One author thinks so...

Lisa Simpson may have undiagnosed autism, a bestselling author has claimed.

Geek Girl writer Holly Smale, who is autistic herself, said: ‘Lisa Simpson is a very clever girl with a rigid sense of right and wrong, social difficulties, no friends, and an extreme hyperfocus on her interests and hobbies.'

The 41-year-old believes pop culture full of undiagnosed characters, also including Forrest Gump, Maurice Moss, as played by Richard Ayoade in The It Crowd and Daryl Hannah’s mermaid character in Splash who,' in her isolation and the way she feels apart and different from everyone else, is very much like an autistic woman.’

Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, Ms Smale added: ‘It’s great that these women, or other characters like Amy from the sitcom The Big Bang Theory, exist in fiction and on television, so we can see ourselves reflected. But we need more characters to be openly autistic and not just "coded" as being autistic.’

Published: 30 Apr 2023