lilo and stitch did a better job at representing everything s*a tried to do with music and lilo isn’t even “““canon autistic”””
what lilo and stitch has that music does not:
- neurotypical older sister having to parent her autistic-coded younger sister but she respects and validates her sister nonstop
- good representation of an autistic child even if unintentional [see autistic people expressing how similar they are to her here- 1, 2, 3]
- no white ppl in brownface
- good music
- decent filmmaking
- autistic people who like it
- aliens
anyway fuck s*a
- Has a strong yet subtle message on the effects tourism has on native Hawaiians
- Villain redemption
- A character coded to be lgbtq without being a stereotype
- a social worker who actually cares about the well-being of the child
- Found Family before it was cool
- A platonic love story which is rare for Disney where two misfits find solace in one another
- autistic coded child treated with respect//allowed to feel heavy emotions and act like a normal child without it being offensive or irritating
I’d argue TWO characters who are autistic-coded.
Lilo is what happens when you support your autistic child. Stitch is what happens when you don’t. Notice how he calms the fuck down and becomes able to weigh actions and consequences once there’s someone in his corner? He stops trying to destroy everything and focuses his energies on protecting the people who are protecting him (and Lilo, not everyone is onboard with Stitch yet). Up to that point he struggles to connect, and so he lashes out, instead.
Also, if memory serves me, the “this is my family” speech is the only time in the movie he speaks in complete sentences. When the movie came out, that was a major goal in autism work (and while today we know that communication may not mean verbal, it’s still hugely important). Finally, with people who love and support him, he’s able to learn to communicate, build a support network, and develop effective coping mechanisms.
anyone have that post that was like “NT writers are great at creating autistic characters but only when they aren’t trying to”




























