#I mostly just went with ADHD because it seems to be the consensus

[descendant-of-truth]

Honestly? So much of Sonic Prime happens the way it does because Sonic is unabashedly, wholeheartedly neurodivergent, and I wanna talk about that in detail for several reasons

I think most people assume he has ADHD, and while I agree, I think they tend to leave it at "he's hyperactive and impulsive" when there's actually a lot more going on there.

For example, he lacks a filter. He says exactly what he's thinking, all the time, regardless of who's listening. I wouldn't be surprised if he does it as a type of vocal stim, considering that he talks to himself as much as he does to other people. Maybe he dislikes the way silence feels on his ears, too?

Something I noticed was that when Thorn gets on his case for this, asking if he ever stops talking, the way he says "eh, not really" sounds... almost resigned?

He could have easily said it in a more jokey way, but his tone (and the wide camera shot) gives me the impression that this isn't a trait of his that he feels especially positive about.

It's not cool or funny to him, at least not in this instance; it's just something he does, which further proves to me that it's more of an unconscious stim than anything else.

On the topic of the jungle world though, it also shows us a couple instances of him not being able to read others' intentions very well. Prim lies to him about knowing what the Prism shard is, and Thorn uses him to get to said shard - and despite how hostile they are, he takes both of them at their word.

He only realizes Thorn's intentions after she hits him across the clearing - not for the first time that day, mind you - and Sonic berates himself a little for not seeing this coming.

But it's not like this is the only time he has difficulty understanding intent; just look at his interactions with Shadow.

This is not the behavior of someone who understands why Shadow's picking a fight with him. He doesn't understand the implications of "you literally shook the world" because he doesn't know about the Weirder aspects of the explosion. In his mind, he just messed up a mountain.

Though I think his attitude implies another thing about his dynamic with Shadow that might explain why he was so quick to dismiss what he was talking about, which is. I don't think Sonic usually understands why they fight??

Shadow is a person of few words and Sonic has a hard time picking up on subtleties, that's a recipe for miscommunication already. And if Sonic's already predisposed to thinking that Shadow fights him Just Because, then of course he didn't take this particular instance seriously.

Though going back to "he only registered the physical effect of the explosion," Sonic is actually pretty consistent with understanding things that are tangible a lot better than anything else. Case in point: that One Palm Tree

His first reaction to seeing it presented as a gift is that it must be a trick. because he doesn't see the tangible point of the tree, and isn't enough of a symbolism guy to see the sentimental point of it, either.

Don't get me wrong, he is being insensitive here, but I don't think it's on purpose in any way. Look at his body language and expressions:

Even as he's getting on their case for being too sentimental, he's not unhappy or uncomfortable with them. He's just completely failing to recognize that this was supposed to be a big deal for them, so he's treating it way more casually than is appropriate.

Which is like. a classic social flub for neurodivergent folks

(Quick side note - this specific "huh" that he makes as Tails is flying away before Sonic realizes he's upset is a whole mood. I don't know how to explain it but this is Exactly what it feels like when you can sorta tell something's not clicking but you don't know what yet)

(Look at him. brain static)

I could go on with the detailed explanations but some of that would just be me repeating past posts I've made, so I'll leave it at "he is clearly not handling change well either" and link back to an example.

So anyway, this is what I meant when I said that so much of the show is impacted by Sonic being neurodivergent. It affects how we hear his thoughts as viewers, it affects his ability to understand and connect with his friends, it's why he dismisses Shadow, it's why he impulsively smashes the Paradox Prism, the list goes on.

And he's not stupid because of any of these traits, either. None of what I've described has to do with intelligence, but I've seen "Sonic is too dumb" as a reason to criticize the show, and that's just not what's happening here.

If anything, I'm actually really impressed with how well the writers have managed to portray a more nuanced take on what a character with ADHD would look like. Because he's not just being hyperactive and chatty, you can tell it affects how he perceives things too.

Which is a much bigger part of the overall experience, and it's really cool to see in a cartoon like this - and in the lovable main character, to boot! Who cherishes his friends despite his struggles to understand them! Why is it so good!

In conclusion Sonic is the ADHD king we both needed and deserved, thanks for coming to my TED talk

[albatris]

Hi! I might be completely off, but for some reason I feel like you've talked about being ADHD. If you have and are ADHD, I was wondering if you (or your followers) think hyperfixation and hyperfocus are ADHD/autism exclusive terms. As an OCD (self diagnosed) person, I experience those things, and also have some friends with only anxiety that experience those things. I'm just not sure if the term itself is meant for me.

hello!

I am not ADHD, but also, you’re not completely off :P I did have a few asks come through about it recently! mostly in the context of, like........... the overlap of symptoms between some neurodivergencies! when I mentioned that I wasn’t ADHD but did share some symptoms in common, people sent me some links and tips and suggested to me that I would probably benefit from a lot of the same strategies even if the specific label did not apply to me c:

I am on the schizo-spectrum and very likely on the autism spectrum (although it gets confusing in differentiating where certain symptoms stem from in this case) n I can give you my two cents? but ye, I’m not an expert on the terminology by any means

I can start by saying it’s definitely not an ADHD/autism specific term! I cannot for the life of me find the post because this website is a nightmare but the coiner of the term extends it to various other types of neurodivergency, learning disabilities, developmental disabilities, etc, I know this ‘cause I specifically sought it out as someone on the schizospec who experiences hyperfixations

I’ve heard a lot of other people with various neurodivergencies discussing its usage around the place, there are a lot of people who seem to use it as something that can apply to a much more widespread range of neurodivergencies, since there is so much overlap between experiences! I don’t............ really know if there’s a Solid Consensus on where things like OCD and anxiety disorders fit into things? this is not really something I’ve looked into

I think I’ve seen discussions around, like.......... it shouldn’t be used for OCD ‘cause obsessions are anxiety-inducing where a hyperfixation is not, and stems from a different place, but like. eh. you know more about OCD than me, so you know the different ways things feel, and OCD is considered (I believe?) to be a developmental disorder (at least in some cases? I’m pretty sure??). n like. if you experience hyperfixations then you experience hyperfixations? you’re the expert on where this stems from and what words fit best! I feel like I wouldn’t trust someone without OCD to be like “NO this word is NOT ALLOWED because BLAH BLAH BLAH”, I believe you know the nuances of things better ‘cause it’s your life and all

I would definitely suggest looking further into it! but this can be difficult and you will likely get a lot of conflicting opinions. like, there are a lot of people who would probably get pissed at me for using it as someone on the schizospec despite the fact that it’s a term that explicitly extends to schizospec disorders, because the fact that it’s not an ADHD/autism specific term is not really well known or a widespread fact

like, my overall personal opinion on the matter is that it’s fine to use it if you are a neurodivergent person and it’s a term that you find useful! and if it accurately describes your experience! I would certainly find no issue with this at all, though like. I’m only one guy, so. y’know

n also like. I know it’s not a term you’re just flinging around for fun, like, obviously you’ve put thought and research into this since you’re asking me about it, and you went “oh, this is something that accurately describes my experience!”, n obviously there is enough of An Experience for you that it differs from what is (and this is not a term I’m super fond of but I’m very tired) “the norm”

things get a little muddy and complicated with arguments over specific labels and details, so I would also keep in mind that your experience is your experience and it doesn’t really matter what sorts of label you put on it! like, absolutely labels can be great, but I wouldn’t stress too much about whether you’re “allowed” to use something, I would focus more on just kinda..... your reality, your experiences, etc. and how these impact your life

kinda looping back onto like, hey, I’m not ADHD but I’ve got all these sick ADHD tips now that really help me out. so the label doesn’t necessarily apply to me but the same kinds of strategies do. same thing goes for you, whether this is words to describe your experience, relating to others who experience the same thing, a sense of community, etc.

not that I’m saying the label doesn’t apply to you, ‘cause IMO you’re all good, just like. hoo boy are there conflicting opinions on this matter n I’m probly not the best person to ask unfortunately