Autistic characters appear fairly frequently in media. However, most of these characters are only a surface-level, stereotypical understanding of Autism. But for the sake of quick writing advice, here are a few basic pieces of advice, and explanations of commonly misunderstood aspects of autism:
- Don't write every autistic character to be a young white boy. This is a common stereotype, but it's not accurate. Autistic people can come from any culture and ethnicity out there, and we are not all from the West either. There are more autistic adults than autistic children, and while there is no definitive answer to the gender disparity in autism diagnosis, the ratio is likely at least partially caused by underdiagnosis. Some researchers posit there might be just as many autistic women as men! In fact, autistic people are more likely to be trans and non-binary than the allistic (non-autistic) population. And, while the stereotype isn't as ingrained, not all autistic people are white.
- Be careful when depicting the negative side of autism. While autism is a disability, it's far more intertwined with one's inner personality and perception of the world. That is to say, avoid depicting autism (and inevitably, autistic people) as a complete blight on humanity or a non-lethal death sentence.
- Do not include any kind of "cure" for autism. Autism is not curable, and the history of attempts at such is rife with abuse and ableism. This is also dubious due to how intrinsic autism is to one's experiences (see above). Avoid sending the message that an autistic character would be better off as a completely different person.
- Don't make your autistic characters unempathetic robots. Autistic people do feel emotion, sometimes far more strongly than allistic people. This is called hyper-empathy. Its inverse, hypo-empathy (where feelings are muted), also happens sometimes. Some autistic people sit at one or the other, some move between the two, some experience a standard level of empathy. However, most autistic people don't express emotions in the same way as allistic people do. Studies have shown that autistic people communicate just as effectively with each other as allistic people, but that an autistic person and an allistic person don't communicate anywhere near as effectively.
- Sensory sensitivities are often misunderstood or ignored in writing. Many autistic people are hypersensitive to certain sensations, such as light, sound or touch, as if those sensations were not being filtered as much. For example, a lot of electronic devices (fridges and fluorescent lights in particular) make a very distinct and stressful buzzing noise to autistic people with sensory sensitivities to sound. Clothes that allistic people might think are fine can be unbearably scratchy, or too restricting, or too heavy. Lights can be far too bright, and things such as cutlery moving together, chairs scraping, and conversations between multiple people can be stressful and cause physical pain. If an autistic person is stressed or uncomfortable with no obvious cause, then something like this is often to blame.
- That said, sensory sensitivities can also be situational, or restricted to a specific subtype of sensation. For example, a given autistic person may have no problem with sound in general, but can be strongly affected by heavy bass in music, or loud and unexpected noises.
- As the saying goes, "If you've met one autistic person, you've met one autistic person." That's a way of emphasizing that autism can manifest itself in countless ways. All autistic people have their own individual sensitivities, intellectual capabilities, communication skills, interests, you name it. Autism is a spectrum. Each autistic person will exhibit different degrees of different symptoms. While deficits in social skills are a requirement for diagnosis, all common autistic symptoms are not seen in every autistic person. For example, some autistic people have no hypersensitivities to speak of. Autistic people may also experience fluctuations in different skills or symptoms over time.
- Autistic people often 'mask'. This is when an autistic person mimics allistic norms of social interaction, such as eye-contact and certain types of small talk, which are generally non-typical for autistic communication. Most autistic people mask to some degree, and this can lead to assumptions that someone isn't 'that autistic'. It can often come across as Casual Danger Dialogue, as for many masking autistics it is so ingrained that it overrides some self-preservation instincts. This is generally a result of abusive treatment, including ABA, which is considered the standard 'treatment' for autism by behavioural psychologists. ABA and treatments like it have no effect on whether someone is autistic—all they do is force the autistic person to mask.
- Non-speaking autistic people can communicate in many other ways — sign language, writing, or using augmented and assisted communication (AAC) devices. Some autistic people can be speaking or non-speaking depending on their situation - if they're too stressed out from, for example, sensory overload, they might lose their ability to speak coherently or at all.
- Autistic people are not all asexual. There are asexual autistic people, but they are not by any means the rule. Autistic people can have fulfilling relationships, have sex, and feel attraction with the same diversity as allistic people.
- Special interests are topics and areas that autistic people can be deeply invested in and passionate about. For example, an autistic person might be fascinated by sharks, or card games, or dermatology, or astronomy, or Buddhist philosophy, or any number of topics varying in breadth, depth, and intensity of interest. Not all autistic people have them, but those that do often find a great deal of enjoyment out of learning about their special interests and sharing that information with other people. Allistic authors sometimes write these as a single fascination, but that's not accurate. Autistic people can have many special interests. Infodumping is the term for when autistic people share information about their special interests. Note also that an individual autistic person's interests can change over time.
- Another common trait of autism is assuming truth. This can often be seen as being blunt, rude, overly literal or socially inept, but really it stems from an assumption that everyone is telling the truth. For example, when an allistic person hears a superior (a boss, parent or teacher) use the phrase 'do you want to do *thing*', this is generally interpreted as a direct instruction. However, an autistic person would likely interpret this as an actual question, unless they had encountered this tendency before and already second-guess everything they hear in case it contains phrases like this. It can be really hard to tell when neurotypicals are being literal or just saying something and meaning something completely different. If autistic people phrase something like a question, they typically intend the literal meaning of the question and fully intend for the person they're asking to be able to say no.
- Stereotypical physical actions- often called "stimming"- are semi-voluntary repetitive physical movements, typically for the sake of preforming the action itself. These can include, but are not limited to, actions such as hand-flapping, rocking back and forth, and humming. Though this can seem odd to allistic people, most autistic people find it soothing, helps them self-regulate, and can help overcome stress or assist in managing thoughts. Stimming is typically not harmful, so long as the action itself is not dangerous. Allistic people engage in stereotypical movement as well, even if it is in ways considered "normal" by allistic culture—drumming fingers, tapping feet, chewing pens— and it's something that you should try and be accepting of in your writing.
- Get a variety of sources for your research. Behavioural psychology, in this field in particular, is quite often affected by the stereotypes mentioned above, and a driving desire of some allistic researchers to cure autism, as well as a lack of autistic input up until recent years. As you may have noticed, many autistic people do not have a positive view of the psychologists operating in this field. On the flip side, medical research is incredibly important to understanding aspects of autism through empirical evidence.
- Try and write autistic characters as people. Don't just copy Rain Man. Autistic people are subject to a lot of discrimination, particularly being ignored when talking about ourselves. Most of all, try and treat autistic characters with respect.
