Autistic Culture | Where autism meets identity! Vampires are Autistic (Episode 75)
Wait, Are Vampires Really Autistic?
In this episode, Matt and Angela discuss everyone’s favorite mythical creature - the vampire. Throughout this episode, we discover some uncanny similarities between the autistic community and our fang-tastic fictional friends!
Here's a bite of what’s to come:
* The parallels between autistic individuals and vampires begin with our health comorbidities, like POTS and hemophilia, before diving into the more supernatural realms.
* Notably, the art of shapeshifting mirrors the phenomenon of autistic masking & while vampires boast the gift of immortality, autistics have their own secret: we seem to defy the aging process as if time has a different rulebook for us!
* Matt and Angela dive into the world of vampires and eerie icons in pop culture—from The Addams Family and What We Do in the Shadows to even Sesame Street—unpacking why these characters resonate as autistic-coded.
* We explore traits like monotropic focus, infodumping, and behaviors often mistaken for manipulation, revealing a deeper, neurodiverse connection in the spooky figures we know and love.
* And we uncover the truly autistic reason why garlic keeps vampires at bay—but you’ll have to tune in to get the scoop!
“The folklore of the vampires is like the neighborhood autistic person - because they’re weird, they must be from another planet! ” - Dr Angela Kingdon
“Vampires apparently can hear you coming from a mile away and disappear into the shadows, because again, if you’re at home and you hear somebody knock at your door, you’re going to disappear into the shadows, because This is The Way. I haven’t answered my door to anyone that I wasn’t expecting in years, because you can’t make me.” - Matt Lowry LPP
“If you’re one of the vampire people of New Orleans, I get you now.” - Dr Angela Kingdon
Did you spot all the ways vampires embody the autistic experience? Share your spooky insights in the comments, and use #AutisticCultureCatch to connect with other creatures of the night—er, listeners—on social media! Which traits gave you chills this Halloween season?
Resources:
A Deep dive into Vampires we used for research: Encyclopedia Britannica’s entry about vampiresPage referenced in the episode: https://www.instagram.com/date_dave_phillyRelated Episodes:
Beauty & the Beast is Autistic
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