Neurodivergent Diversions: A Column about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

by James Coulter

 

For nearly 40 years, the My Little Pony animated show and toy line has been beloved by young girls. However, when the fourth version of the show premiered in 2010, the franchise surprisingly gained the attention and admiration of many adult fans.

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has been praised for its clever writing and storytelling, which has allowed older fans to relate to its many characters. Notably, one character exhibits many personality traits relatable to people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

In the episode “Maud Pie”, the party-loving pony Pinkie Pie introduces her friends to her older sister, Maud, who has come to Ponyville for a visit. However, while she wants them and her sister to be friends, her friends find Maud to be rather “different”, especially with her unique mannerisms and interests. However, the other ponies learn to like Maud despite her differences.

While Maud Pie is never stated to have Autism, many of her personality traits and mannerisms are similar to those found in people with Autism. As such, the character serves as a good example of how to identify and recognize similar traits in other people.

 

 

 

#1: Pragmatic Language Challenges

 

Maud Pie has a very dry demeanor. She rarely smiles. Her face maintains a blank neutral expression. She speaks in a monotonous tone of voice and often with short, simple, and direct sentences. She appears almost emotionless.

When the bookish pony Twilight Sparkle introduces herself and her friends and offers to shake Maud’s hand (er, hoof), Maud does not accept the handshake (hoofshake). Rather, she stares blankly back at Twilight.

Later, at the clothing store, the fashion-loving pony Rarity offers to make a dress from any fabric Maud likes. Maud takes a liking to a dirty dishcloth. Rarity laughs, assuming Maud is joking. But Maud asks why she’s laughing.

Many of these traits are common with people with Autism, who often struggle with “pragmatic language”, or the ability to use language (both verbal and non-verbal) within social situations.

Social situations that may come naturally to allistic (non-autistic) people may pose a challenge to people with autism, and things that are funny to other people may not be funny to them.

People with Autism often struggle to express or communicate their emotions, interpret social cues, or even interpret sarcasm and humor. As such, other people may have a harder time understanding how autistic people think or feel.

 

#2: Hyperfixation

 

When Maud Pie first meets the other ponies, the first thing she does isn’t greet them. Instead, she notices a pebble on the ground and identifies it as a sedimentary rock.

Maud Pie loves rocks. She studies rocks. She collects them. She keeps a rock as a pet. She eats rock candy. She even writes and recites poetry about rocks: “Rock. You are a rock. Gray. You are gray. Like a rock. Which you are.”

Maud undoubtedly has a special interest in rocks. But her love of rocks is more than an interest. It’s essentially her entire personality. It’s similar to the hyperfixations many people with Autism have.

According to the website Above and Beyond, a hyperfixation is defined as: “an intense and prolonged focus on a specific topic, activity, or interest, where an individual becomes completely absorbed in that subject, often to the exclusion of other activities or social interactions, and can display a deep understanding and exceptional attention to detail regarding their fixation.”

In other words, for people with Autism, a hyperfixation is more than a special interest. It’s an obsession. They immerse themselves in the things they love to the point where they may lose track of time or ignore other aspects of their environment. Sometimes, it can even interfere with social interactions.

Maud’s first encounter with the other ponies is a good example. Maud doesn’t even greet them or acknowledge them when she meets them, choosing instead to pay more attention to a rock she randomly stumbled upon.

Another example is infodumping, which is when a person with Autism will (often randomly or even unprompted) share detailed information about a specific topic or interest, almost as if they’rereading aloud an encyclopedic entry.

No doubt if asked how she could tell the rock was sedimentary, Maud Pie would rattle off a long-winded explanation about the unique characteristics of sedimentary rocks, from their formation to their color and texture.

 

 

 

#3: Literal Thinking

 

Rarity attempts to bond with Maud over fashion, as Maud claims to express herself through her wardrobe. Rarity asks her what the frock she’s currently wearing is saying.

“It doesn’t talk,” Maud replies. “It’s a dress.”

Later in the episode, the apple-growing pony Apple Jack has Maud taste some of her homemade apple cider. Applejack asks her what it tastes like.

“It tastes like apples,” Maud answers.

Both replies are an example of literal thinking, which is when people with Autism often interpret figurative words and phrases literally.

For example, while most neurotypical individuals would interpret the phrase “break a leg” as someone wishing them good luck, an autistic person may interpret the phrase as someone literally telling them to break their leg._

In Maud’s case, when Rarity asks her what her dress is saying, she apparently interprets the question as whether or not her dress is literally able to talk.

Or when Apple Jack asks her what the cider tastes like, she interprets the question, not as a request to give her personal opinion about it, but rather, as a straightforward question about what apple cider is made from.

This is not to say that people with Autism are incapable of understanding figures of speech like idioms or metaphors. However, sometimes autistic people can misinterpret what another person is saying, and thus have a hard time communicating with them.

The Maud Pie episode is available to watch on the My Little Pony YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/xhV4F9xKoQM?si=S5jfqZkKeeLeq3bQ