Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-32082639-20170627112040/@comment-1650307-20170727054455

Leni is not autistic and she can never be autistic. Having autism means you are super smart but socially awkward. Leni is dumb but socially she is just fine.

If Leni was announced to have autism, I think it would not go over well. As someone with autism and someone who is an advocate of the use of characters with autism spectrum in media, I feel like this would be a mistake. A lot of people would complain that Chris Savino is making an assumption that all autistic people are dumb like Leni and that is not the stereotype that the show needs to have forth, especially when they represent other characters with developmental disabilities with the utmost of dignity, like CJ.

If anyone from the Loud family has autism, it would be Lisa.