A Psycholinguistic Analysis of Communication Challenges in Autism: Insights from Dr. Shaun Murphy in the Good Doctor Series

Abstract

This study investigates verbal and nonverbal communication challenges of Dr. Shaun Murphy, an autistic character in the Good Doctor series. As the protagonist, Shaun faced significant communication barriers in his interactions with others. To explore these difficulties, the study uses a qualitative descriptive approach to analyze key scenes from the second season, focusing on particular moments related to Shaun’s struggles with speech. The study applies the psycholinguistic framework of Frith and Happe (1994), which identifies core language and communication impairments in autism, including emotional expression, difficulty with figurative language, echolalia, prosody variations, avoidance of eye contact, and inability to initiate or maintain conversation. The results of the study reveal that Shaun often misunderstood figurative language, taking expressions literally and repeatedly saying certain words and phrases, especially when he was under stress. Additionally, his speech was characterized by a flat monotone voice. Alongside these verbal barriers, Shaun also experienced difficulty with nonverbal communication, such as maintaining eye contact and using appropriate facial expressions. These difficulties led to significant challenges in others’ ability to understand him in both professional and everyday contexts.