Introduction: When “Autistic” Becomes Slang
Have you ever done something stupid and been called “autistic”? Pakistani Gen Z has adopted the slang “autistic” or its derived variation “acoustic”.
Social media algorithms cause neurodivergent and mental health terms to be thrown around casually by young people, detached from the diagnosed conditions these terms are meant to clinically describe.
“Autistic” or “acoustic” has been used to describe weird or unusual behaviour in online communities and urban areas in Pakistan. However, the reality of autism as a neurodevelopmental condition is far different.
Why the Slang Is Spreading: Awareness Without Understanding
Perhaps it is the awareness of such mental conditions that causes this. There has been an increase in research about neurodevelopmental conditions in recent years. Conditions like Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are being clinically studied in the 21st century. The increased research has also led to a surplus of diagnoses, since research has broadened the definitions to encompass a spectrum that includes a wider range of severity — a trend documented for both autism and ADHD diagnostic criteria over the past few decades.
What “Neurodevelopmental” Actually Means
To define neurodevelopmental, we can break the word down: “neuro” refers to the make-up of the brain itself — how it develops thoughts, shapes self-identity, and ultimately manages movement, learning, communication, and emotions — and “developmental” refers to how these processes unfold over time. Neurodevelopmental conditions are increasingly understood as simply a different way of “being” that requires support or care.
A Spectrum, Not a Single Type: Low-Support vs. High-Support Needs
There are many different types of neurodevelopmental disorders that impact different aspects of a person’s life, with varying severity. Because of broader diagnostic criteria, individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities now also include people who are highly functional. Severity is defined according to the amount of support and accommodation an individual requires:
- Low-support needs — individuals who require minimal accommodation and often present as “normal” and functioning
- High-support needs — individuals who require significant accommodation across daily life
Because the diagnosis has broadened to include people who present as “normal” and functioning, the clinical criteria behind such words are increasingly being ignored — a shift some researchers argue may be tipping toward overdiagnosis, even as others point to it correcting decades of historical under-identification.
The “Pagal” Stereotype in Pakistani Media
At the other extreme, Pakistani media relies on a token “Pagal” or “Bhudoo” character — comic relief written as ignorant, stupid, and childlike. This caricature of a person with Autism Spectrum Disorder adds fuel to the stigma in Pakistan that neurodevelopmentally different individuals are idiots.
The Real Struggle: Misreading Social Cues
However, for an autistic person, this misunderstanding of social cues is the key struggle that encapsulates the neurodevelopmental difference between an autistic and a non-autistic brain. An autistic person struggles to form relationships and initiate conversations due to a differently structured brain. They may struggle to understand:
- Sarcasm
- Idioms
- Metaphors
Because of this, they get picked on for being “Bhudoo.”
Tact is a very important ability that shapes our place in the world. It is the ability to choose words according to the social situation, along with knowing what conversation should happen at what time. Because of this difficulty in reading social cues, autistic people often struggle to converse productively and form social connections.
Logic and Directness: Honesty Mistaken for Rudeness
They have brains that value logic and directness. They may state a fact to be helpful but are misinterpreted as blunt, rude, or unfeeling. Although the intention is to be honest, the way their words land can cause anger or sadness in others. This causes the autistic person extreme self-doubt and anxiety around social interactions.
They often dread conversation because of this mismatch — not only do they have to interpret tact and social cues, but they also have to change their way of speaking. In short, they have to accommodate something they have little natural understanding of.
The Toll: Isolation, Anxiety, and Masking Fatigue
This causes a deep sense of alienation — a pervasive loneliness and anxiety surrounding social interaction and relationships, along with fatigue after every exchange. Even if they succeed in mimicking socially acceptable behaviour, the effort itself is exhausting. All of this leads many to prefer being alone, resulting in isolated lives.
Conclusion: Words Carry Weight
Their highly logical intellect defies the typical notion that an autistic person has an intellectual disability. However, their invisible struggle with social skills — which the autism spectrum also covers — is a hidden disability that they alone face. Describing weird but non-clinical behaviour as “autistic” further adds to the stigma that impacts the lives of both low-support and high-support needs autistic individuals.
