagnosis, masking, and how labels can help some people make sense of their lives, while also feeding tribalism.
Simpson reflects on his own assessment, the relief and confusion of being told he does not qualify for a diagnosis, and how imagining life as an autistic adult deepened his empathy for anyone who is marginalised. Anyone interested in mental health, difference and how stories reshape public attitudes to autism will find plenty to think about here. How might your own assumptions about “normal” be limiting the people around you?
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