Sheldon Cooper (played by Jim Parsons) is well known for his quirky behavior often using the phrase, “I’m not crazy, my mother had me tested.”

While the creators of  “The Big Bang Theory” have denied Sheldon has autism, I have decided to ignore this. As someone with autism, I’m telling you that man is autistic.

I’m not the only one who came to this conclusion. Total Care Therapy has commented how many autistic people and experts in the field have concluded Sheldon has many characteristics shared in those with autism.

These behaviors are all common in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This includes a lack of social skills, repetitive behavior, a lack of empathy and more.

Those who watched the show can see how obvious this correlation is, though some fans will argue this behavior is due to his high intelligence.

Mayim Bialik, a neuroscientist and actress who portrays Amy, Sheldon’s wife, has commented on neurodiversity in “The Big Bang Theory.

“Sheldon has a propensity for knocking three times on doors–a feature of OCD,” she stated on Grok Nation, “He has an extreme distaste for germs—also seen in OCD—as well as a variety of unique and focused hobbies and interests such as trains and flags, which is often seen in a form of autism formerly known as Aspergers.”

She goes on to acknowledge her own character’s traits, stating, “Amy is socially awkward, a bit sexually repressed, and anxious. I think she would fall on the autistic spectrum.”

She also explores why the creators of the show never labeled Sheldon.

According to Bialik, in 2009, the creator and executive producer Bill Prady spoke on Sheldon, saying: “We write the character as the character. A lot of people see various things in him and make the connections. Our feeling is that Sheldon’s mother never got a diagnosis, so we don’t have one.”

Okay, so Sheldon Cooper (a fictional character) might be autistic: What’s the big deal? Why push so hard on the topic?

Well, growing up, there were no autistic characters I could relate to, and Sheldon is a character I see myself in more than any other character before. No, I’m not a super smart scientist, but his quirks are relatable, the show is funny, and he has a long-lasting relationship I can easily understand.

Anyone can relate to Sheldon, but many people from the autistic community have felt connected to the character, myself included.

It was in the episode “The Emotion Detection Automation” that this really clicked for me. In the episode, technology is made to read people’s emotions, and, having struggled with this subject, Sheldon beta tests the technology.

Sheldon goes through this episode and, at the breaking point, has a breakdown over thinking he had improved, just to realize he would always struggle with social situations. Amy comforts him, and by the end of the episode, he gives up the machine and goes back to how he was.

Everyone has their weaknesses, and like Sheldon, reading people has always been hard for me. I find myself taking stuff too literally, not understanding underlying messages, and struggling to know how to react because it isn’t always obvious how other people feel. As a result, I have offended people because my reactions weren’t proper, and relationships suffer because there’s a lack of understanding in communication. I’m blunt, why make people figure out how I feel when I can just tell them? I learned that with neurotypicals, it’s a puzzle I’m expected to figure out.

I didn’t feel alone after watching the episode, and for once, it was nice seeing myself in a way I hadn’t before.

This is how I view a lot of his quirks. Watching him get upset by shifts in routine, being picky about foods, and all of the rest were parts of myself I struggled with, presented as odd, but still seen on a screen.

One of the repeating gags is Sheldon having a specific spot on the couch. When someone else tries to sit on it, he makes them get up, and it’s well known as his spot. This is a trait I had as a kid and still have today. As a child, I’d wake up early to sit on my couch spot. There was nothing special about it, but I sat there enough times it became routine. When my sisters tried to take it, I was in distress. This need for routine continues with where I sit in school and so forth.

His hyperfixation is another common trait.  Sheldon is obsessed with trains and comic books. He has collections, figures no one else can touch, and the subject takes a lot of his time. These traits are all common in people with autism.

Still, the lack of labels isn’t a bad thing in Sheldon’s case.

“It’s not always important what we call things…In life, and especially once we reach adulthood, we kind of are who we are,”  Bialik goes on to state, “We have to hold down jobs. We make friends, or we don’t. We find lovers. We pursue hobbies. We do the things we do to pass the days. We find joy and we experience loss. All of those things happen whether we have a label or not.”

This is exactly why Sheldon can be argued to be such a good representation, he’s relatable and successful.

Most important to me is his relationship with Amy.

Part of being autistic is feeling disconnected from other people. Even so, Sheldon is in a happy, loving relationship. Their relationship is presented as a joke, but it is arguably one of the healthiest relationships on the show. They’re odd, and it’s not the typical idea of what a relationship should be, but they’re happy. This can be said of the friendships in the show as well.

The fact that Sheldon may be seen as stereotypical and over-exaggerated leads to some people believing he is a cliche representation of autism.

“The criticism stems from the perception that Sheldon’s portrayal focuses primarily on his socially awkward and quirky traits, overshadowing the complexities and nuances of individuals on the autism spectrum,” explains Apex. “Some believe that a more well-rounded representation would include highlighting the strengths, abilities, and diverse experiences of individuals with autism.”

While everyone is entitled to their own opinion, this is something I disagree with. Considering the show was released in 2007, I think there needs to be some leniency.

There’s nuance in perspective. To me, Sheldon is a deeply complex character, which is further expanded in the show’s prequel, “Young Sheldon.”  Autism is a spectrum for a reason; what may be relatable to some isn’t going to be relatable to others.

While many of these characteristics are used for a comedic effect, I find it’s nice to see stuff I struggle with painted in a comedic light. The show is a comedy, like “South Park,” it’s a show where if one person is made fun of, everyone is, which provides an odd sense of comfort.

A comic cover of “Falcon & Winter Soldier” depicting Bucky Barnes, a hero with PTSD in the Marvel universe.

When someone is almost killed saving the world, they’re bound to develop some kind of post-traumatic stress disorder. As a result, many of our favorite heroes have some kind of disorder. 

This is something Marvel has explored within a few of their characters.

In “Iron Man 3″, Tony Stark (played by Robert Downey Jr.) shows clear symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The hero has frequent flashbacks to his near-death experience in 2012 “The Avengers” movie, but his trauma starts way back in the first “Iron Man” movie. Later on in “Iron Man 3″ he suffers from anxiety/panic attacks and nightmares as a result. 

His reaction to trauma may be a direct result of being dragged down from that “on top of the world” feeling.

“PTSD occurs when an individual thinks their world is safe and they realize that it is not,” explains Game Rant, “…Tony Stark always knew the world wasn’t safe but assumed he was smart enough that he, personally, would never be in danger.”  

Most of Tony’s PTSD is forgotten after that third movie, though his mental health declines up until “Endgame.” Watchers can easily see the strain being a hero has had on him, and, unfortunately, his ending isn’t happy. 

They do a better job at exploring this in “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” which expands on Bucky Barnes’ recovery journey as he works through his PTSD from his time as the Winter Soldier. 

Bucky (played by Sebastian Stan) has frequent flashbacks and nightmares to his missions as a HYDRA soldier, he attends therapy, and is seen actively working through his trauma.

Both Bucky and Sam Wilson (played by Anthony Mackie) work through the loss of their close friend Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans), and the world is left behind in shambles after an intergalactic war.

Bucky is seen attending therapy and facing his former life of crime. While he is no longer the Winter Soldier, there is still blood on his hands and the memories of everything he was forced to do. There’s even the constant reminder through his missing arm.

PTSD is seen in many different forms throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Thor struggles with the loss of his home and friends/family, becoming depressed and unable to move on. The Scarlet Witch creates a disillusioned reality after the death of Vision and the loss of her kids. Spider-Man has trauma from losing Uncle Ben, Black Widow from being in the Red Room, Steve Rogers from dying just to wake up in the future, and so much more. It’s bound to play out this way.

It’s all far from reality, yet relatable. The loss of loved ones, past mistakes, and traumatic events, they all deal with trauma in their own way. Not everyone with PTSD is a hero, but they’re just like the heroes we see on the big screen.

The cover of “Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan with Percy, a dyslexic and ADHD hero, on the cover. (Olivia Celano)

As a kid who was obsessed with Greek mythology, what could have made a book series about a demigod fighting monsters any more appealing? The hero has the same struggles as them.

“The Percy Jackson and the Olympians” book series and the Disney+ TV show have great representation of ADHD and dyslexia. 

In 2005, Rick Rioridan, the author of the series, called Percy Jackosn a “learning-disabled hero” on his blog Read Riordan and shared how Percy was made for his neurodivergent son. 

“…I began a story about a 12-year-old boy named Percy Jackson, the modern-day son of the Greek god Poseidon, who, among his many other problem,s has ADHD and dyslexia. He struggles in school,” described Rioridan, “He’s constantly being labeled a lazy troublemaker. Yet Percy finds that his learning disabilities are actually indicators of Olympian blood. He is a hero – a child of the gods.”

While kids with ADHD and dyslexia aren’t actually descendants of gods, this was the first time many kids saw themselves presented as heroes.

The books have gained support from the neurodivergent community, with many people reaching out to share how “Percy Jackson” was a start to their love of reading. 

“I’ve gotten a flood of appreciative emails from readers, many of them ADHD/dyslexic kids who usually dislike reading,” Riordan stated on his blog, “It’s tremendously gratifying, and yet the book remains a very personal story from a father to a son. Like the Greek stories of old, ‘The Lightning Thief’ is an attempt to explain a natural phenomenon — a myth to help my son make sense of who he is.”

Percy exhibits much of the self-doubt many neurodivergent people do. Frustration with his inability to focus and not read as easily as his peers. He gets bullied and yelled at by teachers, and shares the universal neurodivergent experience of being called “special”. 

“I thought the representation of Percy was very well done,” commented Norah McCabe, ’25, “When you’re neurodivergent, you’re treated like you’re not intelligent, and it was revealing how Percy was treated less than his peers.”

When neurodivergence interferes with their ability to do school work, they’re made to feel less than. It’s bound to happen: they’ll pick up on being behind, and kids are cruel.

There’s the universal experience for dyslexic kids being forced to struggle through spelling bees, reading out loud in class, and the frustration of their eyes playing tricks on them.

As a result of his dyslexia, Percy struggles to read and his ADHD only makes it harder to stay still. He represents all those kids who have this disability and avoid literature because of it.

In my experience, having ADHD and dyslexia is a knockout combo. Words look like alien symbols, and the smallest noises result in me needing to read the same page over again.

Annabeth Chase, Percy’s girlfriend, also has these conditions. Unlike Percy, Annabeth enjoys school and reading. There are times in the series where Percy forgets Annabeth has the same disabilities as he because she is often seen with a book in hand.

I’m a lot more like Annabeth. I struggle to read and write, but I love doing it. It’s not a question of my intelligence; my dyslexia and ADHD don’t make me any less intelligent than my peers. Just because I need to read a passage a few times doesn’t mean I can’t analyze it. Just because it takes me a while to spell doesn’t mean I’m illiterate.

If “Percy Jackson” teaches kids anything, the important part is trying even when there’s a struggle.

One of the most profound scenes in the TV show takes place as Percy (played by Walker Scobell) is told he is a demigod, resulting in a breakdown over his feelings of being different.

He confides in his mother, confessing: “I am not a god, okay, there is something wrong with my brain. I know I’m weird, believe I get it. But I’m afraid something may be really broken now.”

After watching this scene, I was hooked on the show. It expanded on the doubt, anger, and frustration I had felt for being different. It was healing to see myself this way.

It was life-changing; a new way to view my dyslexia and ADHD. I was allowed to be frustrated and mad, so long as I kept going.

It also puts a positive spin on ADHD and dyslexia. The demigods adapted these conditions as a way to survive in a world of monsters.

As CanADDian Acorns explains, “The main idea is that the negative behaviours that we associate with ADHD are actually incredibly positive in the right context, and can be of great value when nourished and cultivated in the right ways. These behaviours would have made our nomadic ancestors valuable, skilled hunters!”

In a world where these traits aren’t given an appropriate outlet, they’re viewed as negative. Find a way to use ADHD or dyslexia as an advantage, and it changes how we view these conditions. View them as positive and they’ll become positive.

While there are plenty of notable characters that are neurodivergent, sometimes the best representation comes from real life.

Chloé Hayden is an Australian actress with both autism and ADHD who plays the character Quinni, an autistic girl, on the hit TV show “Heartbreak High.”

“Seeing my mum sob, I thought I must have a fatal illness,” shared Hayden in an interview with Stylist, “I googled autism and found only negative, fear-based articles – ‘how to cure autism’, ‘I hate my autistic child’, ‘support groups near me for families ruined by autism’ – which made me believe it wasn’t a death sentence… it was immensely worse. ”

Hayden expresses feeling like an outcast as a child, hiding from bullies and later struggling to process her diagnosis. It was when she posted an anonymous blog and heard from hundreds of people who struggled with the same things that she found comfort in her diagnosis.

In 2021 her big break came playing Quinni. The character had been established as neurodivergent, but it was Hayden and the “Heartbreak High” team that chose to write the character as autistic.

Hayden is now known as an actress who plays some of the best cases of neurodivergent representation in the media, receiving messages from fans daily in praise.

More recently, non-binary actor Bella Ramsey has come out saying they’re autistic.

Well known for their roles in “Hilda,” “The Game of Thrones,” and more recently as Ellie in “The Last of Us,” Ramsey has made their mark in the world of acting.

It was during their time filming “The Last of Us” that Ramsey discovered they have autism. While they had spoken on neurodivergence before, up until this point, they were unlabeled.

They came to this diagnosis,s then the autistic child of a crew member assumed Ramsey had autism as well. This set them on a journey, and after a while, doctors confirmed what Ramsey had suspected.

Vogue said, “As a child, they’d routinely felt out of place in school—a self-described “weirdo” and “loner” more comfortable around adults than their unpredictable adolescent peers,” as well as describing the other hints that gave Ramsey suspicions:  “sensory issues common to people on the autism spectrum and their painful hyperawareness of other people’s micro-expressions and body language.”

Though Ramsey reportedly struggled during the filming of “The Last of Us” season two, they have expressed that their autism helps them in their craft.

They described their diagnosis to Vogue as “freeing… It enables me to walk through the world with more grace towards myself about not being able to do the easy, everyday tasks that everyone else seems to be able to do.”

Ramsey continues to work on creative projects and has come to be an inspiration for those that are both queer and neurodivergent.

Rainbow explains the plenty of other celebrities with different types of neurodivergence.

Daniel Radcliffe, the star of “Harry Potter” and many other movies, has dyspraxia.

Dyspraxia is a disorder that affects motor skills. While he can do many complex tasks, small stuff like tying his shoes can be difficult.

Reneé Rapp, an actor and music artist most recently known for playing Regina George in the musical adaptation of “Mean Girls,” has come out expressing her struggles with ADHD.

She has gone on record saying, “I used to think I was just dramatic, but now I realize it’s my ADHD! It gives me this incredible burst of ideas.”

Greta Gerwig, the brain behind the “Barbie” movie, has also recently spoken about an ADHD diagnosis.

She has talked about her experience being diagnosed later in life, stating, “I just had a ton of energy… I’ve always had a tremendous amount of enthusiasm. I was interested in, like, everything. I had a really active imagination and a lot of deep feelings.”

These are just a handful of neurodivergent celebrities, but they all help normalize neurodivergence. It goes to show that these diagnoses don’t mean you can’t be successful in life.