Autistic People Can Be Smart Too

AN: So... I've got a new headcanon! (BTW I, of course, don't believe any of the negative autism things said in this chapter, of course, because I'm probably autistic. It literally pains me to write any of Trash Can's 'opinions'.)

"You have autism?"

"Well, probably," Bella shrugged, playing with the fidget spinner in her hands. "I did some research and me having autism would honestly explain a whole lot."

"But- you're so smart," Stan blurted out.

"Y'know, you said that same thing when I told y'all I had ADHD," Bella responded. "And what'd I say then?"

"Smart people can have ADHD too," Stan mumbled, seeming slightly embarrassed.

"And it's the same with autism," Bella smiled.

"Autism is a developmental disorder, not a learnin' disability," Fiddleford said. "An' even folks with learnin' disabilities can be smart if given the right help."

"...So, then, what exactly is autism?"

-----

Difficulties with social communication.

Intense interests in limited activities or topics.

Sensory issues or sensory seeking.

The more Ford researched, the more he found descriptions and behaviors that eerily described him almost perfectly. Taking words at face value; Stan always did say jokes seemed to fly right over his head. Trouble with reading body language, which can translate into not being able to tell how someone is feeling; it seemed that everyone said he was oblivious. How long had Fiddleford liked him before Ford knew it?

Trouble with verbal or nonverbal communication; Ford had always had issues talking to kids other than his brother. Body language had been a bit difficult to read, too. He had always wondered how Stan did it so easily. And eye contact? Don't get him started on that. He forced himself to do it because that's what you're supposed to do, and it always felt awful.

And all that was only the basis needed for a diagnosis. There was more to autism than social interaction, he was finding.

Stimming. Short for "self-stimulatory". It was like fidgeting, but for sensory input. There were different types of stimming as well. How Ford clicked and chewed his pens could be stims. The way he enjoyed moving things between his fingers, like DDnMD dice or loose strings on his jacket. Even how nice it felt when he hung upside down.

And special interests. Intense interests in limited subjects or objects. One blog said that anything could be a special interest; perhaps that explained his seemingly obsession with science and math? And he couldn't forget anomalies. He loved to learn and study them. And autistic people, apparently, commonly enjoyed talking excessively about their special interests, known as "info-dumping".

He could talk for hours about science, but when it came to holding an actual conversation? He had no clue what to do.

Scripting. Planning out what to say or do for a certain situation. Could also include making lists.

Trouble with establishing relationships. Bella and Fiddleford were the only friends he had ever made. Stan didn't count.

Unusual communication. Most kids certainly did not talk in a professional tone of voice and vocabulary all the time.

Sensory seeking. He always knew there was more to why he loved coffee so much. It couldn't only have been the taste and affects, could it? Those were ok. He had always loved the smell.

Executive dysfunction. He knew what executive function was: the ability to manage time and plan and organize that time. But there was also a bit more. The ability to take care of yourself well and avoiding saying or doing what you shouldn't. Since when had Ford been able to shower on time or notice he needed to eat? And Lord knows he was impulsive.

Issues with sleeping. Ford took a moment to soak that in. Issues. With. Sleeping. He had always suspected there was a deeper reason, but he never knew what. It was difficult finding a comfortable way to sleep, and eventually he had given up. Many people used "pressure stimming" to help with that.

So many things fit him perfectly, to his intense focus on books and monster-hunting, to him reciting science facts and elements from the Periodic Table when he was stressed, to him not knowing how to express that, yes, I care that you're upset, but how do I show that. Autism was more than the negative stereotypes he had learned from his dad and other kids in his school. It wasn't an insult; it wasn't supposed to be. 

Autistic people could be intelligent.

So what if he was an intelligent autistic person?

-----

"Stop shaking your hands, we're in public."

"What do you mean, you don't know what to say? It's easy!"

"Ford, you've been talking nerd for hours. Can't you give it a break?"

"Ford, ya can' keep chewin' the ends'a yer pens."

"It's rude to not look at someone when they're talking."

"Ford, stop hanging upside down like that! You're gonna get dizzy!"

"Ah was bein' super obvious... ya really couldn' tell Ah liked ya?"

"H-Hi. Um... my name is Stanford Pines. I'm seven years old."

-----

"...hey Bella?"

"Hm?" The teen looked up from her phone, one leg folded under her as she sat on the stool behind the gift shop counter. Unusual sitting posture was another symptom of autism. It didn't fit Ford, but it had reminded him of Bella.

No one was currently in the gift shop. It was a slow day, and the others were off doing other things.

"I, um..." Ford stimmed with his hands a bit, glancing around the gift shop. He had scripted this for a few weeks now, and had been practicing the words. He took a breath, not quite meeting Bella's eyes (sort of impossible, hers were currently bouncing around too). "I believe I may be on the autistic spectrum; more specifically, Asperger's Syndrome."

Bella tilted her head in slight thought, running her thumb along the ends of her short hair. She set down her phone, which Ford had learned was likely a comfort object for her.

"I can see it, yeah," she nodded. "Gotta say, while I was- researching it for my own... thing, a lot of things did- remind me of you."

"Really?" Ford asked, looking up at Bella. She wasn't looking at him, instead at a loose thread in her hands that she was twisting around her fingers.

"Sure," she shrugged. "I guess. Was more focused on me, of course. But... still." Ford chuckled, smiling. "You don't seem to stim a whole lot, though. Other than chewing and clicking your pens."

"...I used to do that hand-flapping one a lot when I was younger," Ford said. "Pa made me stop because it wasn't 'socially acceptable'."

"Social expectations are dumb," Bella blew a raspberry. "Hey! Can I show ya some of my favorite stims?"

"Heh. Sure!"