Waezi2: …Is it possible that Dove has asperger's syndrome? He is of few words, kinda awkward and extremely focused, even capable of knowing when three minutes has passed in a stressful situation (boxing match). Just reminds me a little of some of the people I know with AS
Jack McGee: i dont feel like its my place to try and depict that kind of stuff. at least not in this story and without any reserach [sic] into it. but im more than happy to see people connect with and headcanon that kind of stuff! kind of like laios from dunmesh becoming an autism icon. maybe that was the intent from ryoko kui, but assuming it wasnt, it doesnt devalue or dimminsh [sic] how much people have attached and related to him on that level. basically feel free to headcanon him that way! even if it wasnt intentional, im happy to make characters that feel relatable and comforting on that level!
Jack McGee: i dont feel like its my place to try and depict that kind of stuff. at least not in this story and without any reserach [sic] into it. but im more than happy to see people connect with and headcanon that kind of stuff! kind of like laios from dunmesh becoming an autism icon. maybe that was the intent from ryoko kui, but assuming it wasnt, it doesnt devalue or dimminsh [sic] how much people have attached and related to him on that level. basically feel free to headcanon him that way! even if it wasnt intentional, im happy to make characters that feel relatable and comforting on that level!
— An exchange on Star Impact's Discord server
This character's behaviour is bizarrely outside the norm — it's way beyond mere ordinary quirkiness. No reasons are given for the strange behaviour. No specific diagnosis is ever mentioned in the story. In fact, any resemblance to any real disorder is most likely unintentional; the character's symptoms are exactly the symptoms the writer wants them to have. However, perhaps the audience has an idea of what disorder they have, and try their hand at diagnosing them.
Most mentally ill or mentally challenged characters in classical literature, especially from the 19th century and earlier, tend to not be explicitly diagnosed; psychiatry was a very young field back then (and, until a certain point in history, didn't exist at all), and so there was no manual to turn to if you wanted to give your character odd quirks. Even if an author did do the research, psychiatry has changed greatly and rapidly, meaning that their work is very likely to be invalidated by the passing of time anyway. Also, the lack of psychiatric expertise during these periods means that many historical figures might have had undiagnosed conditions (vast Wild Mass Guessing exists about this topic).
Compare The Disease That Shall Not Be Named, Soap Opera Disease, Victorian Novel Disease, and G-Rated Mental Illness. The Mad Hatter, who understands himself to be insane and is largely justified in this, will usually have an ambiguous understanding of his own insanity (as opposed to having some educated self-diagnosis of schizoid personality).
For when a character is explicitly confirmed in-story to have a specific disorder, but their portrayal isn't necessarily accurate, please check Hollywood Psych, Hollywood Autism, Hollywood Tourette's, Obsessively Organized, "L" Is for "Dyslexia", Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!, Funny Schizophrenia, and The Schizophrenia Conspiracy. When the creators say whether a character has a disorder or not outside of the work, making it no longer ambiguous in most cases, see Diagnosis of God. When the character's disorder is initially ambiguous but is confirmed later in the work, see Delayed Diagnosis. If the characters don't know what it is but the audience does, it's Disease by Any Other Name.
See also, Trans Audience Interpretation, which is when a character’s traits make the audience think that they may be Transgender in some way.
That said, No Real Life Examples, Please! We don't want to start any sessions of "armchair diagnosis" for real people, since that kind of speculation about real people inevitably leads to controversy.
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Audio Play
- Jeff the Killer (Pastra): Norman Keller's rather hyperactive Motor Mouth behavior led many audiences to believe he has ADHD.
Comic Books
- Bamse: Skalman is sometimes interpreted as being on the autism spectrum. While he is a Gadgeteer Genius in general, his favourite invention is the "Eat-and-sleep clock" which helps his day maintain a strict schedule; for instance, he often ends up falling asleep on the spot when the clock tells him to, even if he and his friends are in trouble. This interpretation also adds weight to Skalman being the first character to notice that Brumma has an intellectual disability (while most of the writers don't define it closer than that, Johan Höjer's run described her as having Asperger-type autism).
- Batman: Batman and the rest of the Batfamily are widely considered by fans to have PTSD (at minimum) as a matter of course, due to their shared experiences with violence; the level of canonical support for this varies.
- Batgirl: While the comic doesn't explicitly confirm it, given that she is shown to have severe learning disabilities, was initially mute early on, and frequently struggles in social interactions, a very large portion of Cassandra Cain’s fandom believes her to be on the autism spectrum.
- Cyclops is often perceived in-universe as more callous and robotic than he actually is, which may be why most of his girlfriends have been telepaths. Writers ascribe this to trauma, but some readers interpret autism as playing a role too. It helps that Cyclops' superpowers include incredible calculative ability.
- The Flash: Thanks to the effects of Super-Speed, several of the Flash Family demonstrate Personality Powers, leading many fans to note they appear to have ADHD. Wally West and Bart Allen both have impulsive personalities, are easily bored and get agitated when bored, have short attention spans and tend to require constant stimulation, and enjoy unhealthy eating habits. Jesse Quick, meanwhile, is neurotic, emotionally sensitive, and a workaholic who loses herself in work and gets agitated when she doesn't have something to keep her busy, and both she and Wally have anxiety and hyperfixations they clung to in their youth, note while all three demonstrate short tempers and struggle with depression. All of them tick off many boxes for ADHD, albeit interestingly not all the same boxes, making ADHD headcanons so commonplace that it can be surprising to learn it's not officially confirmed.
- Gaston Lagaffe: Gaston is sometimes perceived by readers as autistic, due to his lack of social skills (only Jeanne, Jules, and Bertrand seem to like him), his passion for music and animals, and his genius when it comes to inventions. Also, he is speculated to be narcoleptic due to the fact that he is capable of falling asleep while standing.
- Josie and the Pussycats (1963): Some fans have speculated that Melody may be on the autism spectrum. She tends to space out and get lost in odd trains of thought, has trouble reading social cues, takes common phrases literally, tends to forget things easily, and displays odd mannerisms. More notably, the way she frequently talks in a sing-song voice can be read as a kind of stimming.
- Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Whisper is frequently speculated to be on the autism spectrum with her habit of barely speaking and whispering when she does speak, before meeting Sonic and friends she preferred to either work by herself or just with her Wisps, and the way she panicked when her mask was removed was reminiscent of how some autistic people act when their special objects are taken. The way she acted prior to arriving on Angel Island in Issue #9 suggests that she might have something akin to agoraphobia. Her trauma (complete with a Freak Out) and how easily emotional she is may hint to post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Spider-Man: Though Spider-Man is canonically (as far as anyone can tell) neurotypical, the Thought Slime video "Spider-Man and neurodivergence!
" makes the case that the secret identity trope, particularly in how it's applied to Spider-Man, is itself an analogy for neurodivergence, and Peter's attempts to hide his inner struggles to appear "normal" can be compared to disorders like ADHD, anxiety, autism, and a number of others.
- Superman: Lois Lane's constant tendency to make spelling errors had fans theorizing that she has dyslexia or dysgraphia.
Comic Strips
- Calvin and Hobbes: Calvin having ADHD has long been a popular fan theory thanks to his general obliviousness to the world around him and his short attention span, to the point where one notorious fan comic depicts Calvin being unable to talk with Hobbes anymore after being prescribed Adderall. Calvin being autistic is another commonly held theory thanks to his inability to comprehend the motivations of other people, his intricate and vivid fantasies, and the fact that his Book Dumb nature belies his immense knowledge about subjects that truly interest him, such as dinosaurs and gross things (which are consequently easy to read as special interests); after the DSM and ICD started allowing dual diagnoses of autism and ADHD, many neurodivergent fans started interpreting Calvin as having both.
- For Better or for Worse: Many of the Pattersons are believed to have various mental health issues:
- Elly shows signs of a martyr complex: she deliberately makes things harder for herself such as procrastinating on ironing or carrying bedding plants instead of using a wheelbarrow and then complaining about how hard things are or falling apart when she sees a toy in an otherwise clean room. She also has severe anger management issues, blowing up at the smallest things to the point of physical violence; her throwing coffee mugs at John’s head after he makes a dumb joke are a Running Gag.
- John and Michael both show signs of Narcissistic Personality Disorder: They both frequently put themselves above others and genuinely don’t understand if they’re in the wrong about something. They also rarely put the feelings of other people into consideration, such as one incident where John insulted a young Elizabeth and told her "she was too young to be sensitive" or Michael caring more about getting a good story than Deanna's life after he found her in a car crash- even after realizing it was her in the crash. Michael also inherits Elly’s anger management issues, but by adulthood, he gains better control over his temper.
- Elizabeth shows signs of clinical depression: She displays insecurity about herself and relationships from a young age and takes comments about herself very seriously, to the point where nicknames appear to be a Trauma Button for her from years of Michael bullying her. She also displays a fear of commitment in her career and romantic relationships (her reaction to her high school boyfriend getting a divorce is to leave her job and town to move back to her hometown), and she never fully commits to her relationships with either Paul and Warren, driving the former to break up with her and the latter to be ghosted by her.
- Funky Winkerbean: Les Moore is theorized to have Prolonged Grief Syndrome: after the death of his wife Lisa from breast cancer, he constantly talks about her, writes about her, has adaptations of her life made, and even hallucinated her spirit commutating with him and making out with him. Despite the fact that Les has supposedly accepted her death and moved on, he clearly hasn’t let go of Lisa.
- Peanuts:
- Many fans have interpreted Linus as being autistic. He shows quite a bit of developmental maturity for his age, as well as extensive knowledge in different subjects (such as the Great Pumpkin, baseball, or the Bible), which can come off as special interests. More notably, his love for his Security Blanket (to the point that he's the Trope Namer for it) and occasional thumb-sucking can be read as a kind of stimming, while his moments of becoming insecure and having breakdowns when he doesn't have his blanket show strong signs of autistic burnout, which commonly happen to autistic individuals when put under pressure.
- Some fans have theorized that Schroeder is autistic as well, due to his maturity and extensive knowledge in classical music (particularly Beethoven, whose music he's especially fixated on), which can be described as a special interest.
Fan Works
- Cain (MHA): Bakugou is never given a diagnosis in-story since most of the authority figures who have power over him have actively avoided problematizing his behavior; however, it quickly becomes clear to the reader that his mental state is deeply and pathologically abnormal. Given his grandiose sense of self, inability to recognize those around him as equally human, and lack of capacity for self-reflection, coupled with his sadism, near-perpetual anger spikes of irrational rage, and self-contradicting paranoid delusions, a tentative diagnosis could be made for Narcissistic Personality Disorder with expressed paranoid phenomena, as detailed by Psychology Today's article "Living With a Paranoid Narcissist." All of the described behaviors in the article fit this fic's version of Bakugou to a T.
- Super Danganronpa Another 2: It's easy for most fans to interpret Hibiki Otonokoji as having some type of disassociative disorder (like disassociative amnesia and/or disassociative identity disorder, for example) considering her history as a victim of severe psychological and emotional abuse, and her tendency to space out and suffer memory loss when overwhelmed by stress or trauma, which are common symptoms of these disorders. Furthermore, when Hibiki reaches her mental limit, she goes into a "puppet" state that only listens to Kanade - the person who has conditioned Hibiki to rely on her ever since they were children as a way to gain control and prevent Hibiki from becoming an independent person. It's been speculated that Hibiki's "puppet" state is an alter who, like real life alters, emerged to shield the host from unbearable pain.
Films — Animation
- Anastasia (1997): A common interpretation of the titular character is that she has dissociative amnesia and PTSD around losing her family at a very young age and witnessing some particularly horrifying events as a child on top of that. While she has amnesia for most of the film and it takes a lot of time for her to recover, the film implies that the amnesia was caused by a bump to the head. Some audiences, however, interpret her amnesia as repressing memories due to her trauma.
- Beauty and the Beast (1991): Belle has occasionally been speculated to be autistic. She's extremely hyperfixated on reading to the point where she almost always has a book in her hands, and constantly daydreams about having adventures much like the ones she reads about. She tends to be quite socially awkward as pointed out by the townspeople she interacts with. The way she fidgets with her hair every now and then can easily pass as a stim.
- Elemental: Wade Ripple has been viewed as neurodivergent/having ASD for his social awkwardness, desire for order; lines of work and his frequent emotional sensitivity (part of which stems from the recent loss of his father). His color scheme being blue (a color associated with ASD awareness) also helps.
- The Emperor's New Groove: Some fans view Kronk as autistic, as he often misses social cues when communicating with his boss Yzma. His love of cooking and his ability to speak squirrel are seen as special interests.
- Fantastic Mr. Fox: Many fans interpret the line about Ash "being different" as him being autistic.
- Frozen (2013): Elsa is a character who fans have very often associated with the autism spectrum. Throughout the film, she's shown to be quite introverted and often struggles in social situations. She also gives off signs of depression and anxiety (later confirmed by Diagnosis of God), which are common emotions among neurodivergent people. Her magical ice powers are also read as an autism metaphor, based on the way she tries to cover them up, similar to how autistic people hide their traits by masking to avoid bad judgement. Her song "Let It Go" represents letting go of the masking and negative emotions holding her back from being her true self.
- The Grinch (2018): This movie's version of the Grinch seems to have some sort of anxiety/stress-based disorder, and a case of PTSD on top of it — he is apparently prone to stress eating when the Carolers start singing around him, he has to cover his ears and run into the nearest quiet place (store) while breathing heavily, he has a flashback triggering anxiety attack when he accidentally stumbles into the tree lighting ceremony, he hates bright lights, loud noises and crowds of people and at the end, seems to have some social anxiety, needing to work himself up to ring the doorbell. In fact, Max seems to function as his service dog who helps him with everyday tasks (like showering, getting dressed, and eating), he forces his owner to go outside when they are out of food, and he becomes concerned when the carolers surround them.
- How to Train Your Dragon:
- Hiccup isn't very good at following orders or staying in one place for too long, easily loses focus on subjects and activities he doesn't find interesting, becomes hyperfixated on his interests to the point that it sometimes distracts him from danger, is very observant, creative, and inventive when it comes to the things that fascinate him, is noted by his father to have been "different" ever since he was a small child, and has trouble fitting in with his peers and his society in general because of his different way of thinking. This has led many fans to speculate that Hiccup has ADHD and/or is autistic.
- Fishlegs is incredibly knowledgeable about dragons, has read the Dragon Manual seven times, and frequently excitedly infodumps excessively about dragons to his peers, often to the point of annoyance, and seems to have a poor ability to understand social cues in general. Because of this, a large number of fans believe him to be autistic.
- KPop Demon Hunters: This video goes into great detail about how Zoey can be seen as being neurodivergent. She has special interests in things that are seen as unusual (like turtle videos or having 23 notebooks with demon insults), and isn't always able to pick up on social cues (such as Mira's sarcastic comment about said turtle videos). There's also the possibility that she has rejection sensitive dysphoria, the fear of being rejected by others due to thinking she isn't enough. It's particularly shown in how, when Gwi-Ma tries to tempt her to come to the Saja Boys concert, he amplifies her negative feelings by saying how she's too much, but not enough.
- The Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire:
- Pterano is frequently interpreted as having Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Given what he's been through, this isn't surprising.
- Sierra is commonly thought to be a low-functioning sociopath by many, citing his complete Lack of Empathy (like when Ducky seemingly falls to her death while being chased by him), sadistic tendencies (like planning to feed the children to the sharpteeth once they take over), and Hair-Trigger Temper, whereas Rinkus is often viewed as a higher-functioning one, being able to largely hide his ruthless and selfish nature by Obfuscating Stupidity.
- Lilo and Stitch: Among neurodivergent fans, Lilo herself is frequently interpreted as being autistic, due to her difficulties with socializing, her niche and unusually strong interests (e.g. Elvis Presley and photographing fat people), and her character arc of seeking acceptance among peers and family members who don't fully understand how she thinks and acts. This interpretation is so popular that Lilo has ended up becoming a makeshift mascot for various "autistic headcanon" blogs.
- The Little Mermaid (1989): Ariel is one of the most popular fan depictions of a character being autistic based on her tendency to forget things easily, her struggles in social engagements, her strong sense of justice, and of course her love for learning about humans and collecting things from the surface, which can obviously be seen as a special interest in human culture. She even sings a song about wanting to be a part of the human world, which has heavily resonated with autistic individuals who wish to belong.
- The Mitchells vs. the Machines: Most of the Mitchells' behavior has led to many viewers interpreting them as neurodivergent in some way; obsessive behaviors, social awkwardness, a tendency to misread emotions, impulsiveness, lack of coordination, and so on.
- Katie is "quirky" and "different" in a way that suggests neurodivergence. Much of her arc revolves around her strange ideas and her inability to fit in with her peers until she gets to film school. She's also very fidgety and struggles to connect to her environment without filming everything around her.
- Aaron's behavior is easily the most "off" out of all the Mitchells and much of his behavior suggests that he's on the autism spectrum, with his single-minded fixation on dinosaurs (a fixation incredibly common among autistic people), overly technical language (when regarding dinosaurs at least), difficulty making friends and missing social cues. He also shows extreme literal-mindedness every time he's given instructions and displays stimming behaviour, like chewing on his fingers, shirt, or seat belt, when uncomfortable or stressed. There's even a bit of monotone in his voice, though this is more subdued.
- Rick's eccentric love for the outdoors is not far removed from Katie and Aaron's obsessions with cinema and dinosaurs, so it's likely he could be neurodivergent as well. It's to the point that he tries to apply his knowledge about survivalism to problems that said knowledge is not entirely applicable to, or in ways that are obviously going to be less-than-appreciated. He also misses some pretty blatant social cues — including, at one point, his wife repeatedly kicking him in the shins under the table in order to get him to stop talking.
- Peter Pan (1953): Captain Hook is often described as a Dirty Coward of the Thin-Skinned Bully variety, but given his mood swings and how much he panics whenever the crocodile shows up, he may actually have PTSD as a result of Peter Pan not only cutting his hand off, but feeding it to the crocodile for good measure. Granted, his panic attacks are exaggerated for comedic effect, but still…
- Ponyo: Ponyo is a literal Fish Out of Water-turned-human so her quirks are a result of not understanding humans rather than a disorder, but they're similar enough to autism that that doesn't stop anyone. Ponyo's love of the human world can easily be read as a special interest; she has a loud voice in the English version; she jumps and spins when she's happy; and she demonstrates being sensitive to loud sounds when a radio in Sosuke and Lisa's house gives off feedback.
- The Rescuers Down Under: Percival McLeach is heavily implied to be a low-functioning sociopath, given that he dropped out of elementary school and makes little or no effort to hide his sadistic personality.
- Rio: Blu is socially awkward and struggles to communicate with other birds despite his intellect. While this could easily be explained by him being raised as a pet in Minnesota far away from his native home of Brazil, some fans view these traits as a sign of Blu being autistic. To a lesser degree, his owner Linda is sometimes interpreted as autistic as well, which is where he may have picked up these mannerisms.
- Smurfs: The Lost Village: Smurfblossom is commonly interpreted as being autistic due to her difficulty with socializing (she doesn't think before she speaks, with one character reminding her to "work on her filter"), repetition of new words in a way that resembles echolalia, and repetitive movements when she's excited that are commonly interpreted as stimming. Her jittery nature and inability to concentrate are often interpreted as ADHD, as well.
- Steven Universe: The Movie:
- Many fans have speculated that Spinel has Borderline Personality Disorder, with features of all the subtypes: a fear of abandonment that persisted even after her memories were erased, intense anger at those around her, including those who personally did her no wrong, and wildly shifting moods and opinions. Most tellingly is by her own admission at the end of the movie that she has no real idea why she wants to hurt Steven as bad as she does.
- Many neurodivergent viewers see rejuvenated Amethyst's Baby See, Baby Do moments as being reminiscent of echolalia.
- Many fans have speculated that Spinel has Borderline Personality Disorder,
- Wish (2023): A number of King Magnifico's fans believe he has C-PTSD from losing his home and family as a child, and it manifested itself in the form of being controlling over his subjects.
Films — Live-Action
- Baby Driver: Baby's intense focus, sensory issues, and tendency to repeat film dialogue in conversations have led to it being near-unanimously accepted by viewers that he's autistic, despite it not being explicitly stated in the movie.
- Back to the Future: Some fans believe that between many instances of impulsiveness, tendency to be distracted, possible executive dysfunction (sleeping in his clothes is not a rare thing, according to Dave), and time blindness, Marty has ADD/ADHD.
- Being There: A large contingency of audiences in the 21st century interpret Chance as autistic, in large part thanks to his flat affect, lack of social awareness, Manchild characterization, and strong fixation on gardening and television, which define nearly every aspect of his lifestyle. At least one autistic reviewer additionally described the scene where Chance wanders the city streets alone and confused, looking for a garden to tend, as paralleling autistic difficulties with interacting with neurotypical society. This interpretation even made its way to the liner notes of The Criterion Collection's DVD release of the film.
- The Blues Brothers: A number of viewers interpret Elwood Blues as autistic. This interpretation mainly stems from his predilection for sunglasses and relatively tasteless foods (which parallel autistic hypersensitivity and, in the case of the former, avoidance of direct eye contact) and from his long, convoluted speeches (which resemble info-dumping). The fact that Dan Aykroyd, who played Elwood and co-wrote the script, is autistic further ties into this interpretation.
- Do the Right Thing: A number of fans speculate that Radio Raheem may be autistic, in large part thanks to the attachment he has to his boombox, which is easy to read as a special interest (music) or a comfort item (the boombox itself). The fact that he gets killed by the police in the film's climax also factors into this interpretation, as Black autistic people are at a much higher risk of facing Police Brutality than neurotypical Black people and white autistic people.
- Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: Xenk is often read as autistic, with fans citing his being Literal-Minded, seriousness at odds with the rest of the party, and strong morals as evidence for this interpretation.
- Edward Scissorhands: Edward has been speculated as being a metaphor for autism and related disorders. One particularly notable thing is the way the film portrays people's reactions to him. While one might see the fascination most of the neighborhood has with him as being parodic of the stereotype of 1970s suburbanites being closed-minded, it's also perfectly apt for the post-Rain Man world of the late '80s and early '90s when there was widespread interest in the savant abilities possessed by some autistic people.
- Fatal Attraction: Mental health professionals have a field day trying to figure out precisely what's wrong with Alex, but many agree on Borderline Personality Disorder, as evidenced by the way she declares herself in love with Dan after one weekend and tries to kill herself when he leaves. Histrionic personality disorder also seems possible ("I will not be ignored" pretty much sums up the basic mentality of an HPD sufferer), and there is debate on whether she's truly a sociopath or just low-end on the spectrum. Some have also speculated that she was a victim of sexual abuse, again stemming from her attachment issues.
- Fifty Shades of Grey: A large chunk of readers speculate that Christian has Narcissistic Personality Disorder, as he displays many of its symptoms, including but not limited to; being arrogant, aloof, and entitled, disregarding the feelings and wants of others, manipulating people to get what he wants, and having a deep-seated desire for attention and admiration from those around him.
- The Fly (1986): A number of viewers interpret Seth Brundle as being autistic. Much of this stems from his desire for repetition and familiarity in his life, the contrast between his difficulties with small talk and his eloquent enthusiasm for his interests and work, which virtually defines his life (and thus is easy to read as a special interest), his talent for logical thinking, his extravagant gestures, his stuttering, and his straightforwardness (to the point of being a Bad Liar). Critic Drew McWeeny noted that the film is hugely popular with autistic viewers for this reason.
- Forrest Gump: The titular character, Forrest, is very frequently read as autistic by viewers, being breathtakingly straightforward (and unfailingly polite) in his interactions with others, highly focused in extremely niche circumstances, and mostly either confused by or completely unaware of the nuances of the social situations he finds himself in.
- Full Metal Jacket: Pvt. Pyle is commonly speculated to have some kind of developmental or intellectual disability, as he struggles to grasp even simple tasks and directions, needing help and guidance with basic tasks like tying his shoelaces or making his bed. That's early on; by the end of the film he has clearly moved into full-blown psychosis.
- Ghostbusters: Some fans theorize that Ray and/or Egon are autistic, due to their quirky personalities and, in Ray's case, the fact that his actor, Dan Aykroyd, is autistic in real life.
- I Saw the TV Glow: While the film never makes it explicit, Owen's fixation on the TV show and extreme difficulty communicating with other people, including a notable aversion to making eye contact that several characters remark on, led many viewers to determine that Owen is autistic.
- Jurassic Park: Many viewers interpret Ian and Alan as having PTSD in The Lost World and Jurassic Park III, respectively. Ian has undergone a near-complete personality change between the first two films, being much more serious and solemn in general, wanting nothing to do with Site B, and freezing up whenever he comes across the rexes. Alan also shows signs that his experiences on Isla Nublar were so traumatic that they changed his view of dinosaurs, and he doesn't even want to acknowledge it. He also has a nightmare about a Velociraptor on the way to Isla Sorna.
- The Master of Disguise: Many people interpret the main character, Pistachio Disguisey, as autistic for multiple reasons: he impersonates people who are right in front of him and doesn't seem to understand how rude they find it, he has only one facial expression when he's not actively disguising himself, he has an atypical hobby of dressing up in weird costumes by using unusual things like shaving cream, he mutters incessantly to himself, he has poor posture, and he has an accent inconsistent with both where the film is set and where he grew up (America).
- Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium: Eric has some traits that may indicate autism like his difficulty of making friends with other children, with the only friends he has being adults (and a squirrel), his fixation for hats, and to prefer doing things alone.
- Napoleon Dynamite: A substantial chunk of viewers interpret the title character as autistic. Much of this rests on his odd posture, his stilted speaking style, his idiosyncratic gestures (such as squinting whenever he talks) that are easy to read as stims, his apparent difficulty to understand and express emotions, his love of drawing, which is easy to read as a special interest, and his struggles with socialization, which results in him befriending other "weird" students.
- No Country for Old Men: It certainly doesn't seem like Anton is your average person mentally, even ignoring how evil he is. He's driven by a confusing, possibly contridactory set of morals that seem even more important to him than being an effective assassain including murdering the person paying him for them. He also has almost no pain response, or really much of an emotional connection to anything happening around him in general to the point he would probably be considered some form of a sociopath if the term was still usednote . We never do find out much about him, leaving it impossible to discern what exactly his deal is.
- Nope:
- OJ seems to struggle in social settings, prefers being around his horses over people, is stubbornly set in his ways, and struggles to make eye contact in general. All of these traits have led fans to believe him to be on the autism spectrum.
- His sister Em is often regarded as having ADHD on account of her hyperactive personality, her inability to focus very long on a given subject, and her tendency to talk more than intended.
- The Professional: Leon is often speculated by fans to be on the autism spectrum. He is very routine-oriented, has extremely limited social skills to the point that even holding a simple conversation with a hotel clerk is too much, he is extraordinarily proficient in one area (killing people) and focuses on it obsessively while being inept in every other area to the point that he can't even read well into adulthood and has a fairly childlike personality, not swearing and drinking only milk rather than alcohol or coffee.
- Punch-Drunk Love: Barry does not seem to have a formal diagnosis, but shows poor social skills, acute anxiety, and aggressive outbursts. Normally he's shy and reserved, but he sometimes gets extremely upset at certain emotional stimuli. He has tremendous difficulty staying calm whenever his sisters go too far in teasing him and wears the same blue suit throughout the entire film, which spans roughly a week.
- Rocky:
- Many viewers interpret Adrian as having Social Anxiety Disorder in the first film. She is incredibly shy, soft-spoken, avoids eye contact, and avoids socializing overall. After getting in a relationship with Rocky, she gets better, being much more outspoken and confident, and she remains this way for the rest of the film series.
- Rocky himself is widely believed to have some sort of learning disability. He talks slowly, has difficulty remembering certain things, and as a child was told by his father that he "doesn't have much of a brain". He is also somewhat socially awkward. Even in old age, he has the same slow speech and odd social skills.
- The Sixth Sense: Kyra's mother clearly is suffering from Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy, which has now been renamed to Factitious disorder imposed on another, where a caregiver simulates or inflicts illness (often via poisons, as is the case here) on an individual in their care, typically to garner sympathy and admiration.
- Sleeping with the Enemy: Martin Burney is portrayed as an insane and unstable abuser who shows clear signs of Borderline Personality Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder, while also showing some narcissistic and antisocial undertones on occasion. Ironically, the film's spiritual successor, Enough, would reverse the latter and make the husband into a malignant abuser who is portrayed firmly as an unsympathetic Hollywood villain, in contrast to Martin's characterization.
- Star Wars: Numerous psychiatrists have speculated about the mental health of Anakin Skywalker based on the symptoms he shows in the prequel trilogy, with the most popular theory being that he has Borderline Personality Disorder. The speculation even made its way into the Expanded Universe: in the Coruscant Nights series, Jax Pavan recalls Anakin being prone to sudden mood swings and suspects he may have had some kind of mental illness. Likewise, in The Force Awakens, his successor and grandson Kylo Ren shows a similar collection of huge mood swings, extreme outbursts of anger, lack of empathy, difficulties with interpersonal relationships, emotional disturbances, and odd obsessions and anxieties. It doesn't help matters that in Star Wars Legends, and to some extent in the Continuity Reboot, it's shown that being Drunk on the Dark Side has similar effects to hard drugs on brain chemistry, which greatly impacts the mentally ill.
- Superman (2025): Mr. Terrific dislikes socializing, has a hard time understanding other people's emotions, spends most of his time fixated on technology, and can be very pedantic about getting things right (correcting Lois' circles to "spheres"), all of which are familiar to people on the autism spectrum.
- Taxi Driver: Psychologists frequently interpret Travis Bickle as having schizotypal personality disorder. These readings cite his difficulties with socialization (for instance, trying to look charming but instead coming off as creepy), his stilted speech (both in dialogue and his inner monologues), his tendency to see others in black-and-white terms, and especially his apparent paranoia which morphs into a belief that he's on a mission to cleanse the world of filth.
- War of the Worlds (2005): A number of viewers have speculated that Rachel is on the autism spectrum, as she often acts overly serious and mature, has a rather deadpan sense of humor, is prone to panic attacks when stressed or overstimulated (to the point that her family has worked out a calming routine for her when it happens), and often speaks in a monotone.
- Who's Harry Crumb?: A comedy detective film starring John Candy from the '80s which was disliked by critics and considered a flop. However, for some young people growing up in an age where autism was largely unheard of and even less frequently diagnosed, Harry Crumb felt kind of relatable. The people around him find him unlikeable and dismiss him as stupid, and although he's not stupid, his lack of social understanding and tendency to interpret things literally are impediments to him getting on in life and in understanding the motives behind the crime he's trying to solve. Although he's trying his best to come over as professional and competent, he's out of his depth and he ends up sounding pompous and making a fool of himself.
Mythology and Religion
- The Bible:
- There are some scholars and Biblical historians who believe that Joseph might have had autism (albeit impossible to state due to not being classified at the time of writing). This stems from being seen as childish due to being on his own and spending time with the sheep, and not picking up social cues such as telling his brothers about a dream where they bowed to him. His fascination with dreams (always asking God about their meanings) can also be seen as a special interest.
- Some scholars have posited that Isaac may have had autism or some other developmental disability. This could explain why his role is so passive compared to his active father, sons, and grandsons, why his father so easily accepted God's order to sacrifice him, and why he was so easily tricked by his wife and son in his old age.
- A little further in the Old Testament, one of Moses' excuses as to why he is unfit to lead the Israelites is that he is "slow of speech and slow in tongue." Various potential translations of that phrase from the earliest texts have led scholars to theorize that Moses had a speech impediment, possibly stuttering, and that God cured him so that he could no longer use it as an excuse.
- Classical Mythology:
- The mental stability of Achilles in The Iliad has been speculated on by readers, literary critics, licensed therapists, and psychologists. The biggest theories are that he either has Narcissistic Personality Disorder (grandiosity, easily enraged by slights, self-centeredness, and Lack of Empathy) or Borderline Personality Disorder (impulsivity, extreme emotions, attachment issues, and almost dissociative rages), or a combination of the two.
- Heracles is also debated among readers, mostly due to his clear rage issues. He's among the more moral (by modern standards) of the Classical heroes, being unique in his feelings of guilt for his violent actions and desire to actually help people (Prometheus for example), but he's still prone to disproportionate acts of violence out of anger. The reason he fully believes he murdered his family (when it was due to Hera's spell) is because Heracles had been going into murderous rages like this since his youth, most of which he regretted. Some speculate that this is a sign of Intermittent Explosive Disorder, which usually coincides with other mood disorders like Bipolar.
Tabletop Games
- Warhammer 40,000:
- Perturabo's brooding demeanor, mercurial behavior, inability to recognize social cues, and hyperfixation on siege warfare have led some fans to come to the conclusion that he is on the autism spectrum.
- Primarch's minds do not work like normal humans', and many fans believe they show signs of autism spectrum disorders such as Guilliman's painstaking attention to detail and organisation skills; Rogal Dorn's Brutal Honesty and stoicism masking a capacity for extreme rage; and the Lion's poor social skills. To say nothing of the Emperor himself. As their "Father" it also can be interpreted that they inherited this from him.
- Though He intends the very best for humanity, the Emperor of Mankind's cold demeanor, morally questionable decisions, and inability to connect with others on an emotional level have led to the controversial fan theory that He is a high-functioning psychopath.
- Jago "Sevatar" Sevatarion is believed to be autistic, look in "Literature" for details.
- Perturabo's brooding demeanor, mercurial behavior, inability to recognize social cues, and hyperfixation on siege warfare have led some fans to come to the conclusion that he is on the autism spectrum.
Theatre
- Pygmalion and My Fair Lady: There is speculation, including articles in academic literary and mental health journals, that Henry Higgins is on the Autism Spectrum, due to his lack of social awareness, repetitive patterns of behavior and interests (e.g. his study of linguistics), and difficulty with reading others' emotions and expressing empathy.
- Hadestown: Hermes describes Orpheus as being "touched", "naive", and "sensitive of soul". He also has No Social Skills, as seen when he asks Eurydice to come home with him and marry him as his opening lines (right after Hermes instructs him not to come on too strong, no less). Orpheus also has a tendency to become hyper-fixated on things that give him inspiration, like a rag used to wash tables, the flower he gives to Eurydice, and his song to bring back spring. He’s so focused on completing his song that even Hermes can't interrupt him, to the point where when Eurydice is driven to sign her life away to Hadestown, he doesn't notice her calling his name. Because of these, a large number of the audience for Broadway and tour sees Orpheus as having autism and/or ADHD.
Visual Novels
- Ace Attorney:
- Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney has Manfred Von Karma. He shows many signs of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. His occupation is his life, and it comes before even his own family. He desires perfection and turns violent if he is accused of being anything less than flawless. He's a Control Freak who seeks to impose his views on those around him (such as demanding no prosecutors wear their badges while in court), and he's obsessed with structure and punctuality, having a hissy fit when the trial goes on longer than he wanted it to. Everything he does is overly meticulous and his inability to change course when the unexpected happens bites him in the ass when things start spiraling out of control.
- Miles Edgeworth shows little emotion aside from shock and the occasional smirk (causing him to come off as rude and blunt a lot), is a passionate fan of the Steel Samurai franchise, and is infamously Oblivious to Love. Although this could be attributed to his canonical PTSD, the fact that he displayed several of these traits before DL-6, (such as an obsession with law, struggle to express his emotions, and having trouble making friends before Phoenix and Larry) has led him to often be interpreted as autistic.
- Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney has Vera Misham. She's introverted and socially awkward, at the point of struggling to express her emotions, instead preferring to draw in her notepad to communicate. She has the Character Tic of biting her nails, which resembles stimming (something that is exploited by the Big Bad of the game). And she has a big passion for the Troupe Gramarye, opening up a lot when they are brought up, like a special interest for her. All of this led to a lot of fans to headcanon her as autistic. She is also shown to be really afraid to go outside, considering that as a child she was almost kidnapped, a condition very similar to agoraphobia.
- Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies: A large number of fans headcanon Athena Cykes as autistic, as she showcases various traits and behaviours that can be connected to ASD. For starters, it is mentioned that as a child, her sense of hearing (that allows her to read the emotions of the others) was so acute at the point of being overwhelming, leading her to conduct a shy and reserved lifestyle, a condition that many consider very similiar to the one of hyperacusis. Her mother even built noise-cancelling headphones to make this condition more bearable. It's also implied that she used to struggle in expressing her feelings, hence why the need for Widget, a device that vocalizes her emotions. In the present, she showcases a few Character Tics (like fiddling with her earring, stroking her ponytail, and punching her fists) when expressing strong feelings, which can be interpreted as a form of stimming. There are also her hypersensitivity to her own emotions, her clumsy moments that can be interpreted as a case of dyspraxia, and her failure to grasp social clues at times, leading to some inappropriate comments and outbursts from her. And finally, there is her unique relationship with empathy, as while she has a very strong affective empathy, at the point that her main ability, the Mood Matrix, is all about feeling the emotions of the witness and thus connecting to them, she struggles more in terms of cognitive empathy, as she tends to not understand someone's thoughts or point of view, leading her to come out as rather insensitive and jerkish at times.
- The Great Ace Attorney: Many fans interpret Herlock Sholmes' eccentric behavior as being a result of ADHD, much like the original Sherlock Holmes. He switches from constantly changing topics to hyper-focusing on specific things (i.e., reading the mountain of books in Soseki's apartment when he was investigating, or spending months working on an analytical machine before suddenly realizing it was useless to him), and forgets about things, even entire cases, as soon as they aren't important to him at that moment.note Some of his comments about constantly being "assailed" with unwanted information also imply that he is easily over-stimulated by his surroundings, while his deductions run on a train of logic pulled from minimal information that is similar to that of someone with the disorder. Even when he gets dangerous, the only change to that is that his deductions are genuinely accurate.
- CLANNAD: Kotomi is often speculated to be somewhere on the high-functioning end of the Autism spectrum, given that her precocious intelligence and difficulty relating to her peers since childhood are common symptoms of the disorder.
- Class of '09:
- Nicole being a sociopath is outright stated, but it's heavily implied that she's also suffering from depression. She consciously engages in self-destructive activities, struggles to find reasons to even get up in the morning, can't find the motivation to do much of anything but space out unless motivated by raw spite, rarely reacts strongly to outright threats on her life, and admits that she doesn't plan to live past 30. Being depressed could also possibly explain why Nicole took great offense to Ari "stealing" her depression excuse during one route in the Re-Up
- Jeffery's habit of oversharing and constantly talking about his special interests to people without realizing that they're clearly not interested, along with his general lack of social skills, can make him come across as being on the Autism spectrum.
- Crispin could also be interpreted to be Autistic due to his socially awkward mannerisms and apparent obliviousness to social cues.
- Since Emily takes Seroquel to keep her "mood in check", many people speculate that she has bipolar disorder or more likely borderline personality disorder along with schizophrenia. During her route, Emily decides to go off her medication resulting in her becoming a Mood-Swinger and Hearing Voices.
- Jecka is a "Pharma-princess" who takes Xanax recreationally. However, she often shows signs of having an actual, bonafide Anxiety Disorder and her drug of choice being a form of self-medication.
- Danganronpa:
- Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc: Kiyotaka Ishimaru's status as a fervent stickler for rules and good behavior earned him his Ultimate title for his efficacy as a school prefect — but also sadly hindered him socially. His focused black-and-white commitment to what he views as correct and his general unfiltered but earnest intensity make him a popular candidate for interpretations of being on the autism spectrum.
- Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair:
- Gundham Tanaka is a theatrical Chuunibyou archetype complete with speaking in fantastical metaphors and Antiquated Linguistics, an occult enthusiast, and an animal expert who strongly believes his charges are easier and more trustworthy to connect with than people. He's very commonly interpreted as autistic due to his passionate immersion in his interests and his themes of social isolation, including an aversion to touch.
- Kazuichi's tendency of blurting out things without thinking, frustration of not having any machinery to tinker with, and difficulties socializing to the point he imitates his bullies' behavior and appearance thinking it's what'll make him look cool has fans commonly headcanoning him having ADHD and/or being on the autism spectrum.
- Ibuki Mioda is also often read as on the autism spectrum, having ADHD, or both, on account of her difficulty for others to follow with her high energy and her habit of operating on and speaking according to her own logic. She's also a distractible type who mentions she often gets lost, she tends to exhibit unconventional emotional responses like amusement or excitement, or have fairly casual reactions in dark situations, and she alludes to loneliness as a result of her quirks and unusual tastes, connecting to others via her musicianship.
- Chiaki Nanami lacks expressiveness, rarely raising her voice regardless of what she’s feeling, and almost always having a spaced-out look on her face. One of the few things that gets her excited is her passion for video games, often going on tangents about them and getting so invested in them that she frequently forgets to eat, sleep, and even breathe. Chiaki also lacks knowledge of social cues, which can result in her occasionally doing or saying things that are weird or inappropriate without realizing it. One of her Free Time Events reveals she’s also hesitant to touch animals, as she’s scared by how warm and unpredictable they are. Because of all this, Chiaki is a character frequently interpreted as being on the autism spectrum. And while these may instead be interpreted as the result of Chiaki being an AI, the anime would reveal that the AI was modeled after a real girl who showed the same traits.
- Doki Doki Literature Club!: Sayori is explicitly diagnosed with depression, but many readings of other characters have been suggested:
- Yuri has symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder: obsessive (both towards the player character and her interests), self-harm, bizarre sexual behavior, anxiety episodes, and mania-like symptoms. Monika's tampering pushes her into insanity, but she shows milder signs in Act 1.
- Alternatively, Yuri can be interpreted as someone with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) due to her introversion, her obsessions with certain things (such as knives, the horror genre, her favorite fantasy book series, etc), and the fact that she can easily get overwhelmed to the point where she has a mental breakdown as a result of it (as seen in the side-stories). All of these traits are associated with a lot of people on the spectrum.
- Monika by the end exhibits symptoms of Narcissistic Personality Disorder: arrogance, a need for excessive validation, envy, and controlling others around her with no regard for their wishes or well-being. While Sayori shows some similar signs when she becomes Club President, suggesting it is situational as much as innate, the Side Stories in Plus, particularly "Respect", has Monika being Secretly Selfish at times despite lacking the knowledge she has in the base game.
- The player character can be interpreted as having depersonalization disorder because of his behavior through most of act 1 and 2 and how increasingly quiet he becomes over the course of the game.
- Scarlet Hollow: Many fans interpret Tabitha Scarlet as somewhere on the autism spectrum. She's extremely set in her ways, very much dislikes her schedule being interrupted (which, unfortunately, the player character tends to do a lot), and is direct and blunt in her observations whether she's happy with you or not. She also generally dislikes being touched, and seems to eat mac and cheese and ice cream exclusively, suggesting sensory issues commonly associated with autism. These things can be explained by her generally awful upbringing, but it's possible much of it is inherent as well.
- Umineko: When They Cry: Maria Ushiromiya's behavior makes many fans interpret her as autistic: she acts much younger than her nine years of age (which is lampshaded more than once during the first four arcs), she never seems to realize when the constant use of her Verbal Tic is irritating other people, and she obsessively studies the occult but has little to no interest in anything else. In EP7, Willard also points out that Maria tends to recognize people by their actions, not their appearances, which suggests some degree of prosopagnosia/face blindness, which is often comorbid with autism.
Web Animation
- The Amazing Digital Circus:
- It's not uncommon to see fans diagnosing Gangle with Bipolar Disorder (BD) due to the nature of her masks and how they seem to change her mood instantaneously, similar to how people with BD often experience abrupt and sporadic mood swings. This interpretation only became more popular after the release of Episode 4, when Gangle directly references having a manic episode, something which is commonly associated with people who have BD.
- After the release of the "Beach Episode", it became common for viewers to view Caine as having Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) due to his self-aggrandizing behavior, his insecurities surrounding the players not enjoying his adventures, his complete Lack of Empathy regarding the players' wants and needs, and his constant need for the players to enjoy his and only his adventures. He can also be interpreted as someone who has autism, seeing that he has a hard time understanding the players' emotions and what makes them happy; he tries his best to make sure that their needs are met, but he doesn't seem to understand things such as their social cues and voice tones, which causes him to do things that he thinks might help, but he's actually making them worse, and he doesn't understand what he did wrong because in his mind he thought he was doing the right thing by helping.
- Epithet Erased: Molly shows many signs of autism, such as social awkwardness, sensitivity to noise, and an intense interest in specific topics (bears, in her case). Word of God says that she wasn't intentionally written as such, but despite this, many fans treat it as next-to-canon that Molly is autistic.
- Helluva Boss:
- Given Moxxie’s general reservedness compared to the other assassins, his strong sense of justice, his infodumping about guns, and his literal-mindedness and trouble picking up sarcasm, it’s no surprise fans have read him as autistic.
- Stolas has also been heavily implied to suffer from clinical depression as noticed by numerous fans. He is regularly shown to be taking “happy pills” and at the season 2 premiere, he is revealed to be an alcoholic who drinks absinthe by the bottle as seen in the not-divorced party with Stella.
- Hunter: The Parenting: Big D shows a serious case of Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!, and his son Marckus describes his own issues with memory and focus in one of the audiologs, leading fans to diagnose them both with ADHD. Marckus mentions that he takes adderall, which is used to treat ADHD, but given D's relaxed attitude towards drugs, it's unclear whether he was diagnosed.
- Inanimate Insanity:
- Lightbulb has eaten inedible objects on different occasions, so many fans think she has Pica.
- Many fans headcanon Paintbrush having a disorder that causes violent outbursts (such as Bipolar Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, and Intermittent Explosive Disorder) because they have a tendency to become violent and destructive at others even if they were friendly and pragmatic a moment before.
- Fans interpret Fan's fixation on the show, tendency to make irrelevant remarks, lack of self-awareness, and resistance to change as symptoms of Autism.
- Some fans think that MePhone is Dyslexic after noticing how he has misspelled various words on numerous occasions.
- LEGO Friends: The Next Chapter: Most fans consider Nova autistic because of her difficulty with social cues, strong interests in gaming and engineering, sensitivity to being hugged, and struggles communicating with her friends. This interpretation was fueled by a press release by LEGO stating that they would represent neurodivergence in The Next Chapter, and with no confirmed characters with ASD, fans assumed that Nova was the series' ASD rep.
- Murder Drones:
- Uzi is often read as autistic by fans due to her struggling to open up to people and having trouble forming connections with others, with her classmates openly treating her as different and "weird", which is something many autistic people struggle with. Her saying in episode 8 that she has trouble reading the room is also something many people on the spectrum struggle with.
- Many fans see N as autistic due to his struggles with reading the room, oversharing habits, and being prone to giving infodumps about things he enjoys, such as golden retrievers. His short attention span, hyperactivity, and overeagerness are also sometimes seen as him having ADHD.
- Mystery Skulls Animated: Arthur is commonly headcanoned as having depression and PTSD following the cave incident due to his fear of Mystery (who ripped off his arm to save him) and complete neglect of his own wellbeing during his search for Lewis, going days without eating or sleeping at a time according to Losing My Mind.
- Pretty Pretty Please I Don't Want to Be a Magical Girl: Zira's withdrawn, socially awkward personality, flat manner of speaking most of the time, and being described in supplemental material as very intelligent but struggling to apply her skills into academic success, has some fans headcanon her as autistic. Her trait of having an active imagination for fanfiction but lacking the stamina to actually write it is also reminiscent of ADHD.
- RWBY: To fans, Ruby Rose seems to have many traits associated with autism. Among other things, Ruby struggles a great deal with the more subtle aspects of socialization, has a somewhat unusual obsession with weaponry, and doesn't seem to pick up on social cues, figurative language, or sarcasm particularly well.
- Salad Fingers: A large number of viewers interpret Salad Fingers as having schizophrenia, owed to his patterns of self-harm, his tendency to hear voices, and the fact that he lives in a state of near-constant delusions and hallucinations. Other viewers, meanwhile, theorize that he is autistic due to his stilted speech, frequent use of neologisms, and pronounced sensory issues.
- Spooky Month:
- Fans commonly headcanon Skid and Pump as having ADHD and/or autism, from their hyperactive personalities and easily trusting nature, even towards Obviously Evil people. Their obsession with Spooky Month, to the point they constantly wear Halloween costumes months away from October, is also easily readable as a special interest.
- Pump having mild pyromania is very common in fanworks, due to his comment about wanting to burn the Happy Fella "to see it if it screams".
- Robert is often interpreted as neurodivergent, due to him stimming while talking about the Happy Fella in "Unwanted Guest".
- While never addressed in the show outside of quick gags, fans unanimously believe Rick suffers from severe depression, from his apathetic personality, dull way of speaking, and his remark about selling kids beer because he was "tired of breathing", outright sounding like suicidal ideation.
- Following the release of "Tender Treats", Jack being autistic became a frequent headcanon; in addition to his childish tendencies shown in previous episodes, "Tender Treats" shows him having trouble with blatant sarcasm and making light of a dark situation via an incredibly off-color prank, then not understanding why Patty and John are so mad at him for it, something common in actual autistic people.
- Liv's appearance in "Streber's Rehearsal" has caused fans to interpret her being a Genki Girl as indicative of her having autism or ADHD. Signs that point to the former are her bouncing up and down, which can be seen as stimming, and her joke to Streber at the end being rather brutally honest, whereas a sign that points to the latter is her being fascinated and easily distracted by Streber's Chroma Keying mirror.
Webcomics
- Dumbing of Age: Many readers have speculated that Dina was autistic given her obsessive interest in dinosaurs, social problems, frequent lack of expression, and various other traits. David Willis shrugged this off for a long time before admitting Dina was based on his own undiagnosed social deficiencies, and therefore probably has autism. It's later confirmed in-continuity that Dina and her parents believe she's autistic, but she hasn't got an official diagnosis due to racism.
- The Far Side of Utopia: Fan speculation is that Peter is autistic, as he is quite brilliant when it comes to technical matters (e.g. Artificial Intelligence) or political affairs, but has little to no interest in or understanding of social interactions, to the point that he built an AI, Query, with the sole purpose of advising him on how to interact with people.
- Mob Psycho 100: Mob is popularly interpreted as autistic by the series' neurodivergent fanbase. He tries to fit in with his peers, but has No Social Skills and needs to prevent Power Incontinence by suppressing his emotions, traits that autistic fans cite as paralleling their own experiences with socializing, masking, and avoiding the risk of meltdowns. His Sarcasm-Blind nature, flat affect, and difficulties with expressing emotions are also commonly cited as traits that make it easy to headcanon him as autistic.
- El Goonish Shive: In one of the audience Q&A strips, Amanda says that they're frequently asked if a given character is on the autistic spectrum. The answer is that every time someone raises this, it's based on something Dan wrote that's autobiographical, and since he doesn't know the answer for himself, he also doesn't know it about them.
- Somewhere in Between: Boothe is very frequently suspected to be autistic—he's incredibly intelligent (he's already doing abstract algebra as a twelve-year-old), can't read a room to save his life, takes a delight in organisation and routine, is as innocent and naive as he's brainy, and often fails to understand why people act the way they do and has a tendency to be a little too Literal-Minded at times. The creator has given the question the Shrug of God, remarking that 'Boothe is Boothe' and stating that it's not really important to him whether Boothe is officially on the spectrum so much as it's important that Boothe is a bright, but socially naive, kid who misses a lot of the arbitrary things that his peers get hung up on.
- Starslip: Jinx can easily be seen as autistic. He has poor social skills compared to his coworkers which leads to ostracization, carries his arms in a way similar to the "T-rex arms" common among autistic people, has a tendency to provide Too Much Information, and calls everyone he works with the excessively formal "sir".
Web Video
- The Angry Video Game Nerd:
- As his name implies, the Nerd has extreme anger issues. While it is understandable given his job involves him playing frustrating games, it can be argued that his rages are disproportionate to the stimuli and often reacts to mildly frustrating things with colorful profanity and excessive violence, hinting that he suffers from Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED). His excessive alcoholism probably does not help his mood, either.
- The Nerd is constantly hounded by outlandish and fictional characters (Shit-Pickle, Super-Mecha Death-Christ, Satan, the Joker, Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, etc.) who are all out to do him harm, hinting that he could be suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. Though considering this is set in the Reviewerverse where literally anything could happen, it is hard to argue whether or not any of it is real or not.
- As MatPat pointed out, the inconsistency in the Nerd's feces (from watery-diarrhea to thick and playdough-like) may hint he suffers from an inflammatory bowel disease like Crohn's Disease.
- Critical Role: Campaign Two:
- Considering how easy it is for him to become distracted and/or fall behind in conversation, many fans would argue that Caduceus has ADHD.
- Given Caleb's overall lack of social skills, extremely analytical mind, tendency to avoid eye contact, and his habits of counting multiples of objects out loud and muttering to himself while in stressful situations, seeing people interpret him as autistic is fairly common.
- Critical Role: Exandria Unlimited: Viewers with ADHD and autism identified with Laerryn's intense focus on her love of magic, her impatience with social niceties, and her tendency to fidget with her jewelry. Aabria even describes her entering the party and fiddling with something similar to a fidget toy.
- Dimension 20: In A Crown of Candy, Liam Wilhelmina's lack of social skills, obsessive interest in seeds, and difficulty with emotional regulation have led some fans to speculate that he is on the autism spectrum.
- Dream SMP:
- While very few of the characters have canonically confirmed neurodivergent conditions and/or psychiatric disorders, content creators with diagnosed disorders often play their characters in ways that are impacted by those disorders, hence rousing fan speculation that their characters may also have these disorders and inverting Disabled Character, Disabled Actor:
- Dream has shown several symptoms of ADHD like his content creator counterpart, such as hyperfixation, emotional impulsivity, struggling to articulate words, and fidgeting.
- Techno claims to have a bad attention span when listing his flaws during the Manburg Festival. Considering that the man who plays the character had ADHD in real life, this may point to his character having the disorder as well.
- Aside from his allegedly canonical PTSD from his Dark and Troubled Past, as of Season 3, several more of character-Quackity's traits can point towards him having borderline personality disorder (BPD), which has a strong link to childhood trauma and is sometimes comorbid with PTSD. These traits include an extreme fear of abandonment and frantic attempts to avoid it (real or imaginary), a pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships, impulsivity to the point of potentially being self-destructive, an unstable self-image or sense of self (see him tying his identity to Las Nevadas, for one), intense anger and outbursts (re: Cold-Blooded Torture), being The Paranoiac, all-or-nothing thinking, etc.
- Aside from C-PTSD, according to various Twitter-based fans, character-Tommy also shows some symptoms that could indicate ADHD, such as a very short attention span, a non-existent brain-mouth filter, extreme emotional responses for both positive and negative emotions, and difficulty articulating himself, especially in stressful situations.
- Wilbur's content creator counterpart has stated in a Reddit comment that his character "was suffering from intense paranoia and delusions". Based on this piece of Word of God, some fans have suggested that character-Wilbur has some form of psychosis alongside semi-canonical depression.
- Many fans describe Slimecicle's character as being autistic-coded, due to his unawareness of social cues and norms, apparent stimming (particularly vocal stimming), and literal-mindedness. While it's explained in-universe by him being a slime, this doesn't stop autistic fans from relating to him. Additionally, some fans read his attempts at passing for human as analogous to autistic masking, a phenomenon in which autistic people suppress their symptoms in order to pass for an allistic person.
- While very few of the characters have canonically confirmed neurodivergent conditions and/or psychiatric disorders, content creators with diagnosed disorders often play their characters in ways that are impacted by those disorders, hence rousing fan speculation that their characters may also have these disorders and inverting Disabled Character, Disabled Actor:
- The McCallister Family: It is common for viewers to interpret Barb's erratic and self-centered behavior as symptoms of untreated narcissistic personality disorder. As of "Barb's Betrayal," Dr. Therapydoctor seems to believe that her unwillingness and/or inability to empathize with her family is indeed a symptom of an underlying issue that needs a specialist's intervention.
- Solar Sands: The protagonist of "Rudon's Plane" has a lot of trouble empathising with other people. The commenters are divided on whether he is autistic or sociopathic.