Atypical

I'm a weirdo. That's what everyone says.

Sometimes, I don't know what people mean when they say things,

and that can make me feel alone even when there are other people in the room.

And all I can do is sit and twiddle,

which is what I call my self-stimulatory behavior,

when I flick a pencil against a rubber band at a certain frequency

and think about all the things that I could never do,

like research penguins in Antarctica or have a girlfriend.

I don't know. I'd like to go to Antarctica.

It's quiet there...

except in the rookeries, where the penguins breed.

Those aren't quiet. No, sir.

I'm finished with my answer.

Great.

Almost done for today. Good session, Sam.

I can see your bra. It's purple.

Um, there was one more thing I wanted to discuss.

And I don't need your answer now,

but I'm asking all my clients if they'd be willing

to donate their brains for research.

Donate my brain?

- After you die. - Oh.

Yeah. There's such a shortage of brain matter available,

and, you know, there's no substitute for the real thing.

Just think about it.

- Okay. - And, hey, Sam,

what you said earlier about having a girlfriend?

People in the spectrum date, you know?

You can try to find someone, if you wanted to.

- How? - You just have to put yourself out there.

Out where?

Buses are okay,

but I don't like the feeling of the seat on my back,

so I sit like this.

I don't know how people stand it.

Maybe they've developed thicker back skin from riding the bus so much.

There's a type of Antarctic cod that has a special protein

in its blood that stops it from freezing.

Antifreeze in fish.

I was just thinking about Antarctic cod.

Antarctica is the most remote continent on the planet.

It has 90% of the world's ice,

but it's considered a desert because the annual rainfall

is only about eight inches.

You wouldn't think it was a desert when you looked at it.

That's why I like it.

It's not what it looks like.

Sam! Dinner!

So, I ordered those T-shirts that Sam likes, in bulk...

you know, 100% cotton...

and they switched them to something that they called "tri-blend."

So I called the company, and I spoke to this woman named Rizwana.

I think I was speaking with India.

Mm-hmm.

But, anyway, um...

And she found a box of the old ones,

and they sent them free of charge.

- They're exactly the right kind. - Mm.

Wow. That is a great story, Mom.

Oh, don't be a dick, honey.

So, Sam, how was your session with Julia today?

She wants me to donate my brain,

but don't worry, it's after I die.

What, like, for research? That could be kind of cool.

Absolutely not.

And the queen has spoken.

Well, it's gross, Casey.

You tell Julia, "Thank you, but no."

- Okay. - You're so easy to boss around.

I don't care what happens to my dead brain.

It's either I give it to Julia, or maggots eat it.

If Mom wants maggots to eat it, fine.

No, no, no. That's not what I'm saying.

Kind of is.

I don't care. I'll be dead.

Can we stop talking about you being dead? You're not going anywhere.

Wow, this chicken's really good, honey.

Thanks. It's a dry rub.

It's a good dry rub.

Julia thinks that I should put myself out there

and find someone to have sex with.

She didn't say the sex part. I added that.

- -

My school is crowded, noisy,

and it smells weird,

but it has one thing going for it:

it has lots of girls.

Well, I think every girl is pretty in her own way,

like a snowflake in a seasonal Antarctic storm.

But girls don't notice me at all.

Thank you.

Banged a veterinarian I met online last night.

She had a pet parrot that repeated everything she said.

"Do me, Brown Sugar! Do me, Brown Sugar!"

Oh, shit. I think she's racist.

What kind of parrot?

Oh, I don't know. The red rainbow one?

- That's a scarlet macaw. - Oh.

Zahid...

do you like dating girls?

Yeah, dude. I like dating girls.

What are you doing?

Going online to try and find a girl to date.

That's hilarious. I'll help.

Okay, finish this sentence:

"I spend a lot of time thinking about..."

Easy. Penguins.

And, especially, I'll say chinstrap penguins.

They're my favorite bird,

but all four types of Antarctic penguins are good.

Did you know early explorers thought they were fish and classified them that way?

Not birds, fish.

I'm gonna put "sports."

Hey, kids.

What you doing?

Casey's helping me sign up for online dating,

but hates all my answers, so she's lying.

- Wow. - Mm-hmm.

You're a little young for that.

You know, I saw an episode on 20/20.

There's actually something called "cat fishing,"

- and it has nothing to do with fishing. - Bye, Mom.

Should we take another picture with Edison?

I read online that girls love animals.

Maybe like this?

I think this might go quicker if you just leave.

Damn it.

Careful. What are you doing?

Honey, can you get that for me?

- Which one? - Three to five.

This room, it's, like, so disorganized.

- Such a mess. - You okay?

Yes, fine. Totally fine.

Yeah.

Sam's gonna start dating, so that's something.

Do you remember these?

- Sam's emotion cards? - Yeah.

"Someone's making this face, they might be sad,

so you should try to be kind to them."

A woman in the support group, her son was just diagnosed,

so I said I'd throw

some things together.

This was the exact face he made when I surprised him with Mets tickets.

- Remember that? - Yeah, I do.

I wanted us to just have one thing in common.

Just one thing.

Me and my dad used to go to the ball games all the time.

I think it's all right that Sam's gonna try to date.

I mean, you and I weren't much older when we met,

and that was fun, right? We had a good time.

- Sam's not like us. - I know, but he has to start...

Do you know that every time the phone rings, I jump?

Every time.

I think he's crossed the street again with his eyes closed...

or he had a freak-out in a store

or he's hit a police officer.

- Every time the phone rings. - I know. I know.

But maybe now it's time for us to take a step back.

Spend time together, just the two of us,

you know, get back to where we were before all of this.

Maybe we go on a date.

Hmm?

Or we... we fool around.

- Huh? - Yeah, right.

No?

Oh.

You're serious.

I'm not serious.

- I'm sorry. - I'm just playing.

Common traits of autism spectrum disorder include

repetitive behaviors, difficulty socializing

and persistent, intense preoccupations.

I have a patient who came up with 95 ways to cook an egg.

Come on in.

Please, sit.

- Yeah, thanks. - Oh.

Is everything okay with Sam?

Oh, yes. It's fine.

I just, um...

Sam said you spoke to him about dating.

He mentioned wanting a girlfriend, so I thought...

I appreciate you're trying to help,

but all the things that make my son's everyday life difficult...

like reading social cues, exchanging small talk...

all the things I've helped him navigate his entire life,

are magnified in dating.

Um...

Dating is almost entirely nonverbal communication,

and Sam's the most literal person I know.

Yeah, and there are strategies that I could teach him.

Are there?

Are there strategies for when you get your heart broken?

Sam is doing really well.

I mean, we're 32 days into his senior year,

and he hasn't had a meltdown yet, so...

I don't want to push him.

I mean, relationships are hard enough for neurotypicals.

I don't want to put that kind of pressure on my son.

There was a study done in Toronto a few years ago.

Researchers found that only nine percent