User blog comment:AustinDR/Leni Has Autism Theory/@comment-4618045-20170519030316

I find your claim to be interesting. While I don't think it will ever be confirmed one way or another on the show itself, I do feel a need to say some stuff before the notion is dismissed.

Autism is a spectrum disorder. Some on it may have a lot of symptoms and difficulties with coping, others may have relatively little, but those groups of people (as well as everyone else in the middle) are on the spectrum.

Another thing to consider is treatment. Regardless of where one may lie on the spectrum, obstacles can be overcome (or at least minimized) through speech therapy, special services, and real-world practice. Sure Leni may have friends now and can hold a conversation (with some road bumps), but little is known about her past. As far as we know, she could have been VERY socially awkward growing up and has only become proficient through years of support and hard work. Or maybe social skills weren't as much of an obstacle to begin with and her autism could have produced other symptoms (such as the aforementioned raptor arms habit or the fact that she was only able to learn to drive when taught in a very specific manner).

I do not mean to disparage your experience or that of anyone else that is on the spectrum. I myself am on the spectrum and while I do continue to have difficulty with talking or picking up on cues in certain circumstances, I have been able to overcome a lot of my defieciencies (such as speaking or recognizing emotions) through therapy and practice. But I believe that the evidence out there suggests that Leni does have autism more so than it doesn't. Any criteria that Leni fails to meet can be accounted for either through her only having mild symptoms or through an acquired ability that is the result of early intervention.