User:Shake108/sandbox

In 2015, Girl Meets World, aired an episode titled Girl Meets I Am Farkle, in which Farkle, one of the show’s protagonists, who is known for his quirky personality, may have Asperger’s syndrome. Throughout the episode, another protagonist, Maya is resistant of the idea of Farkle having Asperger’s, as she doesn’t want him to feel like he’s different or that something is wrong with him. By the end of the episode, it is discovered that he had been misdiagnosed, but a recurring character, Isadora Smackle, who has romantic feelings for Farkle and, later in the series, becomes his girlfriend, does indeed have Asperger’s. The other characters are very understanding and accepting of this. She mentions that she is very touch sensitive but is working on it, and when Farkle wants to give her a hug, she says it makes her somewhat uncomfortable, but she wants to try it anyway.

Girl Meets World was frequently known for tackling more serious issues than other Disney Channel shows of its time were willing to, very much so because it was a spinoff of the ABC 90’s sitcom, Boy Meets World. Boy Meets World dealt with alcoholism, absentee parents, and even death. In an era when most Disney Channel sitcoms were simple, silly comedies, Girl Meets World dealt with religion, poverty, and death as well. To deal with mental disability was another big step for both the show and the channel. In a Huffington Post article written about this episode specifically by the mother of a 6-year-old, she mentions that “even on the channels we’ve always trusted, some of the shows are full of sass and even border on bullying sometimes. One show (Girl Meets World) consistently gets it right, though, so we watch religiously as a family.” She felt the episode represented Asperger’s “in an authentic way and succeeded in sending the best message possible” and that “it’s really nice to see a family TV show get it right. ”

The existence of Smackle’s diagnosis was hinted at later throughout the series, with her touch-sensitivity, hyperfixations, and occasional loud outbursts being noticeable, but never again referred to by name. Arguably, the most notable moment involving her character’s personality following Girl Meets I Am Farkle was in Girl Meets A Christmas Maya. In this episode, the friend group performs a secret Santa gift exchange to the dismay of everyone except the main protagonist, Riley, as no one knows what to get one another. At first, all of the gifts given appear to be offensive to the recipient in some way, but it is discovered that each has a heartfelt meaning behind it. Another recurring character, Zay, gives Smackle a book on etiquette, which concerns her at first, but when she looks inside, she notices that Zay crosses certain things out and makes his own little notes to show Smackle that she shouldn’t feel the need to follow anyone else’s expectations of her and that she should just be herself. Likely, much of the reason Smackle’s diagnosis was not dealt with in more detail was due to her being a recurring and not main character. Additionally, many, including the cast and crew, expected the show to be renewed for a fourth season but it was shockingly cancelled after three. The producers hoped to delve into even more mature and serious topics in a potential fourth season but were never given the chance to do so. Had it been renewed, perhaps we would have seen Smackle’s diagnosis acknowledged even more.