break glass in case of autism diagnosis

a collection of autistic coded characters in fiction [ recommendations welcome! ]

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created by pykora

last updated January, 2026

171

Comments

So I am NOT the only one who thought that Emily from Emily Wilde is autistic coded??? I was so upset when I saw people on the internet completely hating on her and I was like: Guys, stop, don't make me feel so unloved x_x

Sorry :D

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i felt like this with convenience store woman! there’s so many blurbs and reviews about how hilarious it is and how the main character is an absolute riot… and she’s really just living her life as an autistic woman

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Emily Wilde is my favorite character for this reason!! Her and Katniss from The Hunger Games are such great depictions of the way my autistic traits work

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Same!

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I felt really validated to see The Tainted Cup on here, there’s a chance your talking about Anna (I always thought adhd or audhd for her because of how excited she gets about novelty) and I’m going to look like an idiot but Den is one of my favorite autistic coded characters because he’s one of the first ones I could found myself relating to on a really deep level. And I read this while I was getting diagnosed so I felt like I was going through all the same things.

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aww kamilla, my heart is all warm and fuzzy hearing that! i haven't read the tainted cup myself but i'm so glad it was a comforting presence during your diagnosis 🥹

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I’m a little biased obviously but I highly recommend

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My TBR is about to bow under the weight of all of these books omg

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Found this list via the list section of No Longer Human.

I'm glad other people agree with my thinking.

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i haven’t read it yet but i’ve heard that i’d probably resonate with it a lot!

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It's a good read, and I understand why it's an important piece of post-WWII literature in Japan, but be prepared to think that the MC is a dick, haha.

I resonated with many aspects of him, and many others made me go "Oh yikes, what a dick" so it's a bit of a mixed bag xD

3

I love this. Thank you

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🥹 thank you maya, we have such an amazing neurodivergent community here truly

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I knew I would love cleat cute as a sapphic who played soccer growing up but then the neurodivergence came out and oh boy! I ended up full blown sobbing I felt so seen.

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If you may offer up a manga recommendation: ✨️ Delicious in Dungeon ✨️

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of course!! i've added vol. 1 but just let me know if that's not the most accurate starting point, i know mangas can get a bit funky with ordering sometimes

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Rip to my tbr - I love this list!

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aw thank you so much ☺️ i’m glad you’re finding it helpful

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rust vance from clown in a cornfield is my current emotional support "this guy is so autistic coded" character

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omg fun, thank you for the rec! i feel like autistic characters in horror is an untapped market 🤔

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every horror character will be autistic when i'm through with them 🫡

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you know, I never thought of Dungeon Meshi (delicious in dungeon) as autistic coded, but now that I think about it, it absolutely makes sense. Especially with Senshi and Laios ... okay maybe also Marcille and Falin. yeah, yeah ... it absolutely deserves to be on here

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The MC from Sky Daddy (iconic Linda) is so autistic coded, I love her so much

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oh my god really? ahaha it was on my timeline so much yesterday, maybe this is a sign for me to read it

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You musssst!! You would make the best posts, I swear!!!! And it’s so good, like actually so good lol I thought it was a object smut but noup, it’s a whole novel, and I’m having the time of my life reading it🙂‍↕️

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I DID THE SAME THING, i was like “oh haha plane smut” 😏 judging a book by its cover, rookie mistake

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I'd recommend House Rules by Jodi Picoult to be added here :>

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added! 😃

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yay! thanks :>

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My Favourite book with an autistic MC is A Room Called Earth by Madeleine Ryan

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that book's a perfect fit, thank you so much!!

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In case you want actual autistic characters as well; "Truthfully, Yours" has an autistic fmc :3

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absolutely! that's a great rec, thank you 😄

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I piggybacked here from BlueWaterLily's post and dang! This is a good list. 🤌 Bless.

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thank you kindly! i’m glad to be of service to our community 🫡

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Rose from Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle is explicitly stated to be autistic!

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perfect, i've added your rec! thank you so much

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I would recommend Anita Kelly’s Something Wild and Wonderful

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thank you for the rec, harper 🤗 i appreciate it

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Evelyn from Jump on Three by Julia Wolf is autistic.

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thanks for the rec, simone!

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Thank you for creating this list xx

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canon daniel clement from the canon clement mystery series by reverend richard coles is SO autistic and such an iconic protagonist! loveee this list 💕

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ooh wonderful rec, thanks moo 😇

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you're absolutely welcome, thank you for making the list! 🌸

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It’s important to me that convenience store woman is first on this list 😭

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awww really? 🥰 it was important to me too, it was the first book i read after getting my diagnosis!! so i granted it the honourable first spot hehe

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i have been summoned by the title 🧍‍♀️

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Humbly submitting for consideration, “The Nanny’s Handbook to Magic and Managing Difficult Dukes” by Amy Rose Bennet. Super sweet and whimsical romance.

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ooh sounds lovely, thank you so much for the rec kristie! 💕

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may I recommend Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale

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of course my love, i’ve added it! thank you 💗

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appreciate you! 💚

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What a fantastic list! Recommending Kay Kerr’s books - she has just released her adult debut called Might Cry Later.

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oh that sounds great! i’ve added might cry later, feel free to let me know if any of her other fiction books would fit too 🙂‍↕️

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I recommend the good sister the MC is so autism coded

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added, thank you for the rec eleni!

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Happy Doomsday and The Maid go on here. :)

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fantastic, thank you for the recommendations!

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Good list as always, kora! The protagonist from Mary: An Awakening of Terror by Nat Cassidy is also quite autistic-coded!

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awww thanks skye!! 💜 definitely interested in that one, i loved when the wolf comes home by that author

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