Reasons why a lot of people think Max shows Autistic traits:
1. Prefers to wear the same clothes and has admitted so.
2. Saw someone put their feet in the Red Bull swimming pool years ago and refuses to get back in even now because fear of “sock fluff” floating in the water.
3. His favourite food does not change, it’s been tomato soup the since he was a child.
4. His sense of justice, he will fight to call out hypocrisy that he sees (the whole two faced George Russell saga, calling out British press, standing up for Lando with the mum had balls comment ect)
5. His friends make constant jokes that he is Maxipedia because he “knows everything” about motorsport.
6. He falls hard into new obsessions and interests and needs everything to do with it - like his sudden obsession with paddle and bought multiple rackets within a short time frame.
7. His insane knowledge about certain passions/interests such as racing, geography and cats.
8. Even just this evening on a livestream, he stopped to get under the table to straighten something out because it was “triggering” him and he had to sort it right then.
9. His memory of very specific details, and if someone recalls something incorrectly, he has to correct them to make sure it’s right and factual.
10. He has a favourite drawer at the Red Bull factory because it’s full of neatly organised tape.
11. His favourite number is 3 because he “likes the shape of it”
12. If he has a thought in the middle of the night, he has to act on it right then and not wait until the morning. He just needs to do it right that moment. He has explained he has gotten out of bed to test things on the sim at like 2/3am because of it.
13. Always looking away when talking but intense eye contact when someone is talking to him.
14: Hates having longer hair because of how it feels.
15. Always had to cover his ears when they fire up the car when it’s at the loudest in the garage.
16. The fact that lots of people say that he either under reacts or overreacts in a lot of stressful situations.
If you don’t believe he is, you don’t believe he is. But there are people out there who are autistic who do, and it’s kinda rude for you to try say that they’re wrong in their evaluations because you don’t believe he is. Let them have their opinions on it.
Unless Max says something, we will never know. So neither side are correct until then.
First of all, I did not invalidate anyone's assessment. Again, as I have said in my original post, I am autistic myself. As in actually clinically diagnosed autistic. Does that not mean my assessment is as valid as the people who say he is? Why is my view of it less valid? By your logic, your comment would be just as rude as my supposed transgression. Pick a lane dude. Either you respect all autistic people's opinion on this or only those that validate your view
Secondly, what you list here is hardly a list of diagnostic criteria and moreso an amalgamation of autistic stereotypes. Only a very handful of these would be admissable in an actual autism screening. Like "he covers is ears when the car gets started" are you kidding me? Those cars are loud as fuck. Sure, it could be a sign of sensory issues, but the thing about diagnosing autism is that it strictly states that reactions cannot be explained by any other thing. Needing to cover your ears when an F1 car gets fired up is a totally normal reaction that's hardly an argument
A strong sense of justice is not a diagnostic criteria either. Instead, and this is what many people get wrong, autistic people struggle to think outside a black and white binary (I know this because I am a horrible example of this). Besides, let's not act as if he isn't the biggest walking hypocrite himself
In the same sense, being a "neat freak" is not a diagnostic critera either. In fact that is one of the worst autism stereotypes I have come across. Dear lord if you think we're organized look at my and my friend's room. We stick to routines and systems, rigidly so, but that has nothing to do with things being straight or neatly organized. A system is not the same as orginization.
I don't even know what number 12 is supposed to be I'm gonna be honest with you. That has nothing to do with autism. And once again, show me where it says this on the DSM 5 or the ICD 10/11
Now, what does interests me, where are the important diagnostic criteria in the list? Where are the repetitive motions? The repetitive vocalizations? The inability to maintain friendships and relationships? Where is the inability to adjust behavior to various social scenarios? The absence of interest in other people? Deficits in communication (I'm not talking tone but actually conveying information)? The inability to adjust information based on the audience? The inability to understand non-verbal social cues or non-literal ambigious meanings? The difficulties of following the flow of information, understanding who is speaking and why, regulating your speech through verbal and non-verbal cues?
All of these are quoted from actual diagnostic criteria btw.
And most importantly, and this is what I never see anybody mention, autism means that you are in fact CLINICALLY IMPAIRED by these symptoms. Where is the psychological distress? Where is the physical distress? You list mild sensory issues but autism means you get overwhelmed so badly you start to cry. You start to throw up. Hell I get actual real fevers when I am overstimulated
Stop breaking autism down to the "funny quirks" or "knowing a lot". It's a fucking disability that comes with a long list of highly distressing impairments that are not a "hahaha tism go brrrr" thing. It means burn out. It means depression. It means suicide. One third of autistic people attempt suicide in their life because these symptoms are, and get this, FUCKING SHITTY
I have to be on intense medication to handle my depression and anxiety because of it. And, you might not wanna hear this, but I have had suicidal ideation myself
You are right, I will never truly know whether Verstappen is autistic or not. But you know what I do know? That people use this disorder to excuse him being an absolute dipshit by just saying "hahaha he's just autistic don't mind him!".
Fucking hell he used the r-word as an insult. Do you think I'm going to give any grace to a man that would throw slurs in my face? And I swear to god, do not excuse that by saying he is autistic because we are not stupid infants, we know the implications of words like that.
And next time you wanna come at me like this, at least have the guts to do it off anon so I can block you after
annaxmalina
ellievsbear
blakekathryn
janainaart
areudirty
origamiaround
gummygunk
prguitarman
