The creator of NBC’s “Parenthood” says even he is amazed at how well the young actor cast to play Max — a boy with Asperger’s — has been able to pull off the role.

Jason Katims, the show’s creator and executive producer, says he was “filled with dread” at the prospect of casting the character of Max Braverman knowing how difficult it would be for any actor — let alone a child — to capture the nuances of autism.

“To ask a then-11-year-old boy to be able to accurately portray a disorder that is so difficult for highly educated adults to understand seemed almost impossible,” Katims writes in The Hollywood Reporter.

But Katims says that actor Max Burkholder has done just that, arguing that the young actor deserves an Emmy for the role.

“He was spot-on from the first episode,” Katims writes. “And while I’m far from objective, I would argue that 14-year-old Max Burkholder, in particular, who portrays a young man with Asperger’s syndrome (high-functioning autism), perfectly exemplifies the need for the academy to consider these actors more seriously.”

“Parenthood” is scheduled to return this fall on NBC.

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