On the spectrum

[LilianaUwU]

There should be an autistic Ken that comes with a miniature train set.

[Max Rockatansky]

There should be an autistic Ken that comes with a miniature train set.

That is a popular comment on Facebook posts about this doll.

[Scott5114]

That took 18 months to develop?

It probably wasn't the only thing anyone involved in it was doing. Plus, developing any product takes way longer than most people think, because it's not just a matter of design, it's also selecting materials, suppliers, packaging, manufacturing processes, scheduling production around that of other products, etc.

Both times I printed a run of playing cards it took a period of several months, and that was with me only having the one product to worry about and it being a very simple manufacturing process (just printing and die-cutting).

[CNGL-Leudimin]

One of my main interests is supporting children with rare diseases. Thus, when I had the chance to do so with a severely autistic boy (a case later found to be tied to a Phelan McDermid syndrome) in need of an assistance dog I knew I just had to do it, as since I'm also in the spectrum I can give more support than a neurotypical person. Thanks to him I got back into trail running, and by extension I clinched many more routes in the Lower Aragon area (around Alcañiz), an area I had not explored much before. He also caused a recent realignment on another, very autistic thing from me, the "expanded town list" (with "example", "supplementary" and "alternate" towns).

Due to this, I jokingly say my autism is level 3 of support(ing others), even though actually I fit into level 1. However that level thing is not universally used here, I had to explain that system to my psychologist before telling her the joke.

[formulanone]

That took 18 months to develop?

It probably wasn't the only thing anyone involved in it was doing. Plus, developing any product takes way longer than most people think, because it's not just a matter of design, it's also selecting materials, suppliers, packaging, manufacturing processes, scheduling production around that of other products, etc.

Not to mention, a huge company like Mattel is going to have to churn this through various departments such as legal (did someone trademark "Autistic Barbie"? Is someone going to confuse Spectrum Barbie with the telecom company?), ethics (what's our blowback and social gain for creating this? do be have PR boots on the ground for stupid questions?), research & development (does Spectrum Barbie cause blindness? what happens if a small child ingests Barbie?), and certification (this won't catch fire in milk, will it?) as well.

[kphoger]

Is someone going to confuse Spectrum Barbie with the telecom company?

There's precedent for crossover.

[Road Hog]

Is there such a thing as an autistic radar? I could kinda have told that David Byrne was autistic from the way he acted onstage and his lyrics, especially since his behaviors are so similar to mine. It's at least part of the reason Talking Heads are my favorite band.

You mean like "gaydar" except for autistic people? I would suppose that might exist.

[vdeane]

Is there such a thing as an autistic radar? I could kinda have told that David Byrne was autistic from the way he acted onstage and his lyrics, especially since his behaviors are so similar to mine. It's at least part of the reason Talking Heads are my favorite band.

You mean like "gaydar" except for autistic people? I would suppose that might exist.

Makes sense.  I've even read that autistic people are actually just as good at nonverbal communication and socializing as neurotypical people - when they're with other autistic people.  It's not that autistic people wholly lack such skills, it's because they process information differently enough that the shared mental assumptions that make such things possible break down.