Hey, can we talk about autistic Alphys a little more? I like the idea of Papyrus being autistic but, since girls are so underdiagnosed with autism, I’ve noticed autistic head-canons for girls tend to be a little on the low side. ;v; ;;;
With Alphys especially, I think it’s really clear she’s autistic? When Mettaton asks you about a question about Alphys’ favorite anime character, she quickly jumps in and starts explaining en entire episode right off the bat and says a lot of it all really quickly! And later on, when she’s telling you about Mew Mew (if you say you’ll watch a TV show with her afterwards), she also goes on to explain the entire series and catches herself when she’s spoiling it but then continues to spoil it. And this all sounds a ton to me like info dumping, which is a super common autistic trait! I also think a bit of Alphys’ social awkwardness comes from her being autistic too (although she clearly also has anxiety which I think explains the stuttering and everything)!
Also though, I want to say one of Alphys’ defining traits is her passion! Undyne says Alphys is passionate about her interests, and so passionate about them that Undyne loves her! Which makes me think, Alphys probably gets hyperfocused with her interests (specifically her special interests!) Which is a great thing to note. Generally I think, characters with autism are loved “despite” it; in the case of Alphys and Undyne, Undyne loves Alphys because of how passionate she is. owo/
AND ALSO I wanted to say her liking instant noodles a lot might be a sensory thing? :3c
But yeah! If anyone wants to add anything feel free! owo/
I’m reblogging this again to chime in this time- first of all, I love this headcanon and I fervently support this to be true ((well, it’s true to me anyways)).
I simply wanted to add that this headcanon is also amazing because it breaks the misconception that autistic people are ‘less intelligent’ or ‘slower’ than those without autism. The contrary is often true, really. It’s not at all uncommon for someone with autism to be extremely gifted in a certain area of science, math, etc., due to their ability to latch onto a topic and develop such a passion for it. Not to mention, autistic people tend to be very analytical in certain areas.
Furthermore, her withdrawal and compulsion to cover up after the amalgamite fiasco can be attributed to the differences in social cognition between people with autism and those without. Being unable to articulate what has happened or not being able to expect how people will react. You touched on this, but I think her anxiety can also be a product of this, especially because she portrays a strong amount of loneliness, a common trait of some people with autism. Plus, it connects to her strong desire to show her favorite shows with other people- she has strong passion for what she likes, and wants to share it with others.
I could go on, though basically I think this headcanon is A+ and this is awesome to find representation!
NOTE: I listed common traits associated with autism, but not all autistic people are the same- there are people all across the spectrum with all levels of behaviors. What I’ve listed is not concrete, I simply related behaviors I know to be common with autism to Dr. Alphys’ behavior in the game. If I have made an error, please let me know by sending a message! I am not an expert, by any means.
