The IT Crowd autistic headcanons/examples/reasoning rambles:
I headcanon the whole of the IT department in The IT Crowd as autistic (yes that means Jen and Richmond too). This is just my headcanon! I’m not stating any facts!
(Sorry this was just supposed to be headcanons, but I’ve accidentally mixed in some of the reasons I think they’re autistic… which I guess is helpful? But yeah sorry for the mess)
This headcanon is already somewhat popular so this isn’t much new, but I’ll just go ahead anyway…
● Special interest in computers, technology/machinery, wires, board games/roleplaying games, English, science and maths.
● Usually stims by general rocking and fidgeting, but also the big rubber band bouncy ball in their office (that all of them share).
● Sensitive to noise and heat. (“I sometimes get a hot ear”). Also very sensitive sense of smell.
● Sometimes goes nonverbal.
● Has difficulty understanding when people are joking/acting. Social cues in general really.
● Can’t tell when or how to act excited for people.
● “Well that’s easy to remember! 0118 999 881 99 9119 725 3”.
● Bad at lying (“Because she’s dead!”)
● Bad at showing emotion (“Was it those bullies again?” “…Yep”)
● Special interest in computers, technology/machinery, various comic books, videogames and movies.
● Stims by fidgeting too, especially by bouncing his legs, but also with the rubber band ball and with some of the toys he keeps on his desk. Also stims by humming to himself.
● Mostly doesn’t like to socialize with people who aren’t Moss, but tries to anyway (spolier: he isn’t very good at it).
● Often doesn’t notice when he’s being a bit mean to people or if he’s talking too loud.
● Gets really annoyed when he can’t understand other people’s logic and tries super hard to rationalize them for himself.
● Takes things very literally. (“I’m sorry for your loss… move on”)
● He’s actually kind of called autistic in the series (not like factually stated), but it isn’t done very well… I just thought I’d mention it anyway.
● Probably got diagnosed very late in her life.
● Special interest in shoes (and also probably other things, but I can’t remember her being particularly fixated on anything else in the series… possibly that one band?).
● Bad at lying, but does so all the time anyway, to seem more confident socially than she actually is.
● Fav visual stim is watching the city from up high.
● Easily convinced of lies. (“This… is the internet!”)
● Scripts a lot and is good at “getting away with it” (hence her ending up as a ‘Relationship manager’).
● Special interest in Cradle of Filth (and probably other goth-y things… possibly fashion/makeup, but that’s his Main™).
● Very sensitive to bright lighting.
● Stims by twirling and playing with his sleeves, also probably visual stims by watching the machines’ lights flashing.
● Also spaces out a lot (when he stares into the camera).
● Has trouble expressing emotion, which is why people see him as gloomy. (“I’m not my usual cheery self!”)
● Doesn’t understand why everyone suddenly treats him differently after he became a goth.
● Accidentally infodumps about Cradle of Filth at inappropriate times because he doesn’t get that it’s rude, he just really loves this band ok!!! And he doesn’t get why Denham gets mad at him because he was genuinely trying to be nice!
● Stays in the storage room even after getting permission to “come out and play” with the others because it’s familiar, dark, quiet and comforting to him.
● Probably goes nonverbal a lot or prefers not to talk to people/being alone.
General things about all of them:
● Jen, Roy and Moss are all seen lying a lot, to try to make a social situations easier for them (it usually doesn’t work though because none of them are very good at lying). Also I don’t think Richmond lies? at least not on purpose if i remember correctly.
● Jen is the best with social skills in the group and claims to be a “people person”, but really she’s just the best at pretending she is since she has picked more up on the “rules of socializing” and scripts a lot.
● Richmond talks about how easily swayed IT people are… “That’s not true” “Yes it is” “No you’re right of course it is”.
● Moss and Roy literally use an app that tells you what to say when socializing with “real men”.
● They all have trouble with empathy or expressing empathy.
● They all infodump on each other and support each other when other people don’t (here I’m mostly just imagining what happens after the series. I think Jen ends up staying in the IT department because she realizes that she has a way easier time with her new colleagues than her old allistic friends).
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