Autistic Character HCs

I was bored, so I decided to make a compilation of sorts on my favorite autistic character, Dr. Spencer Reid. These have been piling up in my files, so prepare for a gif-style infodump.

Stimming

Self-stimulatory behavior often consists of repetitive movements. Reid is frequently seen fidgeting with his hands and other objects. He almost always talks with prominent hand movements. He also frequently touches his face. Reid occasionally spins in chairs, rocks back and forth, etc.

Missing Social Cues/Confusion in Social Situations

Despite his excellent profiling skills, his interactions with strangers and friends often leave Reid confused and causes him issues when trying to connect with people. He will miss jokes and sarcasm, take things literally, and occasionally gets uncomfortable when speaking publicly.

Infodumping, Hyperfocus, Special Interests

Reid’s special interests, as I have observed them, involve general knowledge seeking, criminology, Halloween, old foreign films, and sci-fi. Reid has a more rare trait of autistic people; savantism. If you believe in quantifying intelligence, Reid has an extremely high IQ (187), He also has an eidetic memory and can read 20,000 words per minute. When Reid is working a case, he frequently enters hyperfocus, ignoring everything else around him. Reid often goes into long-winded explanations of things and is oblivious to others’ frustration with his infodumping.

Sensory Issues

Reid doesn’t have as many obvious sensory seeking/avoidant behaviors as many other autistics, but it does manifest every once in a while. Reid is often uncomfortable with touching strangers, especially shaking hands. He has shown sensitivity to bright lights and loud sudden noises. Reid’s clothing choices also reflect his preference to be comfortable.

Coordination/Spatial Issues

Reid tends to display spatial awareness, coordination, and dexterity issues. He prefers academic pursuits, and ridicule in childhood further led to his aversion to physical activity/sports. He has also only very rarely been shown to drive a car, and takes the train to work. This may be due to difficulties with driving ability.

Appearance/Hygiene issues

Many autistic people struggle with basic hygiene and appearance upkeep. Reid’s hair, whether short or long, is almost always messy and unkempt. Reid’s clothes are often disheveled as well.

Trouble Regulating/Expressing Emotions

Reid tends to suppress his emotions much of the time, but when he experiences strong emotions they tend to pour out and seriously effect him in ways that don’t effect the rest of the team. Reid also tends to have odd/exaggerated facial expressions which may be a way of overcompensating for his struggles of expressing himself acceptably.

Additional stuff:

Avoiding Eye Contact

Going Non-Verbal (I’ve only ever seen this happen to Reid once)

Resistant to Change

Sitting Cross-legged (I’m not actually sure if this is an autistic trait but I always sit like this and so does Reid so I thought I’d include it)

So yeah, I hope that was informative. It was fun to make this post! Thanks for reading!

It took me a while to actually write this one but I’m pleased with what I’ve got written. I hope you enjoy it. I’m going to be reblogging it on my @autistic-characterhcs blog too. -Freddie

Freddie’s foot bounced a mile an hour while an unasked question danced around his head. Kash was sitting next to him, waiting for him to ask the question. She already knew what it was. 

“Kash?”

“Yeah, Freddie?”

“I’ve known Brian for two and third years.” 

“Yes you have.”

“So why am I freaking out?” Freddie’s foot started bouncing faster and his right hand started clenching and unclenching. 

“Because there’s a little change involved now, right? If things go well- which I think they might- you might be boyfriends instead of best friends.” Kash held Freddie’s left hand to try and calm him down. “He’s still the same Brian, Fred. And you’re still the same Freddie.” 

Freddie’s foot slowed down before stopping its bouncing completely. His hand stopped clenching. 

“Am I…Am I going to need my ear plugs?” 

“I don’t think so. It’s going to be quieter than the last concert.” 

“Oh. Okay.”  Freddie turned back toward the street but a small bug on the ground caught his attention so he contently watched it.“Kash, is it weird for someone with Autism to go out with someone who doesn’t?” 

“Not even a little bit, Big Brother. There’s nothing weird about it at all. Besides, since when have you card about if something’s weird or not?” 

“That’s fair.” 

“Yep. So you have fun with Brian and don’t worry over what anyone else thinks. As long as you and Brian are happy, nothing else matters.”

*****

Freddie and Brian sat under a tree with a thin blanket under them. Brian had planned a picnic and a surprise that Freddie was still wondering about. 

“I’m not telling what the surprise is so you can stop looking at me like that.” Brian didn’t try to stop the small giggle from escaping between his lips.

“Can I get a hint?” Freddie tried. He had a smile on his face and Brian was basking in it. So rarely did the front man give an open smile like this. 

“It’s something that’s usually quite loud and bright but is going to be dimmed and quiet.” Brian’s smile widened as Freddie thought, rubbing the right side of his nose with his forefinger. 

Brian wouldn’t take him to the cinema. It was too bright, too loud, and the size of the screen scared Freddie more than anything else. Kash tried taking him to see A New Hope and it was one of the worst sensory overloads he’d ever had. At least the cinema was kind enough to refund their tickets. 

“We’re going after lunch?” Freddie checked. 

“Yes. Right after we’re done eating.” Brian confirmed. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Freddie’s face.

*****

Freddie was confused as Brian drove his car to the parking lot of the carnival grounds. The carnival was set up like it was going to be all weekend but the surprise came from the difference there was. No loud music, no rearing monster trucks. The lights on the rides weren’t so bright they burned your retinas.

“How?” Was all Freddie asked. 

He had always wanted to go to the carnival, but it had always been too much for him. He wanted to see horses and cows up close instead of just in passing when on a tour bus.

“The first day the carnival opens, they dim everything and quiet things down for neurodivergent people and little kids who can’t deal with the usual noise and lights. Roger heard about it from a friend of his who’s on the committee so he told me when I asked for date ideas.” 

Freddie didn’t try to stop himself from flapping. He was too excited to care.

“Are we going in or just going to sit here staring at the Ferris Wheel?” Brian chuckled. 

“Let’s go.” Freddie unbuckled his seat-belt, his hands shaking slightly from how excited he was.

“Do you want to go on any rides?” Brian asked. 

“No. I don’t like heights,” Freddie reminded. 

It was true. Whenever the band flew somewhere Freddie needed a Walkman playing piano music, a hand to hold, and Griffin at all times. 

“There’s plenty of other things to do.” Brian nodded.

If he were to be honest, he didn’t like the rides either. He didn’t mind the Ferris Wheel, but most of the rides were too much for him and he wasn’t neurodivergent. 

They were holding hands when they walked to the ticket booth. Brian released Freddie’s hand to pay for the tickets. The second Brian’s wallet was in his pocket, Freddie was latched on to his hand again. 

Though they hadn’t been on any rides, per Freddie’s request, the two still had a good time. It wasn’t like any other date Brian had ever been on before and he loved that fact. 

There was no awkward small talk, no talking about the weather or trying not to comment about what you wanted from the future. Freddie babbled sometimes but Brian never minded. He just loved watching the way Freddie’s deep brown eyes expressed all the thoughts and emotions his mouth couldn’t without singing.

*****

“Brian?”

“Freddie?” 

“Horses!” And Brian laughed as Freddie tugged him in the direction of the large animal barn. Freddie was a little confused at first to see a few cows as well since the barn only had the image of a horse on the front. He was excited again in seconds nonetheless. 

almost every autistic trait has something to do with extremes, and for most of them, autistic people can be on either end of the scale. sometimes this is for hyper/hypo sensitivity reasons, and sometimes it’s due to overcompensation.

examples of some typical autistic traits and their equally austistic counterparts:

no empathy? how about having such extreme empathy that you cry when your stuffed animals are ignored?

no/wrong facial expressions? how about exaggerated facial expressions because you learned early on you were doing it wrong?

nonverbal? how about being hyperverbal and not knowing when to stop talking?

highly advanced vocabulary? how about when you can’t remember common everyday words in conversation?

can’t tell when things are awkward? how about having such an sensitivity to awkwardness that you can barely stand being in the room when an awkward moment happens on tv?

has a meltdown over a small tag on their shirt? how about being so oblivious to physical sensations that you don’t know you broke a bone?

doesn’t follow social norms? how about a strict adherence to social norms, often accompanied by severe anxiety that you’re not doing it right?

can’t stand bright lights and loud noises? how about pressing lights so close to your eyes that you’re temporary blinded and constantly making noises when it gets too quiet?

no eye contact? how about intense, sustained eye contact that you don’t know when to break?

constantly rocking back and forth? how about being unable to walk without getting disoriented?

talking too fast, too slow, too loudly, or too quietly (we literally cannot control the speed of which we speak or volume of how we speak without an intense conscious effort, and when we are happy or excited we especially talk faster or louder)

infodumping when a certain subject comes up (we are invested in our interests and especially our special interests and are rarely given the opportunity to talk about it, so when we get it we jump on it)

talking about their personal experience / their own story when someone else is talking about theirs (it’s one of the ways we try to engage in discussion and empathize, it is not an act of being self-centered or only caring about ourselves)

not being able to stay still or look directly at you (we stim, we fidget, we struggle with eye contact, etc. and sometimes it can be PAINFUL to force ourselves to stop)

panicking, speaking abruptly in a distressed manner / loudly, having a meltdown (everyone feels distress and experiences it in their own way, and many of us experience that distress amplified) 

I am so sick of people saying they are allies and that they wouldn’t pick on autistic people or find autistic people annoying, but then judging and picking on people for symptoms of autism. you are not an ally if you think it’s okay to pick on people for having autistic traits if they don’t directly say “the reason I am this way is because I have autism.”

hanging around in the background waiting for you to finish your conversation so they can ask you something

not knowing what to do with their hands/body when standing or standing/walking with an unusual gait

talking in an unusual way like a monotone voice, partial sentences, struggling to find the right word, talking slowly, talking in a way that doesn’t sound genuine (because we often use scripts)

taking things literally or not getting it when you were joking or implying something and asking you to explain what you meant

repeating things you say (that’s called echolalia and helps us understand what you just said)

becoming flustered when put on the spot

not making small talk

not responding to cues in the usual way (for example they might not greet you or say thank you when you expect) (because this takes a conscious effort we might remember sometimes but forget when we’re tired or distracted, doesn’t mean we’re cold-shouldering you or you’ve done something wrong!)