History Main / HollywoodAutism

* In ComicBook/TheNewUniverse series ''ComicBook/PsiForce'', Johnny Do is stated to be autistic in-story. He is nonverbal, can barely communicate, and is cared for by Thomas Boyd. However, his difficulties and [[TheWoobie Woobie]] status are attributed more to his history of abuse in Soviet mental institutions and the research center he was transferred to upon gaining his [[PlayingWithFire pyrokinetic powers]] due to [[MassEmpoweringEvent The White Event]]. In fact, the way he entered Thomas Boyd's care was that Thomas Boyd learned of Johnny's presence and scheduled lobotomy and rescued him.
* ''ComicBook/{{NYX}}'': Bobby Soul's brother, Lil' Bro, is high-support autistic, and virtually non-responsive to anyone around him. [[spoiler: He's also an ''incredibly'' powerful telepath, whom it is revealed in the ending of the first series that he has been communicating with Kiden Nixon's dead father and helping coordinate the ghost's efforts to send her on her FetchQuest to collect her RagtagBunchOfMisfits, if not projecting the spirit ''himself'']].
* The book ''Something Different About Dad: How to Live With Your Asperger's Parent'' has the eponymous father Mark have Asperger's Syndrome. He's highly introverted, has NoSenseOfHumor, very anal-retentive to the point of sometimes being LawfulStupid, knows a ton about buses (which is what his job is about), and, unlike most of the other examples on this page, can have a rather HairTriggerTemper and an even further LackOfEmpathy that's borderline-emotional (and, fortunately rarely, [[KickTheDog physical]]) abuse if he's too stressed. What also sets him apart from the other characters in the story is that while they have BlackBeadEyes, he has [[ThousandYardStare blank white eyes]] instead.

* Averted with Nepeta Leijon from the ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' fic ''FanFic/{{Brainbent}}'', who is clearly stated as autistic and having a sensory processing disorder. While she definitely has her quirks, like despising purple and pretending to be a CatGirl, she's one of the [[EnsembleDarkhorse more popular and well-liked characters]] for being the [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]] and just for being adorable, and is capable of forming strong friendships with people, provided they understand her and aren't mean to her.
* Averted in Tammy Billingham's series of ''{{Series/Emergency}}'' [[http://www.tbillingsemergencyfanfic.com/storiesbytammy.htm fics]]. John Gage is portrayed as mildly Asperger's, but though he has some classic symptoms (even in show canon, really), he still functions fine as a paramedic. His problem is that a traumatic childhood does cause him to withdraw when he experiences severe trauma as he often does here. Roy uses rage reduction and touch therapy to help him at times.
* The ''FanFic/TriptychContinuum'' has something similar to this in the form of ''falling into the mark'', a mental disorder endemic among ponies in which the cutie mark talent consumes the pony's life. While most sufferers simply never really develop any skills or interests outside the scope of their talent, those who fall the furthest become completely incapable of normal social interaction, unable to comprehend anything that is not creating art, forging metal, compiling knowledge, or whatever that particular pony's talent happens to be.
* ''FanFic/VoltronDuality'' averts this, as the author themself is autistic.

* ''Fanfic/ACertainDrollHivemind'': Between Yui's NoSocialSkills, LiteralMinded nature, and [[NarratingThePresent strange speech patterns]], her flatmates assume she's somewhere on the spectrum. The truth, of course, is that she's a clone purpose-made for an experiment that was meant to end in her death; there was no need to program her with anything beyond the absolute basics. It doesn't help that she's part of a ten-thousand person HiveMind of identical clones; whenever someone complains that she's not acting normal, she notes that [[ConfirmationBias nearly everyone she knows agrees with how she acts]], so there's no need to change.

* Raymond in ''Film/RainMan'' is autistic, as stated in the movie. Though he has [[DisabilitySuperpower savant-like abilities]], he is unable to care for himself, which led to his parents placing him in an institution. The whole focus of the story is on how [[InspirationallyDisabled Raymond teaches Charlie to care about other people and to not be such a jerk through]] ThePowerOfLove. It should be noted though that Creator/DustinHoffman's performance has been praised by many as being very close to how many people with high-support autism act, though the movie taking an outsider's perspective toward him (not to mention the fact that the movie came out in 1988, at a time when professional understanding of autism was far more limited) means that there isn't much of an in-depth look at how he thinks, only demonstrating how he acts. Low-support types (who can usually take care of themselves, for starters) often find the character and movie to be an albatross around their necks, though.

* In ''Film/MozartAndTheWhale'', both Donald and Isabelle are stated to be autistic and have a romantic relationship. Donald can pass for neurotypical more effectively, with Isabelle as a sort of ManicPixieDreamGirl.

* According to Thierry Zéno, the human from ''Film/VaseDeNoces'' was highly autistic, which bears eyebrow-raising implications, considering his actions throughout the film.
* ''Film/{{Cube}}'': Kazan exhibits many aspects of this trope. He frequently fidgets and taps the side of his head, makes strange noises when he's agitated, and most of his intelligible dialogue consists of babbling about gumdrops. He's also capable of performing complex mathematic equations in his head, and his numerical skills prove to be a valuable asset to the other characters and ultimately lead to him [[spoiler:being the only character to survive to the end]].

* In ''Film/AlienAbduction2014'', 11-year-old Riley is stated to be autistic by both the opening title cards and his own family, and exhibits a number of quirks such as reciting his observations in a monotone and vastly preferring to view the world through his camcorder. At one point he gets ''very'' upset when another character tries to take his camera away, after a terrifying encounter with the aliens.
* The entire movie ''Film/BenX'' is built around this trope, showing how patients with Asperger's supposedly can't function without a minute-to-minute schedule, have extremely vivid hallucinations, are incapable of something as simple as taking a train, and can't interact with other human beings ''at all''. The film was still somehow praised for its "accuracy".

* ''Film/TheImitationGame'': While it is a biopic of Alan Turing, who possibly did have Asperger Syndrome, the film amps up the stereotypical qualities that he didn't have in real life -- showing a scene where child Alan freaks out at school because his peas and carrots aren't separated, and depicting him being unable to understand a joke (he was quite the DeadpanSnarker in real life). Additionally, Alan is shown being unable to work in a team and has to learn how to respect other people, when again, in reality, he had no problems working with other people, in fact, his friends and acquaintances described him as both witty and charming.

* ''Film/ChangeOfHabit'' has the 1960s version, where autism is a mental illness caused by hiding behind a "wall of rage" to cope with a [[ParentalNeglect "refrigerator" mother]] and can be cured within hours by abusive quack therapies like [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attachment_therapy rage reduction]], which involves tormenting a child in order to "release the anger."
* Music/{{Sia}}'s ''Film/Music2021'' is a particularly bad example of this trope. While the titular Music is a teenage girl, every single other aspect of the trope is played straight to the point of attracting accusations of it [[ValuesDissonance resembling an offensive caricature of a mentally-handicapped person]], with some even comparing it to an unironic, real-life version of ''[[Film/TropicThunder Simple Jack]]''. Music is portrayed like a LivingProp who only exists to drive development of other characters (which Sia herself essentially admitted to in an interview), rather than a person with her own thoughts and emotions. Sia's [[DearNegativeReader response to criticism]] (which included her swearing at and insulting several autistic actors who took issue with the film), the casting of Maddie Ziegler (who is neurotypical, and reportedly broke down in tears on the first day of filming out of fear that viewers would think she was intentionally mocking them), and scenes that portrayed prone restraints (which are potentially lethal and only make the situation worse) positively only intensified criticism directed at the film. Ironically, [[OffendingTheCreatorsOwn Sia would be diagnosed with autism herself]] some time after the movie was released.
* ''Film/TheGreatFight'': One of Anthony's "savant skills" is an "innate understanding" of Spanish, a language he's barely been exposed to and yet understands better than English.

* Seth Garin in ''Literature/TheRegulators'' is stated to be autistic in-story, nonverbal, has magical powers, and is obsessed with a particular show. This obsession starts the major conflict of the book.
* Rory in ''Literature/WickedGood'' by Joanne Lewis. From what has been written about the book, this character ''definitely'' seems to be InspirationallyDisadvantaged.

* Jacob in ''Literature/HouseRules'' is really good at crime scene know-how, but will have a meltdown if his routine is interrupted in any way. He is clearly stated to be autistic by multiple characters in the story, including himself and it is mentioned repeatedly that Jacob's mother has tried many treatments for Jacob such as a GFCF diet and vitamin B12 supplements.[[note]]These ideas come from Dr. Bernard Rimland who thought B12 and B6 could help autistics process communication and that a GFCF diet could reduce stomach/intestinal discomfort.[[/note]] Jacob's brother Theo complains about the effect Jacob has on his life including a transparently metaphorical example of them both being under an upside-down boat and Jacob breathing in all the oxygen. In fact, the title ''House Rules'' refers to the list of house rules that Theo and Jacob's mother has set for the family to follow, most of them having something to do with Jacob's special needs. Despite Jacob's intelligence and fascination with forensic analysis, he is portrayed as being a burden on his family. Rather than being InspirationallyDisadvantaged or just different, the book focuses on whether or not Jacob murdered his social-skills tutor, which is left ambiguous but is pushed more of the side of "yes" by the family's push for an InsanityDefense and Theo's narrating quote: "My mother will tell you Jacob's not violent, but I am living proof that she's kidding herself."
* Darryl [=McAllister=] in ''[[Literature/YoungWizards A Wizard Alone]]'', who is stated to be autistic in-story. He is shown to be nonverbal, inclined to bang his head, and go to a special-needs school. Additionally, anyone who hears that Darryl is autistic automatically says something along the lines of, "That's terrible" and it's portrayed as nothing but a tragedy that Darryl is autistic. Diane Duane also takes ''a '''lot''''' of artistic license with autism. Within the story, [[UnfortunateImplications Kit acquires some of Darryl's autistic traits through overexposure to Darryl's mind]] and [[ThrowingOffTheDisability Darryl gets rid of his autism]] by using it to create a trap for The Lone Power. In 2012, new editions of the books got published, this included. The author actually fixed the problems with Darryl's autism and drastically improved the book entirely, with much better reception.
* Caitlin Smith in ''Literature/{{Mockingbird}}'' seems to be somewhat aware of the fact that she has Asperger's and displays many traits such as having above-average intelligence, being LiteralMinded and SarcasmBlind, and has a bit of a tendency to say and do things that get taken the wrong way by others despite her best intentions (and other times not best intentions. She tends to be a little narrow-minded and even selfish, claiming she's good at something when it's clear she doesn't know the first thing of what she's trying to do, not that she can be blamed for this because none of the authority figures in the book really ''"teach"'' her what she needs to do). However, she doesn't understand that autism and Asperger's Syndrome are the same thing[[note]]they weren't until Asperger's was merged into "Autism spectrum disorder" in the DSM-5[[/note]] and adamantly claims she's not autistic, as another classmate of hers has autism, but her definition of autism is, according to the behaviors she's seen her classmate display, being non-verbal, eating dirt, and screaming when he's mad.
* The ''Literature/TheBabySittersClub'' book ''Kristy and the Secret of Susan'' is rather infamous among snark communities for this. First of all, Kristy's baby-sitting charge Susan displays every single autistic symptom known to medicine, which is actually unheard-of in real life. On top of that, she has all kinds of impossible super-abilities, such as being able to replay any piece of music she hears on the piano, regardless of what instruments were used in the original; she can also sing the lyrics, regardless of the language, after hearing them only once (despite the fact that she is otherwise non-verbal); and can tell you what day of the week any given date falls on.

* ''Literature/TheCuriousIncidentOfTheDogInTheNightTime'' has a main character (Christopher) who is autistic, but the writer did no research on autism and jammed together a bunch of cliches and stereotypes such as vocal stimming, difficulty reading facial expressions, a dislike for certain colors built around its own internal logic, and aversion to touch. The book ends with Christopher contemplating that although he wants to become an astronaut and go to the moon, he knows he never will because of his autism-related separation anxiety. This is meant to be a ''happy ending.''
* C.L. Friedman's massive novel ''Literature/ThisAlienShore'' describes descendants of Earth colonies who were mutated in various ways by their alien environments. They restructure their societies around their new characteristics. On the most powerful colony world, the mutations were all "mental illnesses", which they call ''kaja'' and designate with symbolic face paint. A prominent character is ''iru'', autistic, and makes a strong case for not "curing" his or others' conditions.
* In ''Literature/DieLast'' by Tony Parsons, the protagonist DC Max Wolfe visits a residential hospital upon learning that the local retired crime lord has a son there. When he asks a nurse if the son is autistic, she corrects him and says that he has Asperger's Syndrome, describing it as difficulty communicating with others. However, his difficulties come across as far more severe, and more befitting of this trope - the son, who is now in his fifties, is non-verbal, has no concept of personal space, swallows things he shouldn't, and is generally incapable of independence. Other characters, including the aforementioned crime lord, [[PetTheDog who dotes on his son and has a very positive relationship with him]], call him a retard several times, with his only reaction being to jerk his head in recognition of someone saying his name, and even DC Wolfe describes him as a man-boy in his internal monologue. His parents institutionalized him at birth, so it's possible that he could have had a more independent, fulfilling life had he been raised outside the hospital environment, but instead he's gone native.

* In ''Literature/TheAmyVirus'', Cyan's parents believe in this trope. They think she can't be autistic because she displays musical talent, a sense of humor, and eats a gross fad diet that includes turkey gizzards, cow eyeballs, and absolutely no starches. Cyan herself averts this trope hard, though, as does her friend Eroica Witt.
* Averted with Zane in the children's book ''All My Stripes''. He has trouble with metaphors and is sensitive to loud noises and the touch of paint, but the book is all about how autism is only one of many things that make up who he is. He's also fully verbal; talking just doesn't come as naturally to him.
* Averted in ''Literature/JackieBoy'', with Morgan, Jackie's friend and lover who has autism. They are well-liked by their peers and very much cared about by their lovers but is occasionally fussed over and unintentionally treated like they are much younger than 21.
* ''Literature/TheresMoreThanOneWayHome'' contains an in-universe example. After Jack, a ten-year-old autistic boy, is accused of killing another child, his classmates' parents start telling horror stories about violent, animalistic autistics who need to be locked up for everyone else's safety.
* In Julie Buxbaum's YA novel ''Literature/WhatToSayNext'' David is an example of this because of his very academic speech patterns, his special interests in math and science, the fact that his peers think he is generally weird, and there is even a chapter where he recites thousands of digits of pi.
* ''Literature/{{Distress}}'': For the documentary ''Junk DNA'', Worth interviews James Roarke, a member of a group called the Voluntary Autists. Autism is portrayed as the result of lesions in a region of the brain called Lamont's Area, which allows a person to understand other people and have relationships. Roarke has suffered damage to Lamont's Area and now wants the whole thing removed in order to be cured of the desire for a relationship, as he believes intimacy is only self-deception. Despite the stereotypical and inaccurate portrayal of autism, Roarke makes some excellent points about how the concepts of "health" and "humanity" are weaponized against anyone who's different from the norm.

* ''Series/TheGoodDoctor'': Averted slightly. There are some things that it gets right and some things that aren't presented quite as well but, according to articles about the show, autistic children have related to Shaun and his struggles.
* Karla on ''Series/WaterlooRoad'' is a genius, but clearly needs a support teacher and medication to get by in everyday life.
* In an episode of ''Series/{{House}}'', the patient of the week is a child named Adam who is stated to be autistic. In fact, his autism becomes a major conversational topic. He is nonverbal, screams because of pain in his eye, and sees squiggly things [[spoiler:that turn out to be worms that he got from eating sand in the sandbox he plays in at home]]. It is mentioned in the episode that both his parents quit their jobs to enable them to stay at home and care for their son.
* ''Series/{{CSI}}'' had an episode where an autistic man was the only witness to the death of the episode's victim. His autism was mostly shown by having him stutter while talking, having difficulty explaining things in words that most people would use (he said the victim had 'water running into her eyes', meaning that she was sweating), and having actions that seem coupled with [=OCD=], like keeping his mail in specific order of what needs to be paid next and saying that some of the books in the library he worked in 'felt wrong'. He was suspected as the killer, due to being the only witness. [[spoiler:He wasn't, the woman had been poisoning the salt in the shaker of her boss and some of the poison landed on her pen, which she had a habit of chewing on while thinking. And his saying the books felt wrong gave reveal to the fact that the woman and her boss had a forging business going on with the old books.]]

* Sugar on ''Series/{{Glee}}'' claims to have Asperger's syndrome and exhibits practically every negative characteristic of the condition. However, she does mention she's self-diagnosed, so she's less a negative portrayal of Asperger's and more of a TakeThat to real people that self-diagnose themselves with the disorder because they think it'll let them get away with bad behavior.
* A similar character is Bryce introduced in season 3 of ''Series/{{Younger}}'' who is a parody of young tech entrepreneurs. He constantly interjects that he's "on the spectrum" but it seems to be an excuse for rude behavior. There is never any confirmation that he's actually autistic beyond him saying it. He is portrayed as analytical and practical with an indifference to other people's feelings, which he claims to be unable to interpret. However, he also has a fragile ego and seems aware of when he has offended someone because he usually responds by saying he's "on the spectrum."
* Kevin on ''Series/{{Eureka}}'' was autistic. After [[spoiler: Allison, Jack Carter, Henry, Jo, and Fargo go back in time and disrupt the time stream]], [[ThrowingOffTheDisability Kevin is 'cured' of his autism]].

* Though ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' himself [[InsistentTerminology insists that he's a high-functioning sociopath]], John (a medical doctor) at one point states that Sherlock has Asperger's (although he may have been joking). His major character traits, of course, are being completely inappropriate when in social situations (including not even bothering to wear clothes when taken to Buckingham Palace) and being an InsufferableGenius. Since autism is genetic, it could also apply to other members of the Holmes family who display even more pronounced traits of disconnect from "normal people".
* ''Series/SesameStreet'':
** Julia, an Anything Muppet, is designed to subvert this trope, starting with the fact that she's female. In the episode "Meet Julia", her friends Elmo and Abby Cadabby introduce her to Big Bird and help him understand that although she interacts with others in different ways than most and has sensitivities that need to be acknowledged -- she hates loud noises and panics upon hearing a fire engine siren[[labelnote:*]]This is TruthInTelevision. For someone even "mildly" autistic, walking through a modern parking lot can be like walking through a God-damned minefield, thanks to the sudden horn honks emitted by car lock remotes.[[/labelnote]], and Big Bird touching her shoulder in an attempt to help makes matters worse, whereupon Alan takes her aside to calm down -- she is a happy person and a great friend. She's also performed by a Muppeteer who has an autistic son.
** One autistic kid, hearing about the advent of Julia, [[https://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/10/27/the-other-autistic-muppet/?_r=0 told his mom]] that there was already an autistic Muppet: Fozzie Bear. He perseverates (repeats words or phrases), has such an esoteric sense of humor that to laypeople he appears to have little actual sense for it (or for timing!), and tends to take everything overly literally and seriously.

* ''{{Series/Bones}}'': WordOfGod was that Dr. Brennan was supposed to have Asperger's/high functioning autism, but it was never stated onscreen. She's socially impaired, very literal-minded, and highly intelligent.
* [[ShownTheirWork Wholly averted]] in ''Series/EverythingsGonnaBeOkay''; Matilda has UsefulNotes/HighFunctioningAutism. Unlike some media portrayals, the series accurately depicts many aspects of this. It helps that both the actress portraying her, Creator/KaylaCromer, and the series creator, Creator/JoshThomas, are also autistic. Matilda cannot read social cues at all. It is nearly impossible for her to pick up on when people are being sarcastic or lying. She has a very blunt way of speaking in general, with no filter for her inner thoughts (up to and including sex topics.) When she embarrasses herself, she can fall into child-like panic attacks, pacing back and forth nervously and then retreating out of the room like a frightened toddler. She is often uncomfortable making casual physical contact with people, particularly people she doesn't know. She was outright ''non-verbal'' when she was three years old, and her doctors thought she might never learn to talk. Refusing to accept this, her father devoted a lot of time to giving her therapy. She's actually very intelligent, so she managed to learn enough social development that she didn't have to be institutionalized, but goes to a normal high school with her sister, although she's seen going to Special Needs classes, with some other autistic children. While Matilda might not fully comprehend social cues, she comprehends when she's done ''something'' wrong and is haunted by feelings of inadequacy. Moreover, she's repeatedly lamented that she knows she's a burden on her loved ones and is ashamed about everything she puts them through. She desperately wants to be "high functioning" and tries to hide her breakdowns from them.
* A variation of this was in the so-called "[[BlatantLies advocacy-serye]]" ''Series/{{Budoy}}'', as the title character is billed by Filipino television network Creator/{{ABSCBN}} to have [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelman_syndrome Angelman syndrome]], but his portrayal leaned more towards a stereotypical special needs person than an actual Angelman syndrome patient, as pointed out by special education expert Yolanda Bautista and pediatrician Dr. Tippy Tanchanco. Bautista and Tanchanco [[http://web.archive.org/web/20120214195438/http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/348219/is-budoy-sending-wrong-signals expressed concern]] about the show's brand of "advocacy", which while done with good intentions (especially with its use of Christian values and tropes such as miracles, used to describe Budoy's unlikely transformation into a savant capable of coherent speech, something that is unfortunately ''impossible'' with Angelman patients), was wrong for so many reasons, especially as parents of special needs children flocked to them asking as to whether their sons or daughters with similar conditions could somehow be cured. Not to mention that the show's title became something of a pejorative by-word used by bullies to pick on those in the autism spectrum or with similar conditions, as what one blogger [[https://ianlopez1115.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/not-happy-because-of-budoy/ pointed out]] in a rant back when the show first came out. It also didn't help that Gerald Anderson parodied his character in a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs00XPnxH0A celebrity basketball game]] alongside comedian and ''Series/EatBulaga'' regular Jose Manalo who also previously parodied the Budoy character around the time the show was airing.
* {{Reconstructed}} by ''Series/{{Astrid}}''. Title character Astrid Nielsen checks several of the boxes (mainly that she's an InspirationallyDisadvantaged genius criminologist) but avoids others: she has significant difficulty with social cues (in particular she often asks Commander Coste to avoid idiomatic speech since [[BluntMetaphorsTrauma she has trouble with it]]) and is prone to going into burnout in noisy environments or if her routine is disrupted. One of the show's writers is autistic and the writing room has about a dozen other autistic people on tap as beta-readers, and actress Creator/SaraMortensen, while not autistic herself, sat in on autism support groups to get help with getting it right. Astrid's own support group plays a role in several episodes and includes a wide variety of autistic people.

* The eponymous ''VideoGame/{{AMY|2012}}'' has elements of real autism and this trope. She's mute and has superpowers, but she also needs the protagonist Lana as a LivingEmotionalCrutch and frequently gets bored if you leave her in the same place for a long time.

* ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'' gives us [[spoiler:Rell, the Tenno that the Red Veil worship. Throughout the ''Chains of Harrow'' quest, there's many hints to Rell's autism; from flashbacks to Rell learning emotions to the Donda that Rell used to use to stimulate himself. When WordOfGod confirmed his autism, [[TheUntwist no one was surprised.]]]]
* ''VideoGame/DeadByDaylight'' has Claudette, whose background mentions how she's "wired differently" multiple times, with her mother bemoaning [[WhyCouldntYouBeDifferent how Claudette needs to be normal]]. A later entry [[spoiler: shows that this is because [[ParentsAsPeople her mother is also "wired differently"]], and [[KidsAreCruel suffered during her childhood for it]].]]

* Black Manta of the ''ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}'' series is stated in #8 to have been an autistic orphan who was placed in [[BedlamHouse Arkham Asylum]]. Because the attendants didn't know how to deal with autism, they restrained him to his bed, to which he would struggle and scream because he felt comfortable in freezing cold water but found cotton sheets to be excruciatingly painful. Later on, Aquaman rewired Black Manta's autistic brain, but it didn't make him any less violent or sociopathic.

* Interestingly, Harry Dresden of ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' is noted to be an InUniverse example by one of his best friends [[spoiler: and future girlfriend]] in one of 'Aftermath' side-story. That is to say, he ticks most of the stereotypical boxes which leads people to assume he's autistic, but he actually isn't (so far as we know) - he hunches up somewhat, he instinctively lowers and softens his voice, he refuses to meet anyone's gaze for more than a second with very few exceptions, and he's obsessively interested in very weird things. Of course, this is simply because he's an exceptionally tall man who's also an exceptionally powerful wizard who's acutely aware of how powerful he is - he hunches up and softens his voice to diminish his size and intimidation factor, he doesn't look people in the eye because it risks starting a Soul Gaze, and his interests are pretty normal for a wizard.
** That being said, other aspects, such as his persistent fondness for routine - noted in terms of his unchanging dress sense, keeping the same apartment throughout the series [[spoiler: until it gets burnt down, and even then, a few books later he ends up returning to the new building on the site]], always driving the same car no matter how battered it gets (to the point where [[TheseusShipParadox it's a matter of philosophy as to whether it's still the same car]]), always going to the same pub, and even always going to the same restaurant (Burger King). It makes him somewhat predictable. When this routine gets ripped out from under him, he's left psychologically unmoored and clinging to whatever familiarity he can - though given the traumatic circumstances, that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with autism.

* While ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriendsAllEnginesGo'' is ''heavily'' reviled by the larger fanbase, the series introduced a new main character in the second season, Bruno the Brake Car, who is the first character in the franchise officially acknowledged as autistic. Unlike other examples of autistic characters in animated media, the show's creators did extensive research with autism consultants and advisors to ensure Bruno's autistic mannerisms were both authentic and tastefully portrayed, with his voice actors and the writer for most of his scenes also being autistic. This combined with the fact that the other characters don't treat him any differently for his mental state makes him an EnsembleDarkHorse for the series.

** Julia, an Anything Muppet, is designed to subvert this trope, starting with the fact that she's female. In the episode "Meet Julia", her friends Elmo and Abby Cadabby introduce her to Big Bird and help him understand that although she interacts with others in different ways than most and has sensitivities that need to be acknowledged -- she hates loud noises and panics upon hearing a fire engine siren[[note]]TruthInTelevision. For someone even "mildly" autistic, walking through a modern parking lot can be like walking through a God-damned minefield, thanks to the sudden horn honks emitted by car lock remotes.[[/note]], and Big Bird touching her shoulder in an attempt to help makes matters worse, whereupon Alan takes her aside to calm down -- she is a happy person and a great friend. She's also performed by a Muppeteer who has an autistic son.

* ''Fanfic/TheSoulmateTimeline'' has [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Homura]] avert the worst of this trope. Homura's character from the anime is elaborated on to being interpreted as autistic, being easily fixated on a few things and having very poor social skills and often misses social cues. Her interests have shifted over time, having once been particularly interested in ballet but the timeloop stress having shifted her focuses onto keeping Madoka alive with specific patterns that she became very distressed when she was unable to execute due to the poor condition she started the story in. She also mentions that as a child she really didn't like certain noises. She's undiagnosed due to her orphanage being understaffed and Japan's typical trends, and a common trend in story is to contrast how her Soulmates see her (who can feel her emotional responses even if she doesn't clearly show them), and how others see her (who tend to be thrown off by her lacking social skills).

* Music/{{Sia}}’s ''Film/Music2021'' is a particularly bad example of this trope. While the titular Music is a teenage girl, every single other aspect of the trope is played straight to the point of attracting accusations of it [[DisabledMeansHelpless resembling an offensive caricature of a mentally-handicapped person]], with some even comparing it to an unironic, real-life version of ''[[Film/TropicThunder Simple Jack]]''. Music is portrayed like a LivingProp who only exists to drive development of other characters (which Sia herself essentially admitted to in an interview), rather than a person with her own thoughts and emotions. Sia’s [[DearNegativeReader response to criticism]] (which included her swearing at and insulting several autistic actors who took issue with the film), the casting of Maddie Ziegler (who is neurotypical, and reportedly broke down in tears on the first day of filming out of fear that viewers would think she was intentionally mocking them), and scenes that portrayed prone restraints (which are potentially lethal and only make the situation worse) positively only intensified criticism directed at the film. Ironically, [[OffendingTheCreatorsOwn Sia would be diagnosed with autism herself]] some time after the movie was released.

%%* ''Film/Molly1999'' as played by Elisabeth Shue.

* Music/{{Sia}}’s ''Film/Music2021'' is a particularly bad example of this trope. While the titular Music is a teenage girl, every single other aspect of the trope is played straight to the point of attracting accusations of it [[CopycatMockery resembling an offensive caricature of a mentally-handicapped person]], with some even comparing it to an unironic, real-life version of ''[[Film/TropicThunder Simple Jack]]''. Music is portrayed like a LivingProp who only exists to drive development of other characters (which Sia herself essentially admitted to in an interview), rather than a person with her own thoughts and emotions. Sia’s [[DearNegativeReader response to criticism]] (which included her swearing at and insulting several autistic actors who took issue with the film), the casting of Maddie Ziegler (who is neurotypical, and reportedly broke down in tears on the first day of filming out of fear that viewers would think she was intentionally mocking them), and scenes that portrayed prone restraints (which are potentially lethal and only make the situation worse) positively only intensified criticism directed at the film. Ironically, [[OffendingTheCreatorsOwn Sia would be diagnosed with autism herself]] some time after the movie was released.

* Rory [=McKenna=] in ''Film/ThePredator'' is stated to be autistic. The boy is capable of deciphering the Predator's language near-instantly, and can seamlessly interface with their tech, but he is mercilessly bullied by school kids and even some adults. But instead of showing how autism can be a varying disorder, the film plays out that autism is humanity's next step in evolution. This is a topic which can't be summed up in a single TV Tropes article.

* The entire movie ''Film/BenX'' is built around this trope, showing how patients with Asperger's supposedly can't function without a minute-to-minute schedule, have extremely vivid hallucinations, are incapable of something as simple as taking a train, and can't interact with other human beings ''at all''. The film was inaccurately praised for its "accuracy".

* Though ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' himself [[InsistentTerminology insists that he's a high-functioning sociopath]], John (a medical doctor) at one point states that Sherlock has Asperger's (although he may have been joking). His major character traits, of course, are being completely inappropriate when in social situations (including not even bothering to wear clothes when taken to Buckingham Palace) and being an insufferable genius. Since autism is genetic, it could also apply to other members of the Holmes family who display even more pronounced traits of disconnect from "normal people".

* Julia from ''Series/SesameStreet'', an Anything Muppet, is designed to subvert this trope, starting with the fact that she's female. In the episode "Meet Julia", her friends Elmo and Abby Cadabby introduce her to Big Bird and help him understand that although she interacts with others in different ways than most and has sensitivities that need to be acknowledged -- she hates loud noises and panics upon hearing a fire engine siren[[note]]TruthInTelevision. For someone even "mildly" autistic, walking through a modern parking lot can be like walking through a God-damned minefield, thanks to the sudden horn honks emitted by car lock remotes.[[/note]], and Big Bird touching her shoulder in an attempt to help makes matters worse, whereupon Alan takes her aside to calm down -- she is a happy person and a great friend. She's also performed by a Muppeteer who has an autistic son.

* Fiona from ''Series/{{Elementary}}'' is stated to be unable to lie due to being on the autism spectrum.[[note]]Many autistic people are honest to a fault, but it's UpToEleven here to the point where she can't knowingly make a factually incorrect statement even at Sherlock's request.]]

* Fiona from ''Series/{{Elementary}}'' is stated to be unable to lie due to being on the autism spectrum.

* Though ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' himself [[InsistentTerminology insists that he's a high-functioning sociopath]], John (a medical doctor) at one point states that Sherlock has Asperger's. His major character traits, of course, are being completely inappropriate when in social situations (including not even bothering to wear clothes when taken to Buckingham Palace) and being an insufferable genius. Since autism is genetic, it could also apply to other members of the Holmes family who display even more pronounced traits of disconnect from "normal people".

* The eponymous ''VideoGame/{{AMY}}'' has elements of real autism and this trope. She's mute and has superpowers, but she also needs the protagonist Lana as a LivingEmotionalCrutch and frequently gets bored if you leave her in the same place for a long time.

* ''Film/TheImitationGame'': While it is a biopic of Alan Turing, who possibly did have Asperger Syndrome, the film amps up the stereotypical qualities that he didn't have in real life - showing a scene where child Alan freaks out at school because his peas and carrots aren't separated, and depicting him being unable to understand a joke (he was quite the DeadpanSnarker in real life). Additionally, Alan is shown being unable to work in a team and has to learn how to respect other people, when again, in reality, he had no problems working with other people.

In contrast, the stereotypical representation of autism, called Hollywood Autism, which is [[AlwaysMale most likely to be portrayed as a white, cisgender, heterosexual male]] [[note]]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention postulates "socioeconomic or other barriers" may impede diagnosis in some communities[[/note]], [[GeekPhysique possessing a beanpole build]]; and by a neurotypical - or non-autistic - actor, especially in LiveActionTV and {{Film}} and characters on the lower-functioning part of the spectrum (for logistical reasons). It is most common for an autistic character to be a child and if he is an adult, he's most likely to be the IdiotSavant, a creep, or simply a {{manchild}}.

->''"[[Administrivia/TropesAreTools Each example of a stereotype has its own nuance and exceptions]], but stereotypes about disabilities and mental disorders tend to dehumanize, demonize, villainize, and/or infantilize a character. Autistic stereotypes aren’t written for a character who happens to be autistic, they are written as someone with autism, whose life is either so terrible because of their autism, or they’re a bad person because of their autism. Either way, the narrative is that autism is bad, and this usually caters to the eugenics mindset of [[UnfortunateImplications treating it as a disease that needs a cure]]."''