Is Wednesday Addams autistic?
BY: Neighbors’ Consejo|
Many people talk about the Netflix series, Wednesday, which is causing a sensation not only because of its plot , music, and humor, but also because of the behavior of the protagonist, which makes us think she might be autistic. Could it be so? Let’s see Wednesday Addams’ behavior.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC [1] ), “Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. People with ASD often have problems with social communication and interaction, and restricted or repetitive behaviors or interests. People with ASD may also have different ways of learning, moving, or paying attention.”
Now, for Charli Clement [2] “Wednesday has many autistic traits within the eight-episode Netflix show. Particularly in her speech we see bluntness and monotony, and it is also clear that she doesn’t always understand the emotions others express or process them the way others do.” Based on this, it should be noted that some characteristic features of an autistic person are [3] :
- Not understanding social “rules”, such as not talking over people
- Avoiding eye contact
- Finding it hard to express how they feel
- Finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on their own
- Having the same routine every day and getting very anxious if it changes
- Seeming blunt, rude or not interested in others without meaning to
- Having a very keen interest in certain subjects or activities
A clear example is evidenced in one of the lines said by Wednesday Addams, she states: “It is not my fault I cannot interpret your emotional Morse code [4] ”. This is an important aspect in autistic people: communication, which The Spectrum [5] points out:
“Some people on the autism spectrum might find it hard to hold a conversation, or even start one. They can also have difficulty understanding facial expressions and inferring communicative intent based on context. If you are on the autism spectrum and are good at talking, you generally take things literally and mean what you say. You may have been told that you are always very honest. It also may mean that you find it confusing when people use language to hide their feelings or use language in a way that doesn’t make their meaning clear.”
As we can observe in the series, Wednesday “shows sensory hypersensitivity with Thing, where she talks about her “highly trained olfactory sense” picking up the “faint whiff of neroli and bergamot [6] ”. A behavior that Autism Speaks [7] reinforces when they point out that “people with autism might have sensitivities to: sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touch, balance, awareness of body position and movement and awareness of internal body cues and sensations”. Wednesday also shows an adversity to colors, preferring black and white around her only.
The truth is that, if you want to find out more about Wednesday, you should watch the series on Netflix. In addition, the invitation is to reflect on the behavior of others, in this specific case, to understand that an autistic person is not sick; they simply behave differently from you and me.
Lastly, what if you are autistic? Check it out at https://www.clinical-partners.co.uk/for-adults/autism-and-aspergers/adult-autism-test or one of the many online tests available, and if you can, visit a specialist for a diagnosis. If you suspect a child might be on the autism spectrum, see if their school has a counselor or therapist that might assist in obtaining an assessment, or guide the parents to one. US schools, from Kinder through University, provide accommodations for students with autism, so that they can learn in their own way what others learn in the more common way – but a formal diagnosis must be made by a professional. You are not alone, seek help.
References
[2]https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a42227889/wednesday-neurodivergent-coding/
[3]https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/autism/signs/adults/
[4]https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a42227889/wednesday-neurodivergent-coding/
[5]https://thespectrum.org.au/autism-strategy/autism-strategy-communication/
[6]https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a42227889/wednesday-neurodivergent-coding/