Does Maud Pie have Aspergers?

[Pinkamena-Pills 6,839]

Why does every character just have to have some 'condition' for being different? 

 

Good lord people. 

[Pinkie-Sparkle 254]

Yeah, I don't know why anyone would think that.  As I said in an earlier post, the one person I have met who I know has Aspergers was very much like Pinkie Pie.  She expressed a lot of emotion all the time.

You see! It's so weird people always have such prejudices when we talk about mental diseases or handicaps. I can sometimes understand it.. but still it's a little weird for me bc I'm really not like that. I always want to know everything about it, before I draw a conclusion. 

My brother has autism as well (not aspergers tho) but he is also someone who is always laughing, making jokes (in his own way) and tries to be in contact with us, in every way that he can! He has his obsessions tho, washing machines for example... but I just don't think you can compare every person with aspergers/autism with each other. Every person is different. 

[sweetolebob18 728]

There is an old expression "If you've met one X, then you've met them all."  In an article, somebody said "If you've met one child with Autism, then you've met one child with Autism"  Their point being that autism is an extremely broad category & perhaps what we call "autism" is a wide variety of conditions, all with some similar symptoms but various causes & treatments.

 

Sort of like the "common cold" is hundreds of minor infections. (This being why they've never developed a cold vaccine & you have to get new flu shots all the time.)  Sorry I can't remember their name, I'm hopeless w names & dates

[Arctofire 227]

Dunno but I have autism and I'm offended that you compared me to maud, I have a sense of humor.

[A Black Circle 1,586]

Yeah. Maud does not have Aspergers.

At all.

[Cwanky 17,617]

This really needs to stop. 

 

Just because a character has a personality or traits we find disagreeable, doesn't mean that they have some disorder or problem that requires fixing.

 

Maud is perfect the way she is and I stand rock solid in defending her for who she is.   Go back and watch Maud Pie and perhaps you'll understand what the episode was actually about if you haven't already. Then we wouldn't need this discussion.

[Sheogorath 1,155]

Her obsession about rocks, the fact that she's expressionless and her honesty all point to the fact that she could have Aspergers.

 

I shall contradict this! Maud Pie is not obsessed with rocks, Brain surgeon is not obsessed with brains, and grand master artist is not obsessed with paintbrushes. What Maud demonstrated was exceptional talent about rocks. Her very life had been revolving around them since a wee filly and likely to make her family proud she had made it her focus a long time ago, instead of obsession we see a degree of mania, a developed psychological condition that makes someone have unnatural attraction towards a subject. This mania has damaged her range of expression as well as social prowess, but same time her very typical and naturally expressed love for her sister and social awareness over the subject of not connecting with Pinkies friends all point towards otherwise functional social instinct.

 

She is expressionless because after years of manic dedication to rocks and minerals she has just lost the impulsive reactions that one would otherwise exhibit, however she does feel them at the right times and has right emotional response within her head to the situations, and maybe it took a family member like Pinkie to see it, but it was there. Autism spectrum disorder usually leads to "wrong" response in social situations instead. Maud however did the right one, like when questioned about poetry, she shared some. When asked to help around kitchen, she agreed even if it was not interesting to her, she was polite and kind in many ways that suggest neurotypical brain with manic psychological tendencies towards a subject as a coping / appealing mechanism.

 

See Robin Williams for a fine example, his coping mechanism was humor, and he excelled at it, but it was almost only way he managed to interact with people not of immediate family.

 

And trust me I know my mania!

Edited November 28, 2014 by Sheogorath

[Judgement 445]

Honestly, she may just be antisocial and boring. I mean, the whole pie family besides pinkie seemed really depressing in Pinkie's cutie mark flashback (up until she threw a party for them, that is). Maud probably only has a weird obsession with rocks because of the family heritage. 

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,695]

No. She just expresses herself in an unusual way.

 

Why do fans constantly have to try to project real world psychological problems onto characters in this show?

I agree completely, and I have ASD myself. Enough armchair psychology about a kids' show. I'm sure Equestria has shrinks and all, but my theory is that ponies don't categorize each other as compulsively as humans do. In their world, differences are mostly accepted. In our world a ton of scientific study and work goes into defining those differences. In a way we are forced to legitimize them; "prove that you have the right to be different." The ponies don't do that to each other, so definitions are not as important.

 

We know Maud is introverted, eccentric, and not very social. We know she misses or ignores certain expressions and social cues. We know she has very narrow interests and blunted affect. Those are all traits of Asperger's. But as far as the show is concerned, Maud does not have Asperger's.

 

She's just Maud. And I love her.

[Sazama Ichida 2,367]

Alot of the characters show symptoms of mental disorders of some kind:

Twilight = OCD
Rainbow Dash: ADD
Rarity = PTSD
Pinkie Pie = Autism
Applejack = Dyslexia
Derpy Hooves = Downs Syndrome

[Phill 1,287]

If someone with autism (or any disorder) can find a character they relate to, then I see no harm in them thinking that that character as the same disorder as them. 

Edited January 27, 2015 by Phill

[#1FluttershyFan 206]

I think that's just the way she is.

[SonOfTheNorthe 412]

Yes. No one say it better than the horseshoe man.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JygnNCvLgWM#t=635

"Why would MLP writers bring real world problems into the show?"
>Flight to the Finish

 

Goddamn you people are dense.

We know Maud is introverted, eccentric, and not very social. We know she misses or ignores certain expressions and social cues. We know she has very narrow interests and blunted affect. Those are all traits of Asperger's. But as far as the show is concerned, Maud does not have Asperger's.

 

If it looks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, if it smells like a duck, it's probably a duck. The show never says that she does or doesn't have aspergers. And why should it? It'd start another derpy-gate. It's pretty obviously hinted at, not spelled out for you.

[Dulset Tarn 441]

Are people with Asperger's poorly written cardboard comic relief characters?

[Admiral Regulus 2,769]

Are people with Asperger's poorly written cardboard comic relief characters?

 

Yes. It's in the diagnostic criteria, I'm almost sure of that.

[Thespian 78]

Man... I really am not a fan of all this "Pinky has split personality, twilight has OCD, and maud is autistic/aspergers." However, with rainbow rocks, it does seem like they are making Maud out to have some kind of condition. In her show episode, it just seemed that Maud was an older pony that wasnt as excitable as other ponies and was more straight forward with her thoughts. I meet people like that every day. They don't have aspergers. However, with Rainbow rocks, they make her out to be delusional to the point where she is not completely in touch with reality. Not only does she actually think her pet rock is alive and requires food, she thinks that others think that is completely normal. To me it seems to do more harm than good for the Autistic community by lampooning this character that had such great potential.

So no, I don't think the mane six or any side characters necessarily suffer from any mental issues. The writers might be touching the waters and experimenting, but I hope they don't do more than that.

[smitty121325 64]

It's possible. Asperger's is a form of autism and one of the symptoms of autism is poor communication skills. 

Edited January 28, 2015 by smitty121325

[Sazama Ichida 2,367]

Maud DOES show some symptoms of Asperger's.

1. Limited Interests
2. Anti-Social
3. Multiple Talents

[The Second Opinion 270]

Intentional or not, she definitely has traits indicative of aspergers. But I think whether she actually does is trivial compared to how it factors into the episode, and yes, either way, Maud is used to explore what makes people with these traits tick and how a little patience and understanding can be all it takes for them to become a friend like any other.

There's really no need to definitively establish it or to cry "stop projecting!" when people make the comparison, as though someone is trying to repossess the character from you.

[sonicdashie 120]

I say she does because, being a fellow aspie, my parents have told me about some of the symptoms and I have a book that also tells me about it.

So first of all, she only likes to talk about one thing (symptom of Aspergers), she has difficulty in social situations (another symptom), and finally, she talks monotone (which I THINK might be another symptom)

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 28, 2015 by Sonicdashie

[Gearbox10mm 794]

Yes. No one say it better than the horseshoe man.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JygnNCvLgWM#t=635

 

An exellent review and character analysis.

[SasQ 1,379]

It's the other way around: A set of behaviors which once were perfectly "normal", has been classified as a mental disease. Maud is just Maud. But in our world, she'd very probably be diagnosed as having the Asperger's syndrome.

 

Similarly, Fluttershy is just shy. But in our world, being shy is also classified as a mental disease (I heard of the World's Health Organization putting shyness on their list of mental diseases recently). So if Fluttershy came to our world, she'd be diagnosed as mentally ill.

 

And when Twilight Sparkle came to our world, she'd be diagnosed of OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder).

 

Rainbow Dash has ADHD.

 

There's a psychiatrists' proverb which says:

"Everyone is mentally ill. It is just that not everyone is diagnosed yet."

Edited January 28, 2015 by SasQ

[Cwanky 17,617]

I see that some people still insist on making Maud the next Derpy for all the wrong reasons.

 

People are really digging into this deeper than they need to. If the show and writers don't show or tell us that Maud has any disabilities, then why should we assume she does? Personal biases unfortunately may play a role here. People will blindly defend the characters they know and love, but if they happen upon a character they don't understand or like, they attribute negativity towards him or her, even if unintentionally.

 

Take for example some of the traits of aspergers described on wikipedia:

 

A lack of demonstrated empathy has a significant impact on aspects of communal living for persons with Asperger syndrome.^[2] Individuals with AS experience difficulties in basic elements of social interaction, which may include a failure to develop friendships or to seek shared enjoyments or achievements with others (for example, showing others objects of interest), a lack of social or emotional reciprocity (social "games" give-and-take mechanic), and impaired nonverbal behaviors in areas such as eye contact, facial expression, posture, and gesture.^[1]

People with AS may not be as withdrawn around others compared to those with other, more debilitating forms of autism; they approach others, even if awkwardly. For example, a person with AS may engage in a one-sided, long-winded speech about a favorite topic, while misunderstanding or not recognizing the listener's feelings or reactions, such as a wish to change the topic of talk or end the interaction.^[9] This social awkwardness has been called "active but odd".^[1] This failure to react appropriately to social interaction may appear as disregard for other people's feelings, and may come across as insensitive.^[9] However, not all individuals with AS will approach others. Some of them may even displayselective mutism, speaking not at all to most people and excessively to specific people. Some may choose only to talk to people they like.^[28]

Do you know who fits that description surprisingly well? Pinkie Pie! Surprise!  Even Twilight and Fluttershy show many characteristics common to asperger and autistic people.     But it doesn't mean that they have these symptoms. And even if they do, who cares? We shouldn't pity and feel bad for people, not for the wrong reasons. They are still able to function sociably and live normal lives just as anyone else could. 

Among the physically handicapped and even mentally handicapped (those that can live normal lives), they don't want to be pitied and their disability often doesn't bother them or those they live with. 

 

Besides all that Maud has shown herself fully capable of interacting with the rest of the Mane 6. Just because she doesn't share their views, personalities and tastes doesn't mean she's troubled. She's her own unique individual, not broken. Besides that, I do find that most of the Mane 6 tend to have rather eccentric personalities and tastes that I myself would have trouble relating to at times. But that's just how life is, everyone is there own individual and we will often disagree on more than half the time, even as friends. 

Edited January 29, 2015 by Cwanky

[SasQ 1,379]

Do you know who fits that description surprisingly well? Pinkie Pie! Surprise! Even Twilight and Fluttershy show many characteristics common to asperger and autistic people.

That's just it. These descriptions of mental illnesses are constructed in such a way that everyone can fit the definition if compared long enough. This is how psychiatrists are able to diagnose so much people as mentally ill, and then try to "heal" them for so many years, maintaining their jobs.

 

When I once read this description on Wikipedia, I concluded that I should have Asperger's syndrome too. Thank Celestia I haven't visited any psychiatrist yet, since I'd be diagnosed some mental illnesses already with almost certainty, since I'm a very non-standard kind of person.

Edited January 29, 2015 by SasQ

[Coco before Pommel 679]

As a person with Asperger's Syndrome, I'm not sure what bothers me more - the trend for diagnosing fictional characters on the flimsiest of reasons, or people acting like the condition is a "mental disorder/problem" or some sort of insult to the character. Yes, it's not easy to live with and it can/does cause many problems for me and others, but it's not a "problem" that can be "fixed" in some way - some people's brains work differently, and we have to learn to live with however that affects us, but many people with AS live perfectly happy, "normal" lives (whatever that means) and it's hugely insulting to say there's something "wrong" with them.

 

I think my main issue with characters getting diagnosed with AS (or other RL conditions, including those that legitimately are mental disorders, but I'm focusing on the one discussed here I actually have experience of) is that it always tends to focus on a very narrow, stereotypical set of traits - that are often, in the source material, portrayed as comic relief or a joke - that people associate with AS. Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory* is a good example - he's basically, as far as I can tell, just an insensitive asshole. When fans try to explain his behaviour by saying he's "obviously" got AS because he fits some very stereotypical criteria about what people with AS act like...it does make me uncomfortable, because it only reinforces the stereotypes (that are mostly negative and/or played for laughs), and can give the impression that people use it as an excuse for general dickish behaviour (this seems to happen online a lot). It isn't and shouldn't be an excuse for bad behaviour, and the problem is that then it gets made into an insult - I was on a chat the other day where "sperg" was being casually tossed around as an insult, and I didn't say anything but it made me feel horrible - and a bad thing, because of this false idea of what ALL people with AS are like, that people need to "defend" their favourite character from. For people like me who have to live with this thing that we know makes us different, that's not a nice thing to hear at all. It's not an insult, but nor is it something that can be reduced to a checklist of criteria to say "this shows us that character x OBVIOUSLY has AS, there is no other explanation for their behaviour". It's a complex, and sensitive for many people (myself included, lol can you tell), issue and framing it in such black-and-white terms does a huge disservice to all the RL people out there who are living with AS (either themselves or family, friends etc).

 

I don't personally see Maud (or Twilight or Fluttershy) as having AS - I also don't think she really seems "antisocial", just, as she said, expresses herself differently - maybe a bit more introverted, sure, but that's not at all the same. Also, "antisocial" is definitely not synonymous with AS or autism, and neither is being obsessed with rocks or whatever. I don't really apply RL psychology to ponies, for many reasons it just doesn't seem appropriate or appeal to me. She's just Maud, like Pinkie is just Pinkie and Fluttershy is just Fluttershy (and I love all of them, if that wasn't clear, and think they're awesome, well-written, relatable characters). But if people enjoy reading or headcanoning her character that way - as long as they're not insisting that it's canon and the ONLY true interpretation, or that that is what all autistic people act like - then that's cool, I'm not going to ruin their fun just because I happen to disagree. Maud is fictional and she can't get hurt by people misunderstanding her - but RL people can, and I can't blame people with AS for wanting to see characters like themselves as more than a one-note joke or stereotype, after all.

 

...phew, sorry, I think that rant had been building for a long time. but yeah, hopefully it somewhat made sense and didn't offend anyone. Coco out~

 

 

*admittedly I haven't seen much of TBBT so someone feel free to correct me if I'm completely wrong, but it's an example I see used a lot re characters who could have AS.