{"id":17311,"date":"2025-04-16T08:43:02","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T07:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/realitytvshrine.com\/?p=17311"},"modified":"2025-04-16T08:43:02","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T07:43:02","slug":"tanners-mum-speaks-out-on-controversy-surrounding-love-on-the-spectrum-being-problematic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thetab.com\/realityshrine\/2025\/04\/16\/tanners-mum-speaks-out-on-controversy-surrounding-love-on-the-spectrum-being-problematic\/","title":{"rendered":"Tanner’s mum speaks out on controversy surrounding Love on the Spectrum being problematic"},"content":{"rendered":"

Love on the Spectrum<\/a> has recently come under fire for being potentially problematic<\/a> in regards to its representation of the autistic community, alongside the reaction of some viewers towards the cast.<\/p>\n

Tanner’s mum, Nicci, has addressed the criticism towards the show in an interview with TODAY<\/a>, specifically towards the viewpoint that the show has an emphasis on those described as “high-functioning.”<\/p>\n

\"\"
Via Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She explained: “I want people to understand that Tanner hasn\u2019t always looked or interacted the way he does now.\u00a0 It took decades of therapy \u2014 including applied behavior analysis, or ABA \u2014 to help him reach this point.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd while Tanner is considered high-functioning, he has very significant challenges that become clear when you talk to him. That\u2019s when you think, \u2018Oh, OK \u2014 I understand why he doesn\u2019t have a driver\u2019s license.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Nikki says she knows that for a lot of families in the autism community, they are “living an unbelievably hard reality,\u201d as their children may never speak or live independently.<\/p>\n

\"Love
Via Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She’s hoping to be able to share some of these experiences on her new Love on the Spectrum podcast, Talk to Me Sis, with Connor’s mum, Lise.<\/p>\n

She explained: “We\u2019ve got some exhausted, depressed caregivers \u2014 and their stories need to heard, too.<\/p>\n

“I don\u2019t want people to think we\u2019re out here saying, \u2018Autism is this happy, rosy thing with a bow on it, and look how far our kids came, we\u2019re such amazing moms.\u2019<\/p>\n

“We\u2019re just very lucky because our boys did have a lot of capacity for growth. They had a good prognosis.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Love
Via Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nicci also wants to share some advice through the podcast for parents whose child may have only just received an autism diagnosis.<\/p>\n

She commented: “When Tanner was diagnosed (in the early 2000s), they were pushing a gluten-free, casein-free diet \u2014 so we tried it.<\/p>\n

“I thought, \u2018We are going to beat this. I\u2019m going to fix him.\u2019 I kept reading about all these so-called cures.<\/p>\n

“I really thought there was a finish line to this \u2014 there is a resolution, and I thought that as a mother, my job was to help him overcome his autism, and I really ran myself ragged.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Love
Via Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, looking back, Nicci recognises that a lot of what they initially did was unnecessary and didn’t actually help Tanner.<\/p>\n

The Love on the Spectrum mum added: “What he really needed was for us to slow down a bit, figure out his triggers, understand his sensory issues, and learn how to help him help himself.<\/p>\n

“I was always thinking there was some expert out there who had the answer. But in autism, there\u2019s no one-size-fits-all solution.<\/p>\n

“What there is, is consistency, hard work over time, and realising that your best outcome might not be what you expected \u2014 but it can still be really good. And that took me a long time to understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

For all the latest reality TV cast member news, scandals, gossip and updates \u2013 like\u00a0<\/i>Reality Shrine on Facebook<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The show has been facing backlash recently<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":249734183,"featured_media":17317,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1358],"tags":[2103,1438],"class_list":["post-17311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-love-on-the-spectrum","tag-netflix"],"acf":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/realitytvshrine.com\/realityshrine\/2025\/04\/16\/tanners-mum-speaks-out-on-controversy-surrounding-love-on-the-spectrum-being-problematic\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Tanner’s mum speaks out on controversy surrounding Love on the Spectrum being problematic","url":"http:\/\/thetab.com\/realityshrine\/2025\/04\/16\/tanners-mum-speaks-out-on-controversy-surrounding-love-on-the-spectrum-being-problematic\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/thetab.com\/realityshrine\/2025\/04\/16\/tanners-mum-speaks-out-on-controversy-surrounding-love-on-the-spectrum-being-problematic\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.realitytvshrine.com\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Ellie-New-Featured-Images-40-150x150.png","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/cdn.realitytvshrine.com\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Ellie-New-Featured-Images-40.png"},"articleSection":"News","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Ellie Ring"}],"creator":["Ellie Ring"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Reality Shrine","logo":"https:\/\/realitytvshrine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/cropped-mX3_1x3z.png"},"keywords":["love on the spectrum","netflix"],"dateCreated":"2025-04-16T07:43:02Z","datePublished":"2025-04-16T07:43:02Z","dateModified":"2025-04-16T07:43:02Z"},"rendered":"