I believe that the main six are autistic, for example, in the first episode of season one Twilight has trouble making friends, but then over the course of the season she opens up and her special interest is reading and books. That’s why she’s so smart.

Now for Rainbow Dash I believe has ADHD and autism.

Pinkie Pie also has autism, she’s very hyper, and she can’t really sit still for very long, so she might have a little bit of ADHD as well just like Rainbow.

Applejack only has traits of autism, such as not being able to lie, and knowing a lot about apples.

Fluttershy has a hard time making friends because she is very shy around new ponies, and can’t stand up for herself.

Rarity just like Twilight has Asperger syndrome meaning she is quite smart and knows a lot about dressmaking, but unlike Twilight, she had learned social skills, and how to talk with her customers.

Now, keep in mind that this is just a theory, but it’s a quite interesting one I came up with, after watching a video of someone explaining that the main sixth might be autistic.

Not to be mean, but none of the Mane Six come across as autistic. Perhaps Pinkie Pie at times since she doesn’t often get social cues—but I personally think she simply values fun over not being uncouth, so who knows?

If you are autistic and the Mane Six being autistic allows you to relate to them better, then by all means take that headcanon and run with it, but I highly doubt the show runners were trying to depict them as such.

7917827

I’m not autistic, but it seems interesting to me to think that maybe the main six are autistic, I like writing about disabilities since I have one myself so even if the show runners didn’t think that the main six are autistic this is just head cannon.

7917822

7917827
As with someone with Autism with a preoccupation with English Lit and Psychology, I’ve actually been pondering this question for years. I believe Twilight has Asperger’s. If you look at how she organises her books, they have to be in a certain order. She gets freaked out when things are different. And of course, she struggles to make friends, but she doesn’t want to sink into the floor. Also, she has special interests- maths and physics. She could go on about the topic for hours! (See Rainbow Rocks) I compare her to Sheldon Cooper, who has many traits of ASD(not confirmed)
Fluttershy has Social Anxiety disorder, maybe with a few traits of ASD. A lot of shy people struggle to make friends. So do autistic people. But the difference between Shy and Twi is that Shy would rather sink into the floor than interact. (See the episode where she gets her cutie mark)(I think). Therefore she has Social Anxiety disorder. People with Social Anxiety often prefer being around animals anyway. (See The healing powers of dude)
AJ and Rarity don’t have any sort of disorder. AJ knows a lot about apples because she was brought up on an apple farm?
Dash and Pinkie have ADHD because they both struggle to focus. Shake your tail(Equestria Girls) is evidence. It’s unknown if they have ASD.

I hope that answers it!

(There’s also Reddit and Quora posts on this topic)

7917942

Interesting, but I’m sticking to my head cannon, I believe that all of the main six are autistic in some way or another.

7917827
Every show you watch probably won’t confirm if their character has ASD. Take this example. Sheldon is believed to have ASD. The makers of Big Bang Theory have not confirmed it, yet there’s evidence in the sitcom. Even Sheldon’s doctor says there’s nothing wrong with him, yet Sheldon is obsessed with Physics.

It’s the same with Hasbro. There’s evidence, but they won’t confirm it.

Example: Twilight hyperventilating at the littlest things, forgotten friendship. Did you know people with ASD usually have OCD, anxiety, depression or another learning difficulty?

(I know they were set in very different times, but it’s the best example I have without me going into an autistic ramble. )

That’s the joys of media! It can be interpreted in any way you like!

7917948
I’m confused, so now if a neurotypical person has special interests and is highly intelligent they have autism? Twilight never had problems making friends, she simply saw no need for them before she went to Ponyville. I’m sorry but the Mane Six do not come across as on the spectrum to me. Being shy, having social anxiety or depression does not make a person autistic.

But again, if a person who is autistic wants to view the characters in this show as having the same neurological disorder as their own personal headcanon, then I support that.

7918054
I’m not saying she’s neurotypical. A friend of mine proposed at least one of the main 6 is neurodivergent. My sibling is interested in formula one. They’re not autistic.

Twilight is the autistic one. I’m autistic: my special interests are Harry Potter, Philosophy and Psychology. Rewatch rainbow rocks. How long could she have gone about the invention if Dash hadn’t stopped her? I figured she could have spent more time discussing her invention than actually using it. Just like I could spend more time ranting about Harry Potter or Atheism to my friends. But it was the fact she hyperventilate for little things(OCD) and a friend who is autistic, found out people who have ADHD, OCD and other disabilities such as Dyslexia, Dyscalculia etc, are more likely to have ASD. And I am 95% certain that Twilight has OCD. People with ASD often have to line things in certain ways. With me, I have to put my books in certain piles. Classics, modern, tatty old books that need to be thrown, teen, young adult etc. I line up my dolls in certain ways as well. Twilight does the same with her books; they have to be on specific shelves or she will freak out. (S4)

She hates change. Friendship Games- planned to stay at CPA and do her science. When her plan changes, she would rather stay instead of compete in the games. In Legend of Everfree, she’s still clinging to midnight sparkle. She refuses to embrace change. She freaks out when Spike can talk in Friendship Games. That’s why I compared her to Sheldon.

The neurotypical ones are of the group(includes Equestria Girls)
Applejack
Rarity
Sunset Shimmer(though I’ve been working on a theory about her.)

I’ll send you an article with typical autistic traits. See if you can spot them in the mane 6.

ASD articles
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/signs.html
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/autism/signs/

7918213
I agree with you, Twilight and her other friends are autistic, I don’t care what anybody else says that is what I believe.

7918213

7918222
That’s fine as your own personal headcanon. I agree that she might have OCD but that doesn’t often equate to autism just because someone with autism might have a higher chance of suffering from it.

Personally, unless the show states otherwise or unless it’s very clearly obvious that a character is suffering with a certain disability, I don’t tend to stick one on them and claim that it’s what the show intended. Now headcanons don’t matter since they are personal ideas that a fan might make up and that isn’t a canon thing in the original narrative. So definitely by all means believe she is on the spectrum regardless of what I think.

It looks like a case could be made that the mane 6 (or at least some) could be artistic, and a headcanon that they are isn't exactly unrealistic.

Though, in some of the Mane 6's cases, such as Applejack and Fluttershy, it looks like their autistic signs could simply be part of their personality; plenty of non-artistic people are shy and introverted, or stubborn and don't like asking for help. I'm autistic, and while I was shy and introverted like Fluttershy, I did not have problems for help like Applejack showed. However, my brother may have had that problem and his personality is much closer to Applejack's than my personality is (though we both can be stubborn), but he's not autistic. Others like Twilight and Pinkie do seem to have enough signs where, if any of the mane 6 are autistic, it's one or either of those two.

One thing that video didn't touch on and that I don't recall anyone ever bringing up is, while both Twilight and Pinkie can have trouble missing social cues, there's one big difference between the two. Twilight appeared to have trouble reading social cues because she didn't like socializing prior to the start of the show, suggesting it might not be immate to her; she just didn't learn them due to a lack of interactions and it reached a point that it could mimic autism. Thus, there really should be an asterisk by it when it comes to suggesting Twi's autistic (though traits like her not liking change or her OCD tendency may be a more natural trait she has and thus an overall stronger case for her being a true autistic pony, not a non-autistic one that just happens to have some autistic traits). Pinkie on the other hand was a vastly more social pony yet still had trouble with reading others and struggles to "read the room", suggesting that it is a problem she naturally had, and would check out if it was due to true autism. Pinkie also has signs that she might have bipolar with how she can have drastic mood swings, and when she gets depressed, she gets depressed.

7918268
Hmm, interesting.