forum Help writing a character with autism?
Started by @WriteOutofTime
tune

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@LilNerdyGingerKitsune

Hi! Since my cousin has autism perhaps I can be of some help!
A good thing to remember is that no two people with autism are exactly the same, they're still two different people and are going to have different habits and problems. For example, my cousin is a very loud, talkative, and noisy little boy, but I know some other autistic people don't really talk at all.
What you have so far is really good! The twitching, nail biting, stuttering (my cousin doesn't stutter but does repeat things over and over) and fidgeting are all good signs of autism. Since he's only mildly autistic, I don't necessarily think you need to add all of these, but here are some mannerisms/quirks that my cousin has that might give some inspiration:
Loud noises bothers him (fireworks for example) will cover his ears and curl up in a ball,
Has trouble making eye contact,
Makes sound effects,
Becomes obsessed with things (like a toy or tv show, first it was Thomas Trains now it's Pokemon)
Incredibly intelligent with a photographic memory(no joke my cousin's a freakin genius).
I hope I helped somehow!

@RavenLopez

What you have so far looks good! Thia's already mentioned several that I've seen in the person close to me, but adding onto the list:
-Sometimes, when there is too much going on, a person with autism may experience sensory overload (things are too loud, too bright, too strong) This can sometimes make doing things like going to a movie theater or amusement park difficult
-Often not very flexible; not very comfortable with change of plans/routine
-Likes to stick to their habits/mannerisms
-Sometimes they don't really have a filter, they'll say the first thing that pops in their head even if they mean well, and especially when they don't
-Sometimes similies/metaphors/figures of speech can be a little difficult for them to understand, they take things more literally
-They really enjoy some sensory things like weighted blankets, squishy slime, etc…, can help them feel comforted
-They like to walk on their toes

Hope this helped! Again though, everyone with autism is different. You could try looking up and reading the experiences of people who have autism, or even interviewing someone so that you convey an accurate image and don't accidentally end up perpetuating stereotypes :)