- Emma Miller, 23, from Utah, shares her dating journey on Netflix's "Love on the Spectrum."
- The show highlights her experiences with love, independence and life on the autism spectrum.
- Miller attends ScenicView Academy, focusing on independent living and pursuing show business.
PROVO — A Utah woman is opening up about love, independence and life on the autism spectrum as a new cast member of Netflix's hit docuseries "Love on the Spectrum."
Emma Miller, 23, appears in the show's fourth season, which follows autistic adults as they navigate dating and relationships.
Miller was first introduced to viewers last week when the new season premiered. While she says showing her love life in front of the cameras was intimidating, she ultimately found the experience empowering.
"I was a little scared," she said. "But then I thought, this could help me branch out a little bit with dating."
The series documents Miller as she explores romantic relationships and everyday milestones alongside other adults on the autism spectrum. Miller said the production process itself was eye opening.
"I've heard that show business is very tough, and they were right," she said. "You have to do, like, a million takes."
Emma was picked for the show about a year ago. She and her mom, Liz Miller, saw a post about the "Love on the Spectrum" show looking for someone in Utah. Her mom wrote up a paragraph about Emma and sent in her picture. After a couple of interviews, the cameras started rolling. But then, Liz Miller said she had some reservations.
"Do I want all this for Emma and the trolls and all the things that you know that are going to come up, part of it?" Liz Miller said. "Us being LDS (members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), I knew that that would be a source of, maybe not controversy, maybe criticism. But I was like, we have to do it because of this school."
Miller is a student at ScenicView Academy, a Provo-based school that supports neurodivergent adults as they work toward independent living. Viewers see Miller working on practical life skills, doing custodial jobs and singing in school showcases.
The school serves adults on the spectrum ages 18-30 who are learning to manage tasks many people take for granted.
"We really look at live, work and thrive as our kind of our three pillars of our program," program director Jared Stewart said. "The living, learning how to take care of your daily needs, your medication, all that kind of stuff, the working, obviously the employment, and then the thriving is being able to form relationships, being able to have social skills, being able to do health and fitness and diet and nutrition and all those things that help our lives be more rich and full and meaningful."
Students live in dormitories initially. It's often the first time they've lived outside their parents' houses.
Stewart said milestones like employment, dating, driving and independent living can be especially challenging for people with autism. He is also on the spectrum.
"As a person with autism, you grow up thinking, 'Wait, everyone else got this instruction manual? I never got it,'" Stewart said. "Everyone else speaks this language I just don't speak. And because you're not good at it, people don't communicate with you, so you don't get many opportunities to practice. And then when you do practice, you mess up, and then you feel awful. And so then you get anxious about it. And so, so often we just need some coaching and some caring people who point out some basic things."
He said "Love on the Spectrum" goes beyond entertainment by shedding light on the loneliness many autistic people experience.
"So many autistic youth in our community are pathologically lonely," Stewart said. "There's nothing more awful than seeing someone who has their life together — a job, an apartment — and they just come home to nobody."
Emma Miller said the show encourages people, both on and off the spectrum, to push past discomfort and seek connection.
"Whether it's autistics, neurotypicals, I just feel like there's someone out there for everyone," she said.
Emma Miller is currently in her third phase at ScenicView Academy, where she is focused on living independently and completing an internship at a library. Her dream, she said, is to work in show business.
Her mom said she appreciated how the series showed Emma has highs and lows, like anyone else.
"You did see it on the show when she got really stressed about her lipstick, and I really appreciate that they showed that because that is something that we deal with fairly frequently," Liz Miller said. "She was like, 'Oh, I forgot to put my lipstick on.' And then she got really anxious because she knew that she was performing and there (were) cameras there."
Liz Miller said the show does a meaningful job portraying the wide range of experiences among people with autism.
"She is so compassionate and very thoughtful about other people's feelings — almost overly thoughtful," Liz Miller said of her daughter. "Sometimes I don't think that people think of kids on the autism spectrum as being so compassionate."
Emma Miller has met some previous cast members, but she hopes to meet more of those featured in the current season. She admires one couple in particular.
"Tyler and Madison, they are so cute," she said. "Tyler is just so patient with her, and Madison just feels very loved by him. And I just think that's a good role model to be that good coupling role model to be. They have similar values, and they enjoy spending time together and they're just adorable."
As for whether viewers will see more of her dating life unfold on screen, Miller offered a tease.
"You're just going to have to wait and see," she said.
